﻿S8 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Miscellaneous 
  . 
  

  

  colonists. 
  Tliey 
  would, 
  of 
  course, 
  be 
  easily 
  obtainable. 
  The 
  question 
  of 
  

   money 
  is 
  the 
  real 
  one, 
  but 
  the 
  difficulty 
  there 
  lies 
  not 
  in 
  our 
  want 
  of 
  funds, 
  

   but 
  in 
  the 
  unwillingness 
  of 
  the 
  Assembly 
  to 
  vote 
  money 
  for 
  any 
  purpose 
  

   which 
  is 
  not 
  likely 
  to 
  prove 
  of 
  immediate 
  practical 
  utility. 
  The 
  cost, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  when 
  divided 
  between 
  several 
  colonies 
  would 
  fall 
  lightly 
  enough 
  upon 
  

   each, 
  and 
  I 
  cannot 
  bring 
  myself 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  either 
  the 
  colonists 
  of 
  New 
  

   Zealand 
  as 
  a 
  body, 
  or 
  their 
  representatives 
  in 
  the 
  General 
  Assembly, 
  would 
  

   begrudge 
  the 
  expenditure 
  of 
  £15,000 
  or 
  £20,000 
  (for 
  our 
  share 
  would 
  

   probably 
  not 
  exceed 
  that 
  sum) 
  upon 
  a 
  scientific 
  work 
  which 
  would 
  shed 
  

   lasting 
  honour 
  upon 
  the 
  colony. 
  

  

  Art. 
  III. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Cleansing 
  of 
  Towns. 
  By 
  J. 
  Tuenbull 
  Thomson, 
  C.E., 
  

   F.E.G.S., 
  F.K.S.S.A., 
  Surveyor-General 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  

   [Read 
  before 
  the 
  Wellington 
  PMlosoj^Mcal 
  Society, 
  BOth 
  November, 
  1878.] 
  

   An 
  efficient 
  and 
  economical 
  system 
  of 
  town 
  cleansing 
  is 
  a 
  responsibility 
  

   that 
  soon 
  forces 
  itself 
  on 
  colonial 
  communities 
  ; 
  hence 
  its 
  discussion 
  cannot 
  

   but 
  be 
  fraught 
  with 
  interest. 
  Even 
  in 
  mere 
  camps 
  the 
  subject 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  

   first 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  health 
  of 
  armies, 
  to 
  travellers, 
  or 
  to 
  moving 
  tribes 
  

   and 
  peoples; 
  an 
  early 
  appreciation 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  in 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  Moses.* 
  

   That 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  otherwise 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand 
  is 
  evidenced 
  by 
  the 
  various 
  

   enquiries 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  instituted 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  by 
  the 
  measures 
  of 
  

   the 
  various 
  town 
  councils, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  reports 
  and 
  papers 
  of 
  engineers. 
  The 
  

   earliest 
  Sanitary 
  Commission 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  that 
  I 
  am 
  aware 
  of, 
  was 
  that 
  

   of 
  Dunedin, 
  in 
  which 
  city 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  death-rate, 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1863-4, 
  

   was 
  85-3 
  per 
  thousand. 
  More 
  recent 
  statistics 
  show 
  great 
  variation 
  in 
  

   different 
  towns 
  and 
  years, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  in 
  1877 
  . 
  . 
  16-68 
  per 
  1,000 
  

  

  .. 
  19-50 
  

  

  .. 
  16-96 
  

  

  .. 
  15-50 
  

  

  „ 
  .. 
  13-87 
  

  

  Impressed 
  with 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  considerations, 
  during 
  my 
  recent 
  

   •visit 
  to 
  England 
  I 
  took 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  examining 
  the 
  actual 
  state 
  of 
  the 
  

   sanitary 
  works 
  in 
  several 
  towns 
  either 
  wholly 
  or 
  partially, 
  besides 
  which 
  I 
  

   obtained 
  personal 
  interviews 
  with 
  the 
  officers 
  of 
  several 
  of 
  the 
  Boards, 
  thus 
  

   directly 
  obtaining 
  the 
  views 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  arrived 
  at 
  by 
  a 
  full 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

  

  * 
  Deut. 
  xxiii,, 
  12, 
  13. 
  

  

  Auckland 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  in 
  1875 
  . 
  

  

  . 
  35-77 
  

  

  Wellington 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  )) 
  

  

  . 
  26-01 
  

  

  Nelson 
  

  

  )) 
  

  

  . 
  27-39 
  

  

  Ckristchurch 
  

  

  )! 
  

  

  . 
  30-44 
  

  

  Dunedin 
  

  

  !) 
  

  

  ,, 
  22-24 
  

  

  