DoBSON. — On the Sanitary Requirements of Towns. 85 



the Old World, and the regularly planned and sparsely huilt towns of a new 

 country. Not only does the fact of the denser population, on a given area, 

 bring within the means of the inhabitants, works, the cost of which would 

 be prohibitive in thinly peopled districts ; but, in planning new towns, 

 favourable conditions may be secured by legislative enactment, which are 

 unattainable where the ground has been closely built over with an utter 

 disregard of sanitary requirements. 



And first, as to the Requirements of a Town House. 



Access. — Every house should have access to a public thoroughfare, both 

 from the front and rear ; so that no rubbish, nor offensive matter, need be 

 carried through the dAveUiug. 



This is also an important point in case of fire ; both as regards the 

 escape of the inmates, and the facilities thus offered for checking the 

 progress of the flames. 



Surface drainage. — Every town property should be formed to such levels 

 that the surface-water will drain, by gravitation, into the street channels ; 

 unless there is a fall to a natural water-course along which a right of 

 drainage has been reserved. 



This involves a careful consideration of the levels in the first laying out 

 of the streets, so that the desired end may be attained without having 

 either unnecessarily to raise the level of the sections, or to cut down the 

 gutters to an inconvenient depth. As a general rule, the original levels of 

 the streets of a town should be lowered by cutting down the lum^^s and 

 ridges, rather than raised by filling in the hollows ; the principle being the 

 opposite of that to be followed in laying out a road through rural lands. 



House Drainage. — Every house should have a paved channel, either 

 open or covered, for the removal of the house-slops ; communicating with 

 either the street channels or underground drains, and provided with a 

 sufficient supply of water to keep it constantly flushed. 



No drain should be allowed to pass under or through any dwelling ; but, 

 should there be cases in which this is unavoidable, the drains should be 

 perfectly isolated by being laid in concrete, and no communications should 

 be made inside the dwelling with sinks or cisterns, the overflow from which 

 should pass into the open air before being led into the house-di-ains. 



Water Supply. — Each dwelling should have a supply of water for do- 

 mestic use at a daily rate of not less than twenty gallons per inmate, exclu- 

 sive of what is required for flushing the closets. 



If rainwater has to be stored, the tanks should be protected against filtra- 

 tion from sources of impurity, and should be covered over to exclude the 

 sun's rays, the light and heat from which have a powerful efiect in promot- 

 ing vegetable growth. 



