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188
are considering their report. Pending the appearance of that
report, I do not propose to deal with the subject at any length.
There was no water legislation last year, and I have nothing
to add to what I then stated on the constant service system,
and on the cutting-off powers which at present are enjoyed by
the Companies.
Professor Frankland's Report.—A few words may
be permitted with respect to Dr. Frankland's report to the
Registrar General, from which it appears that, except in
November and December, the weather during the year 1892
was, on the whole, not unfavourable for the operations of the
Companies who derive water from the Thames, the quality of
their- supplies, except in December, having been much more
uniformly good, and less subject to violent fluctuations, than
during the previous year. But the want of additional storage
reservoirs, and in some cases of larger filter areas, is, he states,
very emphatically declared both by the chemical and the bacteriological
examinations. The water of the Chelsea Company,
with its 14.2 days' storage, was, chemically, almost invariably
of better quality than that delivered by any other Company
obtaining its supply from the Thames, but with storage ranging
from 7 to 2'5 days only. But it is added that, "even the storage
capacity of the Chelsea Company was insufficient in January,
February, and December." Notwithstanding this remediable
defect, the samples of water examined were "invariably clear
and bright," for," even when analysis showed the admission of
flood water, the water actually supplied to consumers was
always efficiently filtered." The monthly variation in the
temperature in the case of river waters is great; the temperature
of the deep well water, on the other hand, is practically
constant throughout the. year. The Kent Company's water
varied only from 50.7° Fahr. in October to 55.0° in September,
a range, therefore, of only 4.3°: that of the Thames
waters being 30.4°, viz. from 37.6° in January, to 68 0° in August.
The deep well water is thus " cool and refreshing in summer,