41THE GOVERNMENT AND THE W ATER-SlTPPLY OF LONDON.

remarks, and some quaint anecdotes were forthcomingwhich tended to show that it was quite possible to be anobjector without being conscientious. Inefficient vaccination

and the " one-mark man" also figured prominently in thespeeches of members of the association. There can

be no doubt of the value of such an associationas that of the public vaccinators, and we were

surprised to find how small a percentage of public vac-cinators have as yet availed themselves of the privilege,open to them all, of becoming members of the association.To have such an organisation through which to exchangeviews and to discuss new points arising in connexion withwork common to all its members must be of great service,and moreover the position of the public vaccinator is’ not

yet so well defined or so suitably arranged that any meansmay be neglected by which to ensure his obtaining the con-sideration and facilities that his merits as well as the publicwelfare most decidedly demand. The secretaries of the

association are Mr. V. A. Jaynes and Dr. A. E. Cope, and westrongly recommend public vaccinators who have not yetjoined to become members of the association.

PICTURES IN BACTERIA COLOURS.

WHEN Mr. Opie was asked what he mixed his colours with,le replied, perhaps not very courteously, "With brains, Sir."His meaning was, of course, perfectly clear. Brains,indeed, do elaborate colours, but Mr. Opie could hardly haveforeseen that the human brain would have worked out amethod depending upon the production of colour by micro-organisms. For the most part the permanent pigments ofthe artist have a mineral composition, although, of course,the study of organic chemistry has made available thousandsof pigments derived from coal-tar. Organic colourings also-and very beautiful colourings they are-may be the productof certain species of bacteria. Hence they are called

chromogenic bacteria. Bacteria are known which when

placed in a suitable environment will produce almost all

shades of colour. In other words, they evolve productswhich absorb part of the components of white light andreturn the residual component or components which maybe a tint having more or less the purity of a primary colour ofthe spectrum. Thus by cultivating various chromogenicorganisms each on its proper patch on the canvas a picturewith all the colouring that the colourman’s art can producemay be obtained. Sunset effects might in this way be pro-duced by the micrococcus prodigiosus grown, say, on a back-ground of boiled potatoes. This organism produces brightred spots and was doubtless responsible for the death byviolence of many a victim who in bygone days was chargedwith having brought about the blood-red spots that wereoccasionally found developed on various articles of food.The same organism doubtless led to the occasionally reportedmiracle of " the bleeding Host." " Again, doubtless excellentseascapes could be produced by the selection of organismsproducing yellow and blue colours respectively, a blend ofcolour suitable perhaps also for a moonlight scene, and thepurple-producing bacteria might be enlisted for the presenta-tion of dawn. A field of corn might possibly be faithfullycoloured by growing the micrococcus aurantiacus on a

suitable medium, or for the same purpose the sarcinæ

might be used which produce rich yellow colours, althoughno sarcinæ producing blue, violet, or green colouringmatters are as yet known. A great variety of tints

may be noted in certain cheeses and under certain

circumstances, in the Stilton cheese in particular, thetints of pink, red, brown, and green being respectivelyevolved. It is well known that the intense blue ofnatural indigo is a product of the active life of bacteria.In the province of Bengal alone the value of the outputof indigo per annum is, or was, something like two millions

of pounds sterling, and it is astonishing to think that sucha wealth of produce is gained by the labours of a micro-

scopic organism now recognised as a distinct species andknown as the bacillus in(ligogenus. There is no telling.what marvellous results the study of chromogenic organisms.may lead to, and it is not impossible that a picture willsome day be produced in which the colours portrayed onthe canvas will be the products of bacteria provided with a.suitable pabulum.

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THE GOVERNMENT AND THE WATER-SUPPLYOF LONDON.

MR. LONG, the President of the Local Government Board,.was present on Wednesday night at a complimentary dinnergiven to Mr. H. S. Samuel, M.P., by his constituents in the-east of London, and lie took occasion to make a most impor-tant pronouncement upon the London water question. Mr.

Long definitely pledged the Government to introduce nextsession a Bill dealing with the matter, and expressed con-fidence that the measure for which his department wouldbe responsible would solve this difficult problem in an

equitable and final manner. We sincerely trust that

Mr. Long is not over-sanguine, for complete success will bedifficult to obtain, and failure will have far-reaching con-sequences. It is well known that the present Governmentdoes not favour the pretensions of the London County Councilto be constituted the sole authority over the water-supply ofLondon, and Mr. Long, while complimenting the greatmunicipal body upon its energy, definitely foreshadowed thefact that the Government scheme would give the LondonCounty Council no predominant position. Something of thenature of the measure which the Government will placebefore the country may be gathered from Mr. Long’s adjura-tion to the metropolis, the suburban fringe, and theimmediate vicinity affected to consider the advisabilityof a give-and-take attitude. He asks the residential

neighbourhoods which loosely girdle London, though in

many cases outside the geographical limits of the Countyof London, not to be too insistent upon what theyconceive to be their uttermost rights in the matter oftheir water. He would have them remember that proximityto the metropolis brings them incalculable advantages, andhe begs them to consider these in the nature of a quid proquo. His speech as far as it went indicates the intention of

the Government to approach this difficult matter in a states-manlike manner. More than this we cannot now say.

THE SPEED AND CONTROL OF MOTOR-CARS.

THE series of accidents which have occurred in this

country and in other countries during the past week

is calculated to bring the motor-car into disrepute andwe counsel all interested in any way in motor-cars to do

their utmost to suppress furious driving. All motor-car

drivers should remember that motor-cars cannot be let loose

upon the streets like so many railway trains. Present

arrangements will not admit of it. Until motor-cars have a

track of their own they must be placed under the strictestpossible control in regard to speed and the rule ofthe road. With motor-cars coming round sharp corners

at high speed pedestrians need almost a new sense. The

"pip, pip" is, as a rule, under these circumstances not

a timely warning and people are likely to be run over

before even they can realise that a motor-car is turning thecorner. It would be well enough if it were possible thatcertain tracks in our busy thoroughfares could be allotted tothe motor-car, but that is not possible and therefore in theinterests of the safety of the public this method of travellingmust be kept within bounds. The temptation to attain a highspeed is, we fear, very strong when a driver knows that heis in possession of potentialities which neither overstrain nor