PASS THE WATER JUG.

Observer, Volume 9, Issue 532, 2 March 1889, Page 3

PASS THE WATER JUG.

What is the matter with our city water? In spite of the opinions of various authorities who have from time to time sampled the city water and pronounced it ' remarkably pure ' and so forth, the fact remains that it is simply undrinkable. Its normal colour is milky or clouded like lemonade, and it occasionally takes on a light pea-green tint, very pretty to look at, but which makes one somewhat nervous this hot weather. I don't think even Sir Cold Water Fox and Mr Glover can drink much of this stuff. It is too suggestive of fever. You may filter and strain it as much as you will, but the germs of the typhoid will lurk in it still.

Filtering is no good with our water. It may improve the colour, and also the flavour (which is by no means ]Dleasant), but filtering will not kill the germs. Boiling is the only plan, and it should be filtered aftei wards. The City Council may declare until its members are severally and collectively black in the face, that the city water is ' pure, and of excellent quality.' The proof of the pudding lies in the eating, and the proof of the water lies in the drinking, and the less city water that is consumed (without being boiled and filtered Jirst), the better for the health of the consumer.

Really I pity chose poor teetotallers under the circumstances of the case. 'I hey must of course continue to eulogise 'sparkling water', 'wholesome cold water,' 'the pure element,'' 'man's natural thirst quencher ' etc., etc., but the city water does not sparkle, is not wholesome, is not pure ; even when made into tea and coJTee, it retains a peculiar and very disagreeable flavour. Do our Blue Templar friends drink much of it ? Not much, I think. They prefer to 'pass 1 'he; water-j ug.