Supply of Water, 35 obtained to meet the wants of tho inhabitants without conveying tho water from distant springs, and making it available in the town or village by means of conduit pipes and fountains; and the expense attending these operations is such as to deter tho Sewer Authority from using its power, and to oblige the inhabitants to continue thoir dangerous* practice of using for all purposes tho polluted water of some streams into which whatever sewage there is in the townpassos either by accident or design.
There are facilities, however, given by the Sewage Acts for borrowing money on easy terms, repayable in extended periods, so as to make the burthen lighter on the immediate rate-payers, An instance of this, mentioned in our last Boport, was the little town of Mill street in the county of Cork, where, at a cost of about £1,000, of which £800 was a loan from tho Public Works Loan Commissioners, pure water was brought from about a mile and a half distance, and distributed through the town in five small fountains.
A much larger town, that of Macroom, in tho same county, and distant not far from Millstreef, required tho application of the same measures in a still more urgent degrco, and tho Guardians of Macroom Union determined to use their power to supply the inhabitants with pure water instead of tho foul water they were drinking from tho stream that drained tho town.
The large sum of £4,000 was, in this case, required to do the work effectually, but a loan borrowed at five per cent.,
repayable in twenty years, from the London Loan Board would have effected the object without placing too heavy a burthen on the rate-payers of the Electoral Division.
Through some misapprehension, however, on the part of the Irish Board of Works, the Loan Board in London wore finally led to refuse tho loan applied for.
We place the cor¬ respondence at full in the Appendix,*because wo are of opinion that this case should lead to some change of the law for the purpose of securing to Sewer Authorities in Ireland, who are desirous of doing their duty, tho same facilities for obtaining public loans as are enjoyed by similar authorities in .England,
Wales, and Scotland.
When the Sanitary Act of 186(5, as applied to Ireland, was under tho consideration of Parliament, there was no Local Government Board in existence, otherwise certain functions confided to the Board of Works in Ireland would no doubt have devolved upon tho Local Government Board as in the parallel case of England.
These functions, which relate wholly to the execution of the sanitary law, wo now recommend to be taken from tho Board of Works and transferred to the Local Government Board.
Until a.
change of tho law has been effected the example of Macroom will prevent other towns similarly circumstanced from obtaining a supply of pure wafer, or entering upon any system of sewage requiring considerable expenditure.
Rori Nuisance A uthorUics.
32.
During the prevalence of cholera on tho Continent of Europe last summer and autumn, much fear was felt that the British Islands would not escape an invasion from some of the infected
* AjMjwwlix B, III.»jw
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