CX. DISCUSSION. 
would be attained in such years as those from 1890 to 1894 
when the rainfall ranged from 67°62 inches to 104°17 inches 
annually, or 20 inches annually above the average. The 
reason for so high a percentage of run off as has been shown 
to result from a catchment area like that of Cataract, is 
mainly on account of the reservoir being situated in the 
heart of it, and that the rain is received upon a surface 
with very steep slopes everywhere towards the reservoir, 
the rock having very little cover, and the distance from 
the watershed or boundary of the catchment area to the 
margin of the reservoir being nowhere more than 34 miles, 
the average being under 2 miles. 
Mr. Deane dealt specially with the population and rate 
of increase, and quoted figures from the Government Statis- 
tician’s report to show that my figures were too high, and 
he would like the disparity explained. I said at the time 
that the Statistician’s figures could not be accepted, as 
they only referred to the metropolitan area, which on the 
west was bounded by a line passing through Strathfield, 
whereas the Board supplied water to all the areas beyond 
that up to Parramatta, which would soon have to take its 
supply wholly from Prospect, instead of depending on the 
drainage from its own small catchment, which was caught 
in a Shallow reservoir, and the quality of the water was 
unsatisfactory, and likely to remain so, if it did not become 
worse. In addition to the large settled area up to Parra- 
matta, there was the large area watered by the Board’s 
mains running down to Ryde, Liverpool, Fairfield, Campbell- 
town and Camden, and all the district round about them 
was supplied from the canal, and if the irrigation project 
was gone on with, a large additional settlement requiring 
water would spring up. If the Statist’s figures were 
adopted, it would be seen we would be a long way out in 
the estimate, and this was shown clearly in the estimate 
