CO882-(3-4) — Page 494

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference

C.O. 882

4PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

8ystem of

water rates.

Extra rates for baths, closets,

&c.

Use of meters

recommended.

Scale of meter

rates.

Improvements to existing system pending

new works.

229. The existing system of water rates appears to be unjust. The uniform rate over ali property should be allowed to remain, to encourage the laying on of house services, have water but it should be largely reduced. It is justitiable on the ground that all (which it is to be hoped will soon be the case), and that all derive indirect benefit from the waterworks in the shape of protection from fire, &c.

may

230. Special extra rates for baths (fixed) and waterclosets, should be provided, in short, for all extensions beyond a simple draw-off tap. By far the most simple means of doing this, is to charge by meter, for the water actually consumed. Indeed, but for the To all houses having great cost of the meters, I would recommend their universal use.

This saves all trouble about inspecting more than a simple tap, meters should be fixed. fittings, and leaves the proprietor quite free to waste water or use it as he likes, but he has to pay for what he uses or loses. A scale of charges for water by meter would be required. I would recommend the Manchester Corporation scale of rates as a model for

this work.

231. As several years must elapse before the new water supply can be introduced, it will be well to take some steps to remedy the glaring defects of the present system of complation of distribution. In the first place, the whole city must no longer be served at once by turning on the water from the reservoir. The town should be divided into districts, or parallel zones, of about equal altitude. The water should be turned on to each district in The succession for a stated time daily, so that all may get their fair share of water. present mains are all connected to house services, which prevents (so I learn at least), the adoption of this plan.

New maina required for

new supply.

232. New mains will be required for the complete distribution of the water supply. distribution of Some of these should be laid at once so as to facilitate the proposed system. I cannot give the precise arrangement, which must depend on the point at which it is proposed to deliver the new supply, but the following is the general principle which should govern the design.

Arrangementa of new mains;

of intermittent supply.

233. From No. 2 tank, or from the point of delivery, wherever it may be, a principal for immediate main should be laid east and west along the highest part of the town. From this improvement secondary mains should be carried down through the town to the Praya, and to these all the existing mains should be connected right and left, with stopcocks at their junctions, so that each branch is commanded separately. Further, the branches should be sub- divided by stopcocks, so that each portion supplies a zone or district of nearly equal altitude. No services should be connected either to the principal or to the secondary main, but they should be liberally provided with fire-hydrants. The principal and secondary mains should always remain charged. If properly jointed, there will be no waste from them. Thus, in case of fire, water will be instantly obtained from the hydrants on them, at full pressure, and but a few minutes will elapse before one or more of the branches can be charged and the water brought to bear on the fire. In " 'serving," the water should be turned on successively, to each district or zone, and kept on for a definite length of time, depending on the size of the district, and its altitude above the sea. The proper hours of "serving" must be determined by experiment, and should be published from time to time.

Compulsory

provision of ball-coaks, or as an alterna- tive supply

by mater.

New and en- larged main

234. A byelaw should be made that each consumer must either provide a cistern and a ball valve, the latter to be supplied and fixed by Government, or take water by meter. The latter would, in the case of European houses, be by far the most_satisfactory arrangement to all parties. The meter should be provided and fixed by Government, and a rent charged for its use. Those taking water by meter would be partly or wholly relieved from the general water rate. Care must be taken to select the best type of

meter.

235. A new main of larger dimensions should be laid to distribute the supply at from Wong-na-present derived from the Wong-na-Chong stream. Even if this source of supply be Chong stream abandoned on the completion of the new works (I see no reason for doing so), the new required. main will be required to supply the eastern district. Utility of

Wong-n-

Chong waters

for other pur-

poses than do-

nostic supply.

Water right

should be

retained by

Government.

Defective on.

236. Even should the Wong-na-Chong stream be abandoned as a source of supply for the Government should on no account part with their right to its domestic purposes, waters, which will be of infinite use for flushing sewers, or even for supplying some part of the motive power required for pumping sewage from the lower districts. This applies also to the waters of the other nullas.

.

