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A. H. HOLLINGSWORTH sworn :—
By the Chairman.-You are Executive Engineer now, are you not?
A-Yes.
Q-And how long have you been in the Public Works Department ?
A-I actually arrived here at the end of January, 1897, but the appointment took place late in 1896.
Q-You were appointed in 1896 as Assistant Engineer?
A-Yes, under agreement.
Q-For how long?
A-Three years.
Q-And you have just been appointed Executive Engineer?
A-Yes.
Q-During your first period of service in the Public Works Department, what was your work chiefly?
A-Waterworks construction.
Q-And now your work is chiefly concerned with what?
A-Water and drainage works.
Q-With regard to your work in connection with water, you are, of course, aware that there has been a good deal of dissatisfaction lately regarding the water supply, especially since the intermittent supply was introduced?
A-Yes.
Q-Can you give us a reason for so much dissatisfaction?
A-The reason is probably on account of the increase of population, and possibly due to the fact that the mains in the Colony are for a constant and not for an intermittent supply of water. The pipes are of small diameter and consequently very really de- pleted of water. The draw on the lower districts entirely depletes the upper districts of their supply. A large number of taps are left open in the lower districts and all the water is drawn off before it reaches the higher levels.
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Q-How can these difficulties be best supervened?
A-By additional storage reservoirs.
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Q--Are any additional storage reservoirs being constructed now?
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A-The contract has been let and work will be started in a few weeks on an additional storage reservoir at the bye-wash of Tytam. The contractor is there.
Q-What other storage reservoirs?
A-There is another, also in the Tytam catchment, plans for which will be com- pleted next year. Plans are being prepared now. The one is high up above Tytam and the other lower down below this. There will then be three in the Tytam catchment.
Q-Will these three storage tanks overcome the difficulty?
A-I should imagine so, providing we have an average rainfall.
Q-What average rainfall would be sufficient?
A-With a rainfall such as we have had this year, I should say no, these three reservoirs would certainly not put us ahead. This year, we have had roughly about thirty inches below the average rainfall.