VVRIGHTSON — WATER SUPPLY. 
265 
Only recently he had received a letter from a friend in King’s 
Lynn stating that for the want of water they had had a most 
destructive fire there. The fact was that the water was so foul 
that it could not pass through the hose used by the Brigade. So 
that as one saw things were sometimes even worse in England 
than here. The lecturer had stated that in England the 
Government did notallow the Municipalities to do as they liked. 
Butin this instance the Government had. Here it could not be 
said that there was a municipality at all. Through the action 
of the Government almost everything was controlled by the 
Government from beginning to end. They had been told that 
the water here ran to waste. Why should not this waste be 
conserved ? Why should not proper reservoirs be erected for the 
storage of our water ? They were told that the hills behind 
Diego Martin and Maraval were very porous. Where was the 
water which passed into these hills ? It must be there somewhere 
“bout. Why was not the water engineers requested to tap these 
mountains by means of artesian wells, and he was sure if the 
water was there it would be found. ISow as to the storage of 
tbeir water. In America the reservoirs were asphalted, not con- 
creted, and as asphalt was indigenous to Trinidad the cost of 
constructing a reservoir of proper dimensions for storing a large 
supply would be considerably lessened. He must confess that 
Le considered the suggestion to utilize the Oropuche river and 
wt aside its. water for the future supply of the Island, was one 
°f the best ideas ever conceived in connection with this question 
und it was to be hoped that the Government would carry out the 
suggestion. They had had experts from England to report upon 
their water supply ; those gentlemen had been handsomely paid, 
hut all that they had ever recommended was just as far off of 
being carried out as the day of the discovery of Trinidad years 
»go The Water Works of Port-of-Hpain were good enough, but 
let them ask themselves whether they could say the same with 
regard to San Fernando? They could not. In San Fernando 
the supply was exceedingly limited and the people there were 
•>y no means in as good position as those who lived in Fort-of- 
•Vin. The Borough Council of Port-of-Spain did not mean to 
hit the consumption of water be curtailed in Port-of-bpam as the 
Government seemed disposed to do in -San Fernan o. *• ome ime 
ago the Board of Health no doubt with a view as they thought 
°f consulting the health of the people there, ordered the closing 
of the various wells on 1 Voodbrotik village. ® '' n ** 
agreed with this step. The people did not .use the water from 
the wells for drinking purposes but for washing their clothe and 
for watering their small gardens. For dr. .iking H.ey use the 
pure,- water Which they obtained from the hydrants. ( Dat he 
failed to understand was that while so much solicrtu - was 
o 
