Wellingt07i Philosophical Society. 651 



zymotic disease. In all arrangements the sewers and pipes must be easy 

 of inspection for cleansing purposes. This, he understood, was one of 

 the chief advantages of the Shone system. 



Mr. Higginson stated that in his opinion Dr. Chappie deserved the 

 thanks of the community for his excellent paper upon a subject of great 

 importance to Wellington. The treatment of sewage by modern scientific 

 methods was little understood by the general public. The inland English 

 towns had been during recent years forced by Act of Parliament to adopt 

 measures for the disposal of their sewage. Where a suitable area of land 

 could be obtained irrigation was adopted in many cases, though the 

 treatment by precipitation and the subsequent disposal of the sludge, 

 either by manufacture into manure or destruction by cremation, was the 

 general alternative. Sewage-irrigation farms had seldom yielded a profit 

 owing to the enormously high prices paid for suitable areas, though with 

 intelligent management they had generally cleared the working-expenses. 

 Experience had amply proved that the operations of sewage-farming could 

 be carried on without danger to health or annoyance to residents in the 

 neighbourhood, provided the area was sufficiently large. The Berlin sewage 

 farms alluded to by Dr. Chappie were about the largest and best managed 

 in existence, and were pointed out as examples of what it is possible to do 

 in the treatment of sewage successfully. In Wellington there was an 

 ample area of the most suitable land for treating sewage by intermittent 

 downward filtration, and which was so situated that there need be no fear 

 of any annoyance to residents. Should it be decided to discharge the 

 sewage into Cook Strait the anticipated possible damage to the telegra- 

 phic cable was, in his opinion, more imaginary than real. The point of 

 discharge was at least three-quarters of a mile distant from the cable 

 station, and at a tide-swept point. The volume of sewage, including the 

 proportion of rainfall admitted, when the population had increased to 

 75,000, might be approximately represented by the quantity flowing at the 

 rate of 180 lineal feet per minute through a pipe 3Gin. in diameter. Of 

 this by far the largest proportion would consist of practically clean water, 

 such as rain-water, bath waste, and flow from leaky taps ; the sewage 

 proper flowing from house sinks, closets, &c., not representing more than, 

 say, one-eighth of the whole, while the solids would consist of a still 

 smaller fraction of the latter. Under these circumstances he was of 

 opinion that the probable amount of sewage deposit would be insufficient 

 to damage the cable. With regard to the remarks made by Sir James 

 Hector as to the effect of adopting the Shone system in Wellington, he 

 explained that it was only upon the low-lying areas of the city, about 

 one-third of the whole, that it was required, the remaining two-thirds 

 being drained by ordinary gravitation. 



Mr. Ferguson was glad that Dr. Chappie had brought this subject 

 before the public of Wellington, and he hoped that the paper would be 

 printed in the newspapers, so that the valuable information contained in 

 it might become known to all. He did not agree with the author as to 

 the limited quantity of land available for a sewage farm, nor that the site 

 proposed was too exposed for growing crops. He considered the area of 

 land was ample to provide for the whole of the sewage of Wellington, if 

 properly managed. He did not think the amount of water to bo disposed 

 of was more than could be provided for. It was really a question of 

 expense. He thought it was desirable to provide a separate system. He 

 did not think the Bacteria referred to by Sir James Hector could occur if 

 proper precautions were taken and sufficient land available. Dr. Chappie 

 did not mention one objection generally made to the sewage farm — viz., 

 to the infection of milk from cattle fed on the grass from the farm. But 

 experience had shown that under proper supervision the milk would in 

 no way be inferior to that from cows fed on other pasture. The sludge 

 difficulty would be got over without precipitating the solids. On the 



