IV. T. H. HOUGHTON. 



completion, and already a large number of dwellings are connected 

 to them ; many difficulties have been met with during their 

 construction, and unfortunately some loss of life has occurred, 

 but now all the serious difficulties have been overcome. 



In the Melbourne Main Sewers now being made, a system has 

 recently been adopted which largely reduces the cost of 

 construction in bad ground, by substituting for cast iron segments, 

 previously used, others built of wood, forming ribs with outside 

 lagging ; this improvement is said to reduce the cost by over 

 20 per cent. Besides the lessening of the cost, greater efficiency 

 is stated to have been secured, owing to the new lining being 

 much more impervious to the flow of water from the outside, 

 than the joints in the cast iron. This is a very important factor 

 in securing the water-tightness of the concrete or sewers proper, 

 and will, no doubt, lead to its adoption in ground carrying water, 

 even if it is not bad enough to require the protection of the 

 the lining to enable the concrete to be put in. 



Melbourne has, up to the present, utilised electricity for lighting 

 to a greater extent than any other Australian city. The Council 

 having erected a large station for street lighting purposes some 

 years ago, are now proposing to buy up the two large private 

 companies who supply light in the City and some of the more 

 important suburbs, thus securing the control of both street and 

 house lighting. 



In Tasmania there are several railways being made by private 

 companies, intended to develope the mineral wealth of the West 

 Coast district, and the Tasmanian Government has recently 

 finished a considerable length of narrow gauge line * through 

 heavy country in the neighborhood of Zeehan ; on the railway 

 connecting Mount Lyell with the coast the Abt system will be 

 used, on the heavy grades. 



In Queensland the completion of the Brisbane Electric Trams 

 has been one of the most important works. A large bridge is 

 being built at Rockhampton over the Fitzroy river to connect 



* See proceedings Australasian Society for the Advancement of Science. 1898. 



