GARBAGE COLLECTION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 47, 12 February 1943, Page 5

GARBAGE COLLECTION

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE REPRESENTATIONS

- GROWING DANGER OF FLIES •COUNCIL TO RECONSIDER MATTER Three speakers from: the Whakatane Chamber of Commerce, . Messrs C. F. Thomas (president), - S. Whitworth _,and C. KingsleySmith, waited on the Borough - Council at its meeting last Monday, emphasising once again the ■ drastic need 1 for a regular rubbish collection throughout the . and pointing out the ( danger from disease where rubbish is) buried, and of each re^ ■ sidemtial section becoming a breeding ground for flies. Mr Thomas stated that the ques'i:ion of rubbish became more A'ital - every day and urged that the coun- • cil make a serious effort to tackle it. \ The Health Viewpoint. Mr Whitworth in a forceful man- 1 * jier dealt almost Avholly Avith the subject from the health point of -view. • He stated that the present epidemic of dysentry Avhich Avas prevalent throughout the Borough ■was directly attributable to flics which Avere alloAved to breed in the rubbish dumps of every backyard in the Borough. Apart from this there ' was also the rat nuisance which AA r as ■-ahvays linked AA'ith buried rubbish, though he: did not wish to emplia- - sis© this so much as the groAving = menace from flies as the main carriers of disease. The Chamber regarded the Council as Responsible and Avilling to safeguard, the health of the householders and though it was realised that a lot. o>f cost was attachable, he. considered it would l>e avclcorned) by the people generally. • Long Overdue Mr Kinsley-Smith mentioned that Whakatane Avas, with Opotiki the last of the. Borougiis; in the Auckland Province Avliich Avere still without a rubbish collection. Such a service Avas .'usually regarded as

:automatic when any centre achieved to borough proportions. However all the Council had seen fit to do was to> institute a quarterly collection of tins and other material of a non-perishable nature, leaving the I'eal refuse to putrify at. the rear of the sections. He dwelt on the men:ace of such places where young children were coiicerned and urged 'that a strong effort be made to initiate a weekly or at .least a fortnight--3y collection service. The Mayor said he had] not noticed more flies than usual in the •town. Mr Wliitwortli: Then its lucky y vou went to live up Hilfcrcs;t. I •can show you as good a swarm as •ever you saw in Louvain Street. Mr Barry in discussing the cost said that the only fair way would i'be by fixing an annual charge. Council's Discussion When the deputation had withdrawn ithe Mayor said the subject of collection was one which had to be •faced, though whether the suggestion of /the breeding of flies had anything to do with the non-remov-al o<f rubbish wasi open to question. The Finance Committee had given the matter considerable thought and the only method of financing it. as . far as he could see was; by putting it on the same basis as the sanitary service. The council could ntot dis3niss the representations summarily ■and; lie moved it be referred to the Finance Committee for further investigation. Cr Armstrong pointed out that if Jtlie land owner paid it would be (Continued in next column)

impossible ito get anything from the Government houses. Cr Good who strongly supported the delegation instanced, an American case where meningitis, in an isolated area, had been traced directly to the breeding habits: of flies and there was no reason in his mind wJiy the sickness prevalent in the Borough to-day should ntft be connected with the same , cause. He also considered that the landlord was \ protected by a rubbish collection in that it kept down the depredations of rats and mice which, otherwise lived without restraintMr Barry: 1 still think the tenants' the man who should pay. O ues tion of Cost Cr Shapley said; that no one had more persistently advocated the collection of rubbish in the Borough than lie. For six or seven years he had been behind it. At the same time he realised that there were a lot of obstacles in the way and in the first place in the absence of the necessary material it would necessary to apply to the Controller for the metal to make the containers and there Avas also the dust-, proof carrier to be thought of. The presence of so many flies he thought Avas due merely to the tropical summer. Cr Creeke said he considered New Zealand as a Avhole very free from flies and; though he agreed that the proposal should lie seriously considered urged that the rising costs . to the Borough ratepayers in other directions; should not be overlooked.. Cr Sullivan: Some of our younger councillors made this subject one of ithei planks, in their platform. once they were on the Council they appreciated a few of the difficulties. I estimate that the cost will not be; small someAvhere from £1 to ,30s. It Avill be necessary if the project is. adopted to find garbage tins, construct an incinerator and to> secure a coA r cred-in collection A r an. These things cannot be had for.nothing—but if the public has no objection to paying, AA r e'll institute the collection alrightl The council decided to agree to the Mayor's motion and refer the matter back to the Finance Committee for further investigation.