Section 2.— HOW MUCH WILL IT COST ?
A considerable amount of money will be required to fairly launch this Scheme, and some income may be necessary to sustain it for a season, but, once fairly afloat, we think there is good reason to believe that in all its branches it will be.self-supporting, unless its area of operation is largely extended, on which we fully rely. Of course, the cost of the effort must depend very much upon its magnitude. If anything is to be done commensurate with the extent of the evil, it will necessarily require a proportionate outlay. If it is only the drainage of a garden that is undertaken, a few pounds will meet the cost, but if it is a great dismal swamp of many miles in area, harbouring all manner of vermin, and breeding all kinds of deadly malaria, that has to be reclaimed and cultivated, a very different sum will not only be found necessary, but be deemed an economic investment.
Seeing that the country pays out'something like Ten Millions per annum in Poor Law and Charitable Relief without securing any real abatement of the evil, I cannot doubt that the public will hasten to supply one-tenth of that sum. If you reckon that of the submerged tenth we have one million to deal with, this will only be one pound per head for each of those whom it is sought to benefit, or say
ONE MILLION STERLING
to give the present Scheme a fair chance of getting into practical operation.
According to the amount furnished, must necessarily be the extent of our operations. We have carefully calculated that with one hundred thousand pounds the scheme can be successfully set in motion, and that it can be kept going on an annual income of ,£30,000 which is about three and a-quarter per cent, on the balance of the million sterling, for which I ask as an earnest that the public intend to put its hand to this business with serious resolution ; and our judgment is based, not on any mere imaginings, but upon the actual result of the experiments already made. Still it must be remembered that so vast and desirable an end cannot be even practically contemplated without a proportionate financial outlay.
Supposing, however, by the subscription of this amount the undertaking is fairly set afloat. The question may be asked, " What further