AUCKLAND MUNICIPAL HANDBOOK
continued until 1869, when the Government laid a 6-inch main from the small lake in the Domain to the City, via Domain Street, Abercrombie Street and Wakefield Street; stand pipes being erected at various points en route. Still the supply was inadequate, and in January, 1872, owing to a drought, water was sold in the streets by hawkers, and resulted in the City Council augmenting the Domain supply by pumping 30,000 gallons per day from Seccombe's Well, Khyber Pass Road. Even with this addition, the supply was still meagre, and only fulfilled the mere necessities of living. There was no surplus for public or private baths, for garden or street watering, and, worse still, for fire-fighting—all of which are to-day regarded as essentials.
In 1874 the Corporation secured the services of Mr. E. O. Moriarty, C.E., to report on a water supply. After inspecting the Onehunga Springs, Nihotupu, Lake St. John and Western Springs, he finally recommended, without hesitation, the latter, expressing his opinion in the following terms:—"Taking the present population of the City, and those parts of the suburbs likely to be dependent on the City for water at 20,000 persons, one million gallons per day would be a liberal allowance at 50 gallons per head per day, but if manufactories are to be established and shipping to be supplied then 75 gallons per head would be a safer estimate, and looking at the peculiarly favourable position of Auckland and to the probability of its becoming a great
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