Gravitation and pumping schemes. Going into another district. Commissioners, the commissioners say, "In towns where the chief sanitary conditions prevail with tolerable uniformity, the rate of mortality is uninfluenced by the softness or hardness of the water supplied to the inhabitants.” They further say, "The washing of linen can only be performed with soft water. If the available water be hard, it must be artificially softened—an operation which, on the domestic scale, must be performed, at great expense, by the aid of either fuel, soda, or soap. In personal ablution also the use of soft water is much more pleasant and efficient; it is also more economical; but, by the general use of a very small quantity of water, the waste of softening material is here much less than in the laundry. In cooking, the extraction of the soluble parts of such materials as are submitted to boiling or to digestion at a high temperature, is more completely and economically effected by soft than by hard water. In manufacturing operations involving the use of water, soft water is, almost without exception, preferable to hard. Dangerous incrustations in steam-boilers are prevented by the use of soft water" (p. 427). Another element not to be lost sight of in determining the source of supply is the consideration whether the supply can be obtained by gravitation, so as to save the heavy annual expenses attending a pumping scheme. Amongst the many other considerations affecting the determination of the source of supply, the Report of the Commissioners of 1869 states, "It appears to us that the legislature should always jealously watch any proposal for a town taking water from a gathering ground at a distance from it, lest by so doing it may deprive other places nearer to such gathering ground of their more natural source of supply" (p. cxxiv); and again, that "no town or district should be allowed to appropriate a source of supply which naturally and geographically belongs to a town or district nearer to such source, unless under special circumstances which justify the appropriation." It is right and in accordance with the Report of the commissioners (p. cxxviii), that when any town or district is supplied by a pipe or conduit from a distance, provision should be made for the supply of all places along such line. Otherwise a watershed area may be taken away from districts which would otherwise be supplied by it with water, and such districts might be left practically destitute of any supply;-at least from that source. The Report of the Select Committee appointed in the last session of Parliament "to inquire into the operation. of existing statutes in regard to the formation of and proceedings by Commissioners of Sewers and Conservancy, Drainage and River Navigation Boards,-to consider by what means such bodies may be more conveniently and inexpensively constituted, their procedure improved and their powers enlarged, so as to provide more efficiently for storage of water, the prevention of floods, and the discharge of other functions appertaining to such Boards," -has just been published. The Committee have made various important suggestions in regard to the matters submitted to them. In the sixth Report (1874) of the Commissioners appointed in 1868 to inquire into the best means of preventing the pollution of rivers, will be found a great mass of information relating to domestic water supply throughout Great Britain; and the volume, with its geological, hydrographical, and other maps, will, like its predecessors, be of great service to all whose inclination or business leads them to take an active interest in solving the many difficult questions which inevitably arise in endeavouring to provide an adequate supply of pure and wholesome water to meet the wants of any district. P. 14 5.-Form in which portions of the act may be incorporated; that is, with special act obtained by companies since 1847 .. 6.-Power to break up streets, &c. p. 14 p. 14 P. 17 7.-Prohibiting the entry on private lands without consent 8.-Provides that notice shall be served on parties having control of streets before opening or breaking up the same p. 18 9. Streets are only to be broken up under superintendence of parties who have control of the same; but if they fail to superintend them, undertakers may perform the work without them p. 18 p. 20 10. Streets after being broken up must be reinstated without delay p. 19 11.-Provides a penalty in case streets are not reinstated without delay, and kept in repair for a period of three months 12.-Parties having control of streets may, in case of the undertakers neglecting to reinstate the streets broken up, do the work themselves and recover the expenses P. 20 13.-Gives power to the company to contract with any person for private or public lighting .. P. 20 14.-Gives power to let meters, which are not to be liable to be distrained for rent .. P. 24 15.-Enables undertakers to enter buildings or place lighted with gas to ascertain the quantity of gas consumed P. 24 16.--Authorizes the undertakers to cut off supply from persons neglecting to pay rent due, and to recover rent, if under 201., as though it were damages; and above 207. by action in any court of competent jurisdiction 17.-The undertakers may take away any pipes, after giving twentyfour hours' notice, which are their property on the premises of any party neglecting to pay rent due W. P. 24 p. 25 B SECT. 18.-Imposes a penalty of 57., and a further penalty of 21. per day, for fraudulently using and continuing so to use the gas of the under .. Page 26 takers 19.-Imposes a penalty of 57., in addition to the amount of damage done, for wilfully damaging pipes or other works of the under takers p. 27 20.-Provides that any accidental injury to any pipe, pillar or lamp of the undertakers shall be paid for, such payment not to exceed 5l... p. 27 21.-Imposes a penalty of 2007. on undertakers if wilfully fouling any water p. 27 22. The penalty must be sued for within six months in superior p. 29 23.-A further penalty of 201. per day is imposed during the continuance of the offence p. 29 24.-Imposes a penalty of 51. per day during which gas is allowed to escape from any pipe of the undertakers after twenty-four hours' notice P. 30 25.-Penalty for fouling water 207., and a further sum of 107. for each day the offence continues, to the paid to the owner of the water p. 31 26.-Gives power to the person whose water is supposed to be fouled by the gas of the company, to dig up the ground and examine the pipes and works of the undertakers after giving the twenty-four hours' notice 27.-The expenses incurred are to abide the result of the examina tion 28. The expenses are to be ascertained in the same manner as damages p. 32 p. 32 a nuisance 29.-Nothing is to exempt the undertakers from being indicted for .. p. 33 30.-Limits the profits in any one year to a maximum dividend of 10 per cent. P. 37 31.-Any excess of profits is to be appropriated to the formation of a reserve fund, which is not to exceed one-tenth of the nominal capital of the undertakers, for the purpose of meeting extraordinary claims and making up deficiency of dividend in any year; and all interest and dividends arising from the investment of the money are to be added to the principal sum invested p. 41 32.-No extraordinary claim can be met until it be certified by two justices in England or Ireland, and in Scotland by the sheriff p. 42 33.-When the reserved fund amounts to 10 per cent., then the interest and dividends are to go to the general purposes of the undertaking p. 42 34.-Gives power to the undertakers, if in any year the profits do not amount to the maximum dividend, to take a sum from the reserved fund to supply the deficiency p. 42 |