The Mourne Water Scheme. 3 1 



supply of water in Belfast, and while many important indus- 

 tries have been crippled or paralysed in Dublin on account of 

 scarcity of water during the unusually dry season, I am not 

 aware of any similar experience in Belfast. As regards the 

 quality of the water coming off the Mourne mountains, Mr. 

 Brown has put before you his experience of one river which he 

 admits is not included in Mr. Macassey's scheme. I would ask 

 you to think of another stream in the same region, that which 

 gives the water supply of Newcastle, County Down. I have 

 never drunk better water, and I believe its excellence is well 

 known to many of you. Is it not far more reasonable to expect, 

 with a knowledge of the good quality of the Newcastle water, 

 that the proposed new Belfast supply will be excellent than to 

 take Mr. Brown's sample from a stream not included in the 

 scheme as representative ? It is well known that in every large 

 scheme provision must be made to get rid of some unsuitable 

 water, and I doubt not this will be attended to in the new 

 works. It so happened that recently I had to take part in a 

 committee room in the House of Commons in an opposition to 

 some detail points of the Bill for the Mourne Water Supply, 

 and I can assure you I was much impressed with the care and 

 ability with which the interests of the citizens of Belfast are 

 attended to by the Water Commissioners and by their secretary 

 and engineer. 



Professor FitzGerald — I think a great deal too much stress 

 has been laid upon the bog stain in the water, which is only 

 evidence that the water has been in bog, and does not prove 

 that there is any harm in the water. I believe, as Mr. Scott 

 said, it would be almost impossible to find a place absolutely 

 free from bog and where you would not be able at some time 

 to collect numerous specimens of water such as Mr. Brown 

 produced. It occurred to me that if sandy soil will clear water 

 so as to take out the bog stain, there is no obvious reason why 

 it should not be done in this case, where you have got an 

 opportunity of passing it through large quantities of gravel 

 afterwards, there being no restriction in the amount of natural 

 gravel beds that could be taken outside the storage reservoirs. 



