6 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VOL. I. 



destroying the sewage, Mr. Harvey said he thought that we had perhaps 

 gone too far on a defective system of sewer construction in Toronto to 

 change it, but younger cities and towns would do well to provide one 

 system for dealing with rain water and a distinct one for sewage. This 

 should be conducted to precipitating tanks in small well-glazed pipes. 

 The volume of sewage would be constant, much less in quantity than by 

 the mixed system, sewer gas would not be generated in such abundance, 

 it would not circulate in the pipes or escape from them, the cost of such 

 a system would be moderate, it would fulfil all sanitary needs, and the 

 sewage could be cheaply and easily made useful for fertilizing purposes. 



FOURTH MEETING. 



Fourth Meeting, 23rd November, 1889, the President :'n the chair. 



This meeting was devoted to the consideration of certain proposed 

 amendments to the Regulations and By-laws. 



FIFTH MEETING. 



Fifth Meeting, 30th November, 1889, the President in the chair. 



Donations and exchanges since last meeting, 85. 



Francis Oakley, M.D., was elected a member. 



Dr. Sandford Fleming read a letter from the Astronomer Royal on 

 Cosmic Time, and submitted a memorandum he had prepared at the 

 request of the Astronomer Royal on " The movement for reckoning 

 time on a scientific basis, by which the greatest possible degree of 

 simplicity, accuracy and uniformity will be obtainable in all countries 

 throughout the world." It showed that the hour zone system, 

 known here as standard time, has been adopted in Asia, Europe and 

 America, that is to say in Japan, Sweden, Austria, Hungary, Great 

 Britain, Canada, and the United States. The 24-hour notation is also 

 making steady progress, although Canada is taking the lead. It is the 

 only system in use at this date north of the 49th parallel and west of 

 the 89th meridian. There is not a Province in Canada where it is not 

 already in use. It has been adopted on the railways in Nova Scotia, 



