UTILISATION OF WATERWORKS' GATHERING-GROUNDS. 87 



but also because it is worth no one's while to give proper treatment to a 

 single wood a few acres in extent. 



The following statement, advocating the afforestation of their gathering- 

 grounds, was recently placed before the Halifax Waterworks Committee, and 

 was ordered to be printed. 



Mr Crump's Report of March 1902 to the Halifax 

 Corporation Waterworks Committee. 



A short time ago I approached your chairman with the suggestion that 

 much of the drainage area around the Corporation reservoirs, and especially 

 the farm-lands that have been more recently purchased, might be planted 

 with trees on a large scale, or afforested. I found that the proposal had 

 already been advocated, and my offer of help was most cordially welcomed. 

 I had already interested Dr Wm. G. Smith, of the Yorkshire College, and 

 Mr Wm. Forbes, Lord Masham's forester on the Swinton estate, in the 

 scheme, and personally I am much indebted to them for the invaluable 

 assistance they have rendered. I have the pleasure of submitting for your 

 consideration a letter from Mr Forbes, and a detailed report on the afforesta- 

 tion of the Mixenden and Ogden areas from Dr Smith. Mr Forbes was 

 unfortunately unable to accompany us on our visit of inspection to this 

 area. 



As Dr Smith and I went over the ground together, and discussed on the 

 spot the questions considered in his report, there is no necessity for me to 

 say anything on the details covered by it, except that I thoroughly endorse 

 his views. I propose therefore to confine myself to a few other considera- 

 tions. 



(1) Planting the gathering-grounds will be beneficial to the water-supply, 

 both as to its quality and quantity. The only precaution is to safeguard the 

 reservoirs from the accumulation of dead leaves, which may be easily done 

 by adopting Mr Forbes's suggestion of an inner belt of conifers. 



(2) Under right management the timber produced will, after the lapse of 

 forty or fifty years, produce a regular income, and eventually a good profit, 

 both on the cost of upkeep and the capitalised value of the land with interest. 

 Nor will this involve any further capital expenditure. The cost of establish- 

 ing the plantations may easily come out of the income of the waterworks, by 

 distributing it over a number of years, and after the first unremunerative 

 period, out of the return from the plantations themselves. 



(3) Though the other gathering-grounds belonging to the Corporation 

 should not be overlooked, there are many reasons for choosing Ogden and 

 Mixenden to commence with, and but one possible disadvantage. The large 

 area of pasture, the nature and depth of the soil, the shelter afforded by the 

 higher land on the west, the accessibility and nearness to a railway, are all 

 decided advantages, not to mention the improvement which would be 

 produced at Ogden by the presence of pine woods on the hill slopes: in 

 itself an inducement to incur some expense. Smoke is the only danger. 

 Conifers or evergreen trees will not flourish and come to maturity near the 



