﻿2'homson. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Cleansing 
  of 
  Tnivns, 
  67 
  

  

  the 
  question 
  was 
  not 
  of 
  a 
  technical 
  nature 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  place, 
  and 
  at 
  that 
  

   time, 
  but 
  of 
  the 
  power 
  to 
  bear 
  taxation 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  citizens, 
  in 
  their 
  

   anticipated 
  progress 
  and 
  increase, 
  in 
  estimating 
  which 
  (a 
  duty 
  of 
  the 
  statis- 
  

   tician 
  rather 
  than 
  of 
  the 
  engineer) 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  failed. 
  Study 
  

   of 
  the 
  various 
  works 
  applied 
  to 
  cities 
  in 
  Europe 
  will 
  illustrate 
  this 
  fact 
  in 
  

   every 
  direction 
  ; 
  but 
  here, 
  also, 
  the 
  lesson 
  cannot 
  escape 
  us. 
  The 
  practical 
  

   end 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  professional 
  advice 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  Dunedin 
  Commission 
  baa 
  

   been, 
  that 
  the 
  sewage 
  is 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  nearest 
  available 
  point 
  ; 
  that 
  is, 
  

   into 
  the 
  harbour 
  fronting 
  the 
  city, 
  and 
  into 
  which 
  area 
  it 
  will 
  flow 
  till 
  

   sufficient 
  opposition 
  has 
  been 
  conjured 
  up 
  to 
  prevent 
  it. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  older 
  cities 
  ; 
  so 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  of 
  younger. 
  

  

  And 
  continuing 
  our 
  theme, 
  with 
  Dunedin 
  as 
  our 
  example 
  : 
  This 
  city, 
  

   like 
  London, 
  having 
  adopted 
  the 
  water-gravitation 
  principle 
  of 
  cleansing, 
  

   the 
  sewage 
  will 
  flow 
  to 
  its 
  assigned 
  levels, 
  till, 
  as 
  in 
  its 
  great 
  prototype, 
  it 
  

   becomes 
  an 
  intolerable 
  nuisance. 
  Then 
  the 
  city 
  authorities 
  wiU 
  have 
  to 
  

   look 
  abroad 
  for 
  projects 
  in 
  its 
  disposal 
  otherwise 
  ; 
  and 
  to 
  all 
  of 
  them, 
  from 
  

   local 
  interests, 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  objections. 
  The 
  question 
  in 
  the 
  end 
  resolves 
  

   itself, 
  not 
  into 
  attaining 
  a 
  project 
  which 
  has 
  no 
  objections 
  attached 
  to 
  it, 
  but 
  

   to 
  one 
  which 
  has 
  the 
  least. 
  Hence, 
  as 
  we 
  see 
  in 
  the 
  cities 
  of 
  the 
  Home 
  

   country, 
  the 
  wearied 
  and 
  puzzled 
  municipalities 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  look 
  to 
  the 
  

   harbour 
  as 
  an 
  easy 
  solution 
  of 
  their 
  difficulties, 
  but 
  to 
  be 
  opposed 
  by 
  the 
  

   Boards 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  this 
  interest. 
  Next, 
  they 
  will 
  look 
  to 
  the 
  ocean 
  beach, 
  

   to 
  be 
  thwarted 
  by 
  the 
  suburban 
  population 
  and 
  pleasure- 
  seekers 
  of 
  that 
  

   locality. 
  Perchance, 
  then, 
  imitating 
  the 
  Borough 
  of 
  Brighton, 
  they 
  may 
  

   have 
  power 
  to 
  tunnel 
  to 
  beyond 
  Tomahawk 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  side, 
  or 
  Green 
  Island 
  

   on 
  the 
  other 
  : 
  or, 
  taking 
  example 
  by 
  the 
  inland 
  cities 
  of 
  England, 
  such 
  as 
  

   Birmingham, 
  Leeds, 
  or 
  Bradford, 
  they 
  will 
  discourage 
  the 
  water-gravitation 
  

   system, 
  and, 
  perforce, 
  purify 
  then* 
  sewage 
  before 
  delivering 
  it 
  into 
  the 
  

   subjacent 
  water 
  of 
  their 
  estuary. 
  

  

  In 
  Christchurch 
  we 
  also 
  have 
  a 
  recent 
  example 
  in 
  the 
  colony 
  of 
  want 
  of 
  

   unanimity 
  as 
  to 
  measures, 
  the 
  projected 
  scheme 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  thwarted 
  by 
  the 
  

   ratepayers 
  ; 
  the 
  real 
  difficulty 
  being, 
  not 
  what 
  should 
  be 
  done, 
  but 
  what 
  

   the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  interests 
  will 
  allow 
  to 
  be 
  done. 
  

  

  From 
  this, 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  inferred, 
  that 
  sanitary 
  engineering 
  is 
  at 
  best 
  

   experimental. 
  To 
  this 
  it 
  maybe 
  answered, 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  hitherto 
  been 
  largely 
  

   60, 
  a 
  necessary 
  concomitant 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  advance 
  of 
  science, 
  the 
  altered 
  

   conditions 
  of 
  society, 
  and 
  the 
  variety 
  and 
  complicated 
  arrangements 
  of 
  its 
  

   requirements. 
  In 
  this, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  no 
  otherwise 
  with 
  other 
  practical 
  and 
  

   economical 
  branches, 
  such 
  as 
  railroads, 
  steam 
  navigation, 
  manufacturing 
  

   enterprises, 
  etc. 
  But 
  large 
  data, 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  experiment 
  and 
  observation, 
  

   ^,re 
  also 
  now 
  known 
  or 
  accessible 
  to 
  the 
  engineer 
  ; 
  hence 
  principles 
  for 
  

  

  