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cultivated land and the effluents from the sewage works of towns
situated on or near the rivers are discharged into the streams. Under
ideal conditions the use of water subject to such regular pollution would
be avoided; but experience and research has shown in the case of these
rivers that, provided certain flood water is excluded, and provided that
after proper storage the water is efficiently filtered, the risk of danger
to the public health through consuming such water is reduced to a
minimum, if not to zero. " Unfortunately these provisions do not
always exist, some companies have on storage, and all are exposed to
the risk of something going wrong with the filters. The provision of
increased means of storage is being proceeded with, but from the report
of Mr. Perrin, the Official Water Examiner, it would appear that some
of the companies which have large storage reservoirs do not make use
of them to effect the purification which takes place when water is
allowed to stand for some time in a storage reservoir, but "take water
direct from the river or merely run it through some of their smaller
reservoirs before passing it 011 to the filter beds. Excellent as the
quality of the filtered water usually is, there are undoubtedly occasions
when a better result would have been obtained by longer settlement,
and it is hoped the companies will keep in view the recommendations
of the Royal Commission, and so arrange their system of treatment of
the river water that no water which has not been subject to proper
settlement shall be passed on to the filters. "
It is to be hoped that the new Water Board will take steps at once
to see that the method of working is such as will not deserve the same
criticism.
Applications were received for 206 certificates that the water supply
of new buildings was sufficient, and were granted in each instance;
446 notices of the withdrawal of water supply were received from
the water companies, and in 281 instances it was reinstated ; 45 houses
have been pulled down and 120 are still empty. I11 607 instances
cisterns were required to be cleansed, but it is evident that this is not
done so systematically as the by-laws require—viz., "once at least in
every six months. " 232 cisterns were required to be provided with
proper covers, and 370 new cisterns were fixed, 150 being in place of
defective cisterns.
F. General Matters.
Smoke Prevention.
2,728 observations have been made by the Inspectors, and besides
cautionary letters, 58 preliminary notices and 18 statutory notices have
been served. 6 prosecutions have taken place, 4 of these were successful,
but 2 failed, the Magistrate holding that the club in question was a