XX11 



and statistics showed that it had greatly improved in the rate of 

 mortality. In reply to the objection that sewerage should be applied 

 to the land, he pointed out that the expense of doing so at Hobart 

 would prevent its being done. And, in conclusion, quoted the opinion 

 of Sir J. B. Lawes, -that when sewage was turned into an estuary a 

 harvest was reaped from it out of the sea, that was more valuable 

 than could possibly be obtained from the land. 



Mr W H Chaepbntiee, said it would be almost presumption on his 

 part to offer any remarks on the subject after such an able paper, but 

 he thought it was well-known he was not in favour of the underground 

 system of drainage. The difficulty, to his mind, was whether when 

 it was got into the river, could they be sure it would be got 

 awav from Hobart. Anyone walking towards Long Point would find 

 refuse rubbish, and even excreta from ships in the harbour and from 

 the rivulet thrown up on the beach there. These was also—he sup- 

 nosed he ought not to say so— gas tar or something resembling it. 

 There was a line of tide running directly on to the beach at the 

 point, and the difficulty would be to get the drainage past that point 

 A gentleman like Mr. Mault, if he had time and money enough, could 

 take the sewerage up Mount Wellington and then out to the ocean ; 

 but the estimate given for the probable cost of taking the under- 

 ground sewers into the estuary could only be guess work and 

 would probably cost a great deal more. Without trained workmen 

 were obtained explosions and great additional expenditure might be 

 looked for. In England they had men skilled in the construction of 

 drains to supervise such works at every point but here we would 

 have to manufacture the men first. He next alluded to the dry earth 

 system as carried out at Manchester, where a profit ot ±lb,OUO was 

 made out of the municipal works carried on in connection during 

 the last year he was acquainted with its operations. It was 

 a fact that typhoid fever was always found wherever the water 

 closet system was adopted. Manchester had a million of inhabitants, 

 and the works for turning the earth closet matter into a marketable 

 manure, for which the farmers were willing to give £3 16s. a ton .occupied 

 16 acres If Manchester could make a profit of £16,000 out of these 

 very expensive works we might learn a lesson from her or at all 

 events, make some enquiry into the manner in which the Dolly Varden 

 system was worked. In his opinion modern science was able to cope 

 with the difficulty, and there was no necessity to take such a retrograde 

 step as go back to the Boman system of a vast cloaca. He urged 

 that the surface drains would be perfectly inoffensive here if the roads 

 were properly made, and the corporation labourers worked with energy 

 instead of following their brooms like a blind man does his dog, and 

 spending the greater portion of the day talking. 



Dr Perkins said he came to the discussion to listen to what others 

 might have to say, as his views were pretty well known, and he was 

 more desirous of hearing such views as were held by the last speaKer 

 and others who had thought over the matter. He was prepared to 

 receive suggestions, and to adopt any plan which could be shown 

 to be better than the one proposed. Personally he thought Mr. 

 Mault had touched the point of the question when he said it resolved 

 itself into the disposition of the liquids and house slops. At Manchester 

 these had been discharged into the Irwell, and proceedings wore 

 beino- taken against the corporation for polluting the river, lhe water- 

 closet system was also used at Manchester, and to show what the 

 mayor and aldermen thought of it, it was used at the Town Hall 

 in preference to the Dolly Varden system. The latter system made no 

 provision for disposing of the liquids, and consequently the river was 

 polluted It was not returning to any antiquated practice m a bad 



