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the prosperity of the Colony not yet recovered from the severe fi-
nancial blows dealt it by the dislocation of Exchange, and the long
period of depression following the unsound speculative policy of a
Year
few years ago, it now becomes important to enquire how far this
last and crowning disaster was due to preventible causes, and if so
to whom should be apportioned the blaue and the responsibility.
In embarking on such an enquiry the Committee are actuated
by a desire to bring to Your Excellency' notice and attention some
facts and suggestions thereon that may serve to prevent the perpe-
S
tuation of a faulty and perfunctory system, repetition of past error
or possible perseverance in a policy of "drift" and procrastination.
The fact that the sanitation of the City of Victoria was
far from satisfactory was officially recognised some 15 years ago.
It is only just to say that, long prior to such recognition atten-
tion had been earnestly called by the Colonial Surgeon, Dr. Ayres,
to the ever increasing saturation of the soil by sewage, owing to
bad drainage, and he predicted the calamity which has now taken
place if the evil were not abated. It was not, however, until 1881
that the official recognition of the impending danger took any con-
crete form, when MR. Osbert Chadwick was commissioned to make a re-
port on the sanitation of the Colony, and in the following year the
conclusions of this expert were given to the Secretary of State for
the Colonies in some exhaustive reports. Lord Kimberley, when for-
warding these reports early in 1888 to the Officer Administering
the Government (Hon: W. H Marsh ) remarked in the fourth paragraph
of his covering despatch:-