president's address. 23 



to see that the tree-growth is not removed from the sources of the 

 contributing streams, and to prevent contamination of the water 

 by the establishment in the area of vested and injurious interests. 

 In the particular case of the metropolis now under discussion, 

 two eminently scientific objectives have come into collision. It 

 is urgent to establish effective Consumptive Homes, and it is 

 urgent to secure a high-level water source in order that pressure 

 of water sufficient to cope with city fires may be obtained by 

 gravitation only, and to secure as large a catchment area as we 

 can in face of the great needs of the future. We have every 

 reason to credit the present Government with perfectly dis- 

 interested motives in their decision, but we cannot but think 

 that the larger need should take precedence of the smaller. 

 And I feel sure that the sympathy of every man of science will 

 be with Mr. Keele, who has so bravely and so persistently fought 

 for the needs of his department, of which he has the expert 

 knowledge which no one else can possess so fully. And it would 

 be a disgrace to the country if faithful and courageous expression 

 of the views which he knows and can show to be scientifically 

 just and correct should redound to the hurt of any scientific 

 officer of the State. 



The even larger question of the provision of water for irriga- 

 tion purposes demands also a wide and early grasp of the possi- 

 bilities of supply. The Minister for Works, Mr. Lee, is an 

 enthusiast in the matter. He may well be proud of the Barren 

 Jack scheme, and he has recently expressed his wish to provide 

 a great extension of irrigation to the Xepean country, and 

 incidentally regretted " my limited staff of engineers for the pur- 

 poses of investigation.'' 



In truth we need a comprehensive investigation of the catch- 

 ment areas of the different river-basins of the State, and also of 

 the possibilities of artesian water-supply. That these last are 

 great is known, the present artesian water supply being many 

 times greater than that of Cataract Gorge and Prospect Re.-ervoir 

 combined. But there has been no systematic investigation of 

 the water-bearing zones, of their extent and capacity, of the 