237. I am credibly informed that the large reservoir No. 2 cannot be filled more than

dition of prim- half full. I was unable to obtain any reliable information as to the cause. I merely place

the defect on record, so that it may be investigated and remedied.

sipal service reservoir.

of the present

238. By adopting the measures I have described, the efficiency of the present supply The eflciency may be vastly increased. A new Ordinance will be required to give the necessary supply may be

As the condition of things for some time to come will be provisional only, it increased. will be well to frame the Ordinance in general terms, empowering the Governor in required. Council to make byelaws from time to time as may be required.

powers.

New Ordinance

239. The introduction of sand-filters, both to the new and old waterworks, is most Desirability importance desirable. During the dry season the water is beautifully clear, but I am informed that of ration, during the rains the water is turbid, a fact fully demonstrated by the deposit found in of me. the pipes. Even in the dry season the water would be much improved by filtration. In a waterworks which I recently constructed, I was surprised to find what a quantity of organic matter and miscellaneous impurity was removed by filtration from a water, at least as clear in appearance, as that of Hong Kong. Though filtration has no appreciable chemical action on the substances in solution in water, still by removing suspended matter it is more than probable that a most important improvement is effected. The experiments of Pasteur and others show that disease germs may be removed, both from air and water, by simple mechanical filtration.

PART II.

SECTION 6.

SCAVENGING.-REMOVAL OF EXCRETA.

present synem

240. The defects of the present system of night-soil removal are: First, that it is Defects of done irregularly and unsystematically, and in many cases at too long intervals (twice a of night-soil week). Inasmuch as the pots are often kept in dwelling-rooms, daily removal is of the removal. greatest importance. Secondly, much finds its way into the drains, the greater part of the urine, the washings of pots, and sometimes, indeed, the whole contents of buckets, being thus disposed of. Thirdly, the practice of emptying and washing the foul house- pots in the street is in itself a nuisance.

earth system.

241. The general limits of utility of the dry-earth system have been already defined, Limits of namely, that it abates the excrement nuisance, but does not in any way abolish the utility of dry- necessity for drains to carry off the remaining sewage, which is but little diminished in quantity or noxiousness by the exclusion of excreta.

tem to Hong

242. It must now be considered in its special relations to Hong Kong. It has Application of been shown that a supply of humus (garden soil) is necessary for efficiency. As to the dry earth eyi actual quantity of humus required, very scanty practical data are forthcoming. I believe Kong. that 5 lbs. per head per day, man, woman, and child, is a most moderate allowance, so small indeed that with it efficiency can only be guaranteed on the assumption that the principal amount of the fluid excrement is not treated.*

Now for a population of 130,000, that of Victoria, we should require annually 105,853 tons of dry earth to be brought in and distributed, and about 127,020 tons of mixture would have to be collected and removed. To calculate the quantity of land requisite to afford the necessary humus, we may assume that a cubic foot of humus measured "in situ" would give about cwt. of dry earth, and that there is 6 inches of bumus on the land. The area required to afford the necessary amount of humus would At least an equal area of land would be required to for one year be 129 acres of land. purify the product and fit it again for use. Lastly, huge depots would be required to store These considerations alone suffice to up the dry earth, for use during the wet season. show that the difficulty of procuring dry earth is sufficient to prevent the application. of the system to a city like 'Victoria.

243. There are further difficulties in the way of the domestic application. Either & Difficulties in self-acting closet must be provided, whereby a proper quantity of earth is applied domesti

• The patentees say that 14 lbs. is required each time the closet is used. The Army Sanitary Commities give the following data derived from actual practice :-~~

"If small cylindrical pans be used, the quantity of 'humus' required is about 24 to 8 lbs. for every use of the closet per man; but the larger the surface exposed in the vessel, the greater must be the amount of earth, and to ensure the best possible result, provision should be made for receiving and dealing with the urine separately. Latrines for women require more earth than those for men.”

"If all the urine of a barrack were treated by the dry-earth system, a much larger quantity, about 8 lbs. per man per diem, would appear to be required; according to Indian experience, 1 gallon of urine would be In a report to the Local Government Board concerning certain means of taken up by 86 lbs, of earth." preventing excrement nuisance, dated 1875, it is stated, in reference to Lancaster, that for 120 latrines serving about 500 people, the quantity of dry earth used weekly amounts to 22 loads, each load weighing from 28 to 24 owts. This is equal to 16.5 lbs. per head per day. These facts fully justify the assumption of 5 lbs, as the minimum quantity.

E 3

application.