Thursday, 3rd February, 1898. 
The Hon. F. Lovell, C.M.G., Vice-President, in the Chair, 
The following Paper was read : — 
ON WATER WORKS FOR PORT-OF-SPAIN. 
By Walsh Weightson, M.I.C.E., Director of Public 
TT7ITH regard to the Port-of-Spain Water Works I daresay all 
V f of you are well acquainted with them. The works them- 
selves are of the very simplest nature, small streams flow into 
small service reservoirs and thence in pipes to the town. There 
• is no storage of water, and no filtering of it. I may perhaps be 
pardoned for stating that the system of water supply to Port-of- 
Spain is in every way unworthy of the city. The water is liable 
to constant and serious contamination, and of the results which 
may follow one has only to refer to the recent cases of typhoid 
fever in Maidstone and King’s Lynn. In the first case it 
appears that the sources of supply were not protected, and they 
were, therefore, fouled by hop pickers from London. As there 
was no filtering of the water, it passing in much the same 
manner from the springs as the water of Port-of-Spain does from 
the Mat-aval river, the results of such fouling have been appal- 
ling. Out of a population of a little over 30,000 there have 
een nearly 2,000 cases of typhoid fever. Maidstone has received 
such a warning as will not be readily forgotten of the necessity 
for a pure water supply. With regard to King’s Lynn there are 
some spectal features connected with it which I think may well 
be taken to heart by the people of this city. In 1892, 1 think, 
there was an outbreak of typhoid fever in that town. A local 
government Board Inspector was sent down— you see the Govern- 
n^° eS 11 ° t il a ow municipalities in England to do altogether 
ou fch rpa em— -to make an enquiry into the causes of the 
out that tl 6 ma<e exhaustive enquiry and it was pointed 
variouf wl? the Water ^pply were contaminated in 
obtain a bln ^ the town Should at once take steps to 
preached to P Tf SUppI F- The Inspector, however, 
byTkrge Lctil oTthel; a T part ° f the Council backed up 
the water was nood enn P L° PU a ? 6 ,^ ec ^ are d that they knew that 
was good enough, and that they would not go to the 
