The Wainui waterworks – as treated by our special artist who has NOT inspected them
In the first scene, a group of top-hatted men enjoy a congratulatory champagne picnic to celebrate the completion of the works. Beneath them, a cross-section labelled “section showing the interior of the concrete race” reveals a crooked, cracked watercourse—mocking the quality of the construction. Behind the group stand horses and a carriage, adding to the air of self-congratulation.
The second drawing presents the Wainui Reservoir, a very small lake, ironically captioned “Fiction: the most magnificent water supply in the Southern Hemisphere”.
The final scene, titled “Fact: the way the water is conserved for the benefit of the ratepayers”, shows a defective valve spraying water in all directions, completing the cartoonist’s satirical commentary on the scheme’s shortcomings.
