THE WATER DISTRIBUTION.

Colonist, Volume XL, Issue 8747, 22 December 1896, Page 2

THE WATER DISTRIBUTION.

To trie Editor of the Colonist.

Sib, — To write a letter on the Bhortage o water when it is raining in torrents, may be inopportune, but forced leisure gives opportunity, co here foe . 1 bad just got thus far when the familiar form 3of ZB, XX, and t jvo friends (heard before s-en) pats in an appearance. XX: " Hulloa there! Where are you? Come out and look at the bsautiful rain knocking} all year water Ludnes3 into smithereens." (There was a powerful smeli of mountain dew still it was hea*y rain ; th re was Usher among them yet -they were noisy, Bnd shall I say it, joly. No' the least in stature among '.htm was tha spokesman). XX; Is there a man with soul c:> ckad that never to himself hae said;" come and have a ncbler old man. Dash it ! There's distribution enough in all conscience to d->y, in fact, the high levds have got the firßt cf if. Now drop the matter. What does the high levels care about you. Came and have a nip. X: " Yon have a nip of this, or • Usher ' as a qualifier, (hancs a giass of w.ter &c , jast drawn from the tap). XX: " Sot particularly clear is it. Why what is that i a it?" X: '• Thai's an onythinchag-para'ioxus-reservoirandam, it ia a breed between the antediluvian-duck, and the barracoota. XX : ' Look, look lat the blooming 1 ttla Le^a- turning ovtr head and htels like an BTobat " X: " Yes he'd glad he's alive." XX; •« How tte dickens does 'bel V 8 an ' u.o/v and hava his being in the pipee. X: "Wei. however he don't do tin ti»t Older ; be bag bis being first, tbeo

he moves and lives, and as he is less than 9 feet lung be oan only be in one pipe at a time." XX: "Now old man y.u are jolly ehaip I'll give you one for that. I beard a man say 'me and the Mayor and af 'at boy,' will spoil that water business ' its clapirsp, 1 'Us bumkirn, 1 ' its woeto of tinao,' < wbat'B the good of bothering ab ut i. They were awfully excited, and yr v look out there 1 *) an offensive and dt tensive treaty concluded. And a policeman will ba sent for it you dispute the ruling of tho Ch ir. Take that nnw fcr yt ur hourny-obincus-duxue." X: "You're or/titled t< some obange oot vi it. X, : " Seriously how, do those blooming things get down to the tapr.' 1 X: lltluctantly of oourse, when onoe they leave home, not being able to swim faßter than the flow, they get brought up all standing against the turn of! in the tap til] some one liberates Ih m by torniog the tip, then aa one good turn deserves another, Vhey turnover head and lais as you saw them. If you go to the tap and drink without looking they may oome to an end iD Ushers best blend. XX: "You have not Answered what 1 want to knew. Where is their home?" X: "I have made it my business to sample the water io very bright clear glass, and with a good len-\ and neither in the creek nor the water above the dam oculd I fee any. The water is beautifully bright and sweet. The trouble is in that abortion the reservoir. If any water is left in it, or ram fall accumulates in ever so small a q actity, it beoomes s-t gnant and from eva from flies or inFcefa dropped into it, they breed, especially in summer. Even if these litilt pools were bwbV bed up dry there would in all probability b a fiw germa lef', quite at ffioicnt to etart a brood. It was the knowledge of these small faots and surroundings tbat caused me in the past to reoommend the ti! cup the gorge for the Reservoir. Fliea know better than deposit tbeirova in running waters." X ', " Y-.-u said there was a oomprct to burfee inquiry." Some people oall it a ring to work joints and set upon a zealons. inquirer. I o»ll it a very great pity tlfeat a mater of nuoh vital importance to this city does not receive the first and most earnest consideration. There is perforce a great farce enacted with our w&t.r supply. When it commencse tj rain the Reservoir is filled and the oity supplied therefrom, and it is at this time, if there are any living animals, they get washed down, and for years I have been Bg&inat using this abortion at all. If it is filed it used to leak out in aboui three days, the oity would probably only get a day's supply out of it, and then fall back in the watar from Dam " Cuo bono." It is for these and other matters I moved my resolution whiob was so very shabbily reoeived by the Council, and so suppressed by an evening pr. par thbt geta a very fair measure of support. The usual style of reporting me is " Ho made a long Bpeeoh,"or " He replied at some length," or sometimes I g t a half dczen lines', this time " five." At the same time the utteranoes of others defioieot in language is dressed op. Is this fair journalism— is it fair to readers? All my family are readers. In conclusion Sir, I emphatically asseit that tbero is no part of the Corporation Trast that •raqoires at present so much careful consideration as our water works. What is recommended viz., a 12in service and increased supply from the M-.itai (exo pt to fill the Queeu's Gardens ponds) will be found to be in the wrong direction. The Maitai water bas been analyzed and is not nearly si good as the Brook. Calculations bave been tuade long ago by otbets &nd myee'f that an it creased supply of one third could be got if necessary, by capturing the splendid water fron Wooded Peak for from £700 to £900. If the necessary time that the Bubjeot deserves ia devoted to it, a proper course of action canbe deoided upon, and all friction among councilors removed. I bave not the slightest wieh to no alone oo (he matter, jas the contrary- But I am not now going to drop tbe matter. I have been elected to represepent the ratepayer?, and I intend to do my best for them and those inhabitants who ate not directly so. It was ttited in Council that my writing to the Press gava offence. My reply to that is.^wben subjects a c sufficiently considered in Oounoil, and where perfect fieeiom of debate i« permitted, and tho ohair re/rains from needless interpellations or th re fits, then boßinesß will be oonduoted satisfactorily, and be ressoned to finality. Yours etc, Willum £kersten.