ANNUAL ADDRESS 



By J. M. Smail, m. Inst. c.e. 



[Delivered to the Engineering Section of the Royal Society of N. S. Wales, 

 June 19th, 1901.'] 



In opening the Session for 1901 I wish in the first place to tender 

 niy thanks to the members of the Section for the honour they 

 have conferred upon me in electing me as Chairman for the session. 

 The nation has lately had to deplore the loss of our beloved Queen, 

 and this must directly appeal to the feelings of the Engineers 

 inasmuch as the Victorian era has been conspicuous in the develop- 

 ment of engineering science in all its branches. No Sovereign 

 has taken a deeper personal interest in the development of science 

 than Queen Victoria, and to this interest we may in a great 

 measure attribute the successful issue of the various departments 

 of science. 



Like my predecessors I have had some difficulty in selecting a 

 subject upon which I could address you, and in looking round for 

 one which has not been previously dealt with, I found the difficulty 

 increasing, and like the man, who when in doubt, came back to the 

 first principles, I decided to take as my subject one in which I 

 might claim to have had some experience, and that is Municipal 

 Engineering. In dealing with the subject I propose to give a 

 short review of the development of Municipal Engineering in 

 connection with this City and with other matters connected there- 

 with; secondly Municipal engineering in its general bearing in the 

 interests of the ratepayer ; and finally, an attempt to outline an 

 ideal Municipal Government in its relation to engineering. 



Prior to the incorporation of the City of Sydney in 1848 all 

 works of improvement in connection with supply of water and 

 formation of streets, etc., were carried out under officers of the 

 Imperial Government and by convict labour to a large extent. 



1— June. 19, 1901. 



