The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 1866.

Timaru Herald, Volume IV, Issue 101, 20 April 1866, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 1866.

Fire ! Fire ! Such will be the cry that will awaken the inhabitants of this town to a full sense of their most pressing want, the want of a good, wholesome, supply of water, and of a sufficient bulk to Tender nugatory the above dreaded cry. We have before called attention to this subject, and showed clearly the utterly defenceless state of the town against that most remorseless enemy. Since then, now nearly eighteen months ago, what has been done? why literally nothing, nothing whatever to stop the ravages of a fire, and nothing to secure to the town a good supply of water. We can well understand people going on from day to day drinking brack and impure water, if no I other is available; habit is to most of us \ a second nature, but we cannot imagine i an entire community going on from month jto month and year to year drinking bad I water, while good water, and that too a permanent supply, can be readily obtained at a comparatively small cost. We believe a good lead of water could be : brought into this town, either from the Pareora or the Opihi. The former river, we believe, is most available, both from its closer proximity and from the better adaptation of the ground to be traversed over. Any person conversant with the large watey leads constructed by diggers over -fer more difficult country than the above, jrnd with timber and other appliances for ijje necessary carrying on of such work

hard to fret, ami only to be obtained at great cost, would have cause to wonder at the great npathy displayed by the residents hero, when, comparatively, everything is m favor of tin? town being supplied with an simple and good supply of water. If, as we have before said, habit is so strong that people are content to go on as heretofore, drinking bad water, now that house property lias so much increased, it would bo surely worth while to consider how such property could best be protected. Once get a strong lead of water from the Pareora, with a large reservoir, somewhere at the back of the town, from which pipes could be advantageously laid, and house property would be protected, and not only protected, but both house and landed property must of necessity rise m value. We need not point out, as an adjunct to this water supply, a suitable fire engine, without which, of course, nothing could be done towards extinguishing a fire. We were glad to note, some few weeks since, that the Municipal Council had issued tenders for the boring of an artesian well. This was a step m the right direction, but from all we can gather an artesian supply oi' water is highly problematical, and we think that, considering how very inefficient!}' the town is at present supplied, and with not the slightest protection against fire, some steps, and that without delay, ought to be taken to ventilate the entire question. A public meeting would be perhaps the best means of arriving at a sound conclusion.