﻿68 
  Transactions,— 
  Miscellaneous, 
  

  

  guidance 
  under 
  the 
  different 
  difficulties 
  lie 
  lias 
  to 
  meet, 
  are 
  at 
  hand 
  to 
  

   support 
  him. 
  

  

  Thus 
  in 
  this 
  colony, 
  when 
  principles 
  are 
  sought 
  for, 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  

   to 
  be 
  simple 
  in 
  the 
  main, 
  however 
  complicated 
  the 
  details 
  may 
  be. 
  

  

  Sanitary 
  works 
  resolve 
  themselves 
  into 
  two 
  distinct 
  systems, 
  namely 
  — 
  

   wet 
  and 
  dry 
  ; 
  the 
  former 
  acting 
  by 
  the 
  gravitation 
  of 
  water, 
  the 
  other 
  by 
  

   manual 
  or 
  machine 
  carriage. 
  

  

  The 
  wet 
  system 
  carries 
  its 
  burden 
  to 
  the 
  sea, 
  or 
  to 
  rivers, 
  when 
  it 
  can 
  

   do 
  this 
  unopposed 
  ; 
  to 
  areas 
  for 
  irrigation 
  in 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  crops 
  ; 
  or 
  to 
  

   waste 
  areas 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  absorption 
  and 
  filtration. 
  The 
  burden 
  may 
  

   also 
  be 
  brought 
  to 
  tanks 
  for 
  precipitation 
  and 
  the 
  purification 
  of 
  the 
  sewage. 
  

  

  The 
  dry 
  system 
  has 
  its 
  burden 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  sea, 
  whether 
  by 
  boat 
  or 
  

   carriage; 
  to 
  the 
  fields 
  for 
  direct 
  application 
  to 
  cultivation, 
  or 
  to 
  works 
  of 
  

   manure 
  manufacture, 
  for 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  extracts 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  preceding 
  

   part 
  of 
  this 
  paper 
  give 
  examples. 
  

  

  The 
  separate 
  systems, 
  suitable 
  for 
  the 
  respective 
  situations, 
  are 
  not 
  difficult 
  

   to 
  decide 
  on. 
  Where 
  towns 
  have 
  accessible 
  water-supply 
  and 
  easy 
  exits, 
  

   the 
  wet 
  system 
  is 
  suitable 
  ; 
  where 
  these 
  do 
  not 
  exist, 
  the 
  dry 
  sj^stem 
  

   becomes 
  imperative. 
  We 
  use 
  the 
  word 
  imperative, 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  human 
  

   nature 
  for 
  people 
  to 
  divest 
  themselves 
  of 
  that 
  which 
  is 
  disagreeable 
  with 
  

   the 
  least 
  trouble 
  to 
  themselves, 
  and 
  this, 
  when 
  the 
  conditions 
  are 
  favourable, 
  

   is 
  most 
  readily 
  effected 
  by 
  water. 
  But 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  in 
  all 
  cases 
  proved 
  

   economical 
  or 
  efficient 
  in 
  the 
  end 
  where 
  water 
  has 
  been 
  had 
  recourse 
  to, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  nuisance 
  being 
  cast 
  on 
  other 
  interests, 
  and 
  for 
  which 
  the 
  law 
  

   when 
  appealed 
  to 
  has 
  demanded 
  a 
  remedy 
  at 
  great 
  cost. 
  

  

  In 
  favour 
  of 
  the 
  dry 
  system 
  one 
  great 
  recommendation 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  said, 
  

   namely- 
  — 
  that 
  it 
  returns 
  to 
  the 
  soil 
  that 
  which 
  man 
  took 
  from 
  it 
  ; 
  thus, 
  that 
  

   it 
  should 
  have 
  a 
  general 
  acceptance 
  by 
  cities 
  in 
  a 
  practical 
  and 
  convenient 
  

   manner, 
  will 
  always 
  be 
  considered 
  a 
  desideratum. 
  

  

  In 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  almost 
  any 
  other 
  country, 
  the 
  wet 
  system 
  

   is 
  easily 
  available, 
  districts 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  contrary 
  condition 
  exists 
  being 
  

   limited 
  to 
  Canterbury, 
  Southland, 
  and 
  Auckland. 
  

  

  The 
  proportion 
  of 
  human 
  excreta 
  to 
  sewage 
  is 
  an 
  important 
  question 
  to 
  

   sanitary 
  engineers 
  ; 
  and 
  taking 
  the 
  data 
  afforded 
  by 
  London, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  foimd 
  

   that 
  these 
  do 
  not 
  exceed 
  one-hundredth 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  sewage. 
  This 
  

   element 
  makes 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  whole, 
  and 
  is 
  of 
  very 
  secondary 
  

   consideration, 
  under 
  the 
  circumstances 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  possessing 
  a 
  full 
  water- 
  

   supply 
  and 
  a 
  ready 
  place 
  of 
  disposal, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  sea 
  or 
  a 
  tidal 
  river. 
  But 
  

   in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  inland 
  towns, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  forced 
  to 
  purify 
  the 
  sewage, 
  the 
  

   matter 
  is 
  different 
  ; 
  for 
  though 
  the 
  excreta 
  there 
  may 
  only 
  form 
  a 
  small 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  volume 
  to 
  be 
  dealt 
  with, 
  they 
  perforce 
  form 
  a 
  large 
  

  

  