26 Refuse Disposal and Sewage Furification. 



furnishes plant nourishment from its residuals, and at the same 

 time confers the beneficent result of a comparatively pure 

 effluent from the sewer outfall, and so contribues to the public 

 weal by establishing a thorough sanitary system. 



Mr. R. M. Young, B.A., M.R.I.A. (Hon. Secretary), an- 

 nounced that letters of apology for non-attendance had been 

 received from Professor Letts, Messrs. H. H. M-Neilt, D.L., 

 Parkmount ; Thomas Andrews, J.P. ; and John Lanyon, C.E. 



Mr. Young read the following letter from Prof. Letts : — 



"Dear Mr. Young, — I very much regret that owing to 

 another engagement I shall not be able to have the pleasure 

 of attending the meeting on Tuesday evening and of listening 

 to what will, I am sure, prove a most interesting paper. It 

 comes at a very opportune time, for, as you are aware, we who 

 live on the shores of the lough suffer from a nuisance which at 

 times is well nigh intolerable, and which we are convinced is 

 caused almost entirely by the discharge of the untreated 

 sewage of the city of Belfast into the lough. I say almost 

 entirely, because we do not deny that small quantities of 

 sewage are discharged from the villages on the lough shores, 

 but it must be recollected that a large proportion of this 

 sewage is from cesspools, and is therefore free from solids — a 

 very important distinction between it and the Belfast sewage, 

 which runs bodily into the lough, solids and all. 



" The deputation which waited upon the City Council last 

 Friday was gratified to learn from the Lord Mayor that some- 

 thing would have to be done in a comprehensive way as 

 regards the whole subject of the disposal of the Belfast sewage, 

 but it was by no means so satisfactory to hear that nothing 

 could attempted until the Royal Commission on Sewage 

 Disposal, which is now sitting, had furnished its report. This 

 may take a long time, and the questions arise— (i) Can we 

 afford to wait so long? and (2) Is there any necessity for the 

 delay ? 



