Water Supply of Belfast. 57 



The supply of water to such a city as Belfast must be regarded 

 as a matter of supreme importance, and I, therefore, think it is 

 a subject not unsuitable for consideration by a meeting of the 

 members of the Natural History and Philosophical Society. 

 Our programme for the past and current session has included 

 several papers on subjects of great moment to the travelling 

 public. We have had interesting lectures on channel tunnels, 

 canals, and urban railways. But I now ask your indulgence 

 for a short time, while I describe what is being done by our 

 local water authority for the improvement of the quality of the 

 water supplied to the residents of Belfast and the outlying 

 districts. Sucn a matter has to do not only with convenience 

 and comfort, but also with health and life, and it therefore 

 seems to me a ground for congratulation that your Council 

 has afforded me an opportunity of telling the members and 

 the general public what has been done to make our water 

 supply as good as possible. But, before going into the details 

 of the case, let me say a word about the rapid growth of 

 Belfast in population and also in trade and manufactures. In 

 1874, when I became connected with the water- works of the 

 city, the population was about 185,000 ; now it is about 

 256,000, or an increase of about 71,000 persons. In other 

 words, the Belfast of to-day is, roughly speaking, made up of 

 the town of 1874, with the city of Cork added on. I should 

 mention, however, that the public water supply is afforded 

 also to residents in the suburban districts, with the result that 

 the total population under supply is about 270,000 persons. 

 In the same period — viz., from 1874 to the present date — the 

 total daily supply has been gradually increased from 4,000,000 

 gallons to about 9,500,000 gallons. In 1874 the amount of 

 water used for trade purposes was comparatively small, but 

 at the present time, out of a gross consumption of about 

 3S2 gallons per head per day, the special supplies absorb about 

 eight gallons per head per day. Now, during the past fifteen 

 years the members of the Water Trust have endeavoured to keep 

 pace with the growth in the numbers of their constituents. 



