Edinburgh and District Water Bill : statement by the trustees.

  • Edinburgh and District Water Trust.
Date:
[1871?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Edinburgh and District Water Bill : statement by the trustees. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    plans now before Parliament, nor had he made any estimate with respect to them. It is farther to be observed that no serious attempt was made in Committee to break down the estimates of Mr Stewart and Mr Bateman, confirmed as they were by Mr Hawkshaw. Y.—The Grounds upon ivhich the St Mary's Loch Scheme is to he preferred. The policy of the Water Company during its existence was essen- tially a hand-to-mouth policy. Their supplies were obtained from time to time in small quantities, which scarcely sufficed to meet the demand for the present, and made no provision for the future. Com- plaints were thus constant, for the demand was always in advance of the supply. Besides, it was a costly policy. In bringing m the seven millions of gallons which constitutes the present supply, no less a sum than £470,000 has been expended, showing an average cost per million gallons of £67,000. It must be assumed, that havnig tlie selection of the best portions of the Pentlands, the Water Com- pany and their advisers would adopt those which entailed the least cost relative to the quantity of water obtainable ; and yet Mr Hawksley expects people to believe that four millions of gallons per day can now be obtained from that district at greatly less than one-half of the cost which it has liitherto been found necessary to expend in obtaining a similar quantity under much more favourable circumstances. But the experience of the past affords little encouragement to adhere to what has been well termed the driblet or hand-to-mouth system It is costly in itself and unsatisfoctory in its results. And if the wisdom of a larger and more liberal policy needed illustration, it is to be found in the cases of Glasgow and of Dublin. In the former city the proposal to introduce a supply from Locb Katrine raised an opposition which succeeded in defeating the exertions of the pro- moters on two occasions. With a wise persistence, however, they persevered, notwithstanding the obloquy and misrepresentation with which they were assailed, and the storm of opposition excited ^ by the fears of impure water, lead poisoning, and heavy taxation, which the opponents of the scheme succeeded in creating there to a crreater extent than they have happily succeeded here. Ultimately the bill was passed, and ere long no class of persons were more thankful that it was so than those who had been defeated in their short-sighted opposition All classes of the community luxuriated in the enjoyment of an abundant supply of the best water ; trade and manufactures received a fresh impulse, and the domestic water-rate, which com- menced at Is. 4d. per pound, has been reduced to 8d., with
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