TRAFFIC AND HYGIENE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 527, 7 June 1909, Page 6

TRAFFIC AND HYGIENE.

CITY INSPECTOR'B ANNUAL REPORT. ' WELLINGTON'S LOW MORTALITY. Somo interesting statistics oro given in tho ninotoenth annual report ofi the City Sanitary Inspector (Mr. J. Doyle) for tiho jear ending March 31, 1909. LICENSES AND AUCTION SALES. License foes wcro received as follow —Auctioneers, £1303, billiard rooms, £79 155.; carts and expresses, £418 4s , dangerous goods, £16112s ; dog registration fees, £1023 13s. 6d., dairies and milk carts, £17 55., drivers, £41 18s , cabs, £73 125., hawkers, £5 155.; motoi cycles, £11, motoi cars, £22 10s., motor wagons, £11, pawnbrokers, £60; porters, £7 2s 6d : public buildings, £124 Bs. 6d. second-hand dealers, £13; stables, £11; weighing machjnes, £50, total, £3438 os. 6d.

Durui",the.:year,there were 172 prosecutions and 470 convictions, the fines and costs amounting r t6';£134135.; ; It will ttius be seen that" : there , .'.wero Only' two dismissals, V ■ .'Tho .amount received from auction sales was £142,;95.'/v made',up as follows:—Unclaimed dogs, £48'13sf; unclaimed articles left in tram .cars, £10 12s. ;-fees. for. disinfections, £83 4s ; 6d. 7- .'■.;, :iy,< ~V -, .' C. ' . • AND.; DISINFECTION. ''. •.' ; ,Thirty and 45. milk carts, were lioensed-r-these -dairies are inspected about once a month—and Inspector Watson's. reports as'to .'their' conditions have been 'favourable. ';■: • ■■.':'.':-'-."'-.'.'' ;"■ 'i;" ; - : ■■• : ' ■.'■'';.•■' .Four ■hundred, and, ■{ fifty-five, dogs .were taken off.the streets,-128 werO/claimed, 161 sold.-for£4B.l3s.,.and 166 destroyed." ... •' seventy-seven.rooms were disinfected, fever-, (includ;ing;\|3^Kbor; diphtheria, 71";:roo,m'§;' : enteno.iever, 16, rooms; tuberculosis,- ;85 rooms; cancer, 6 : rooms; blood • poisoning,v6:.roo'ins.; unspecified,; 17 rooms;' ;t6tal,^6f7-;rbbms7';.,'.;, , ; .:TliQ',expe'rierice of-the year, has .'shown the 'present;systcnrdf,dfemfectiori—by the coun- ■■ . from" the De'pa'rSmeh'f.'of. Health, .to be unsatisfac■tdry.vasrwbll .as'needlessly expensive.' ; It is .^unsatisfactory:be'ejiuso' to keep a man waiting . to;attend td'.telephonamessages from the Department interferesj»; murih with his regular dtity:.'bf.i^inspection■'•as^tp.render :■ it 'almost valuele's's : ' and' expensive,"' because the. amount 'collected foi''fees; £834' Os; 6d., less £18 6s. 1 for '.materioly'. is. practJKilly tho only of Ms year's.work." ilt.would be much better if : 'a'n" J arraiigemeiit coulerbe made so that the work could be' done, by the Public Health' De--partment.and-: the .'council charged with; tho cost.^v.^'';'-:': i ;y.^^ ; ,;i>;..: ■; ; : ; ■■.■.'. •■■:■'" - ;. wore, licensed; -in : one: case'-'a-irenewal-of.'tho. license will bb re-' fuaedjv otherwiio, : .the*;rboms. have; been well, »■■ ■ '.'.'-'I •.■': i^^^^UELVUSAJGfe 1 OF HORSES. v : ■■

Have little to add to what is contained,in'myVlast,annual .report except tb-emphasise-; the 'opinion that it is, a matter calling of. the Refbronod tp'.jidverloadihg in ; =ita relation., to'cruelty; to, : ,Vablmals. ib,''so common; that'it. seems necessaryj'tb. point out that the' by-lay. (645) provides .;,v'for. ' specifying [ the weight.tb .bo/carried;bn> ; vehicles' irrespective ofthe-number,-qr[thecapacity:of the horses.': Tho weight to bb'carfied.'on drays, coal 'carts, etc.; •was'briginally fixed at two tons. The ■average..weight.xif these- vehicles: .may bo taken at'l4';cwt.,' : and-:aliJwiugh it is common to- : see; some''horses' 'drawing that weight— 2 tons,'l4'cwt,—[without much effort 'on. the lev.el,';it; is'..obviously .'too .much for a great • man^;otheri;--and^on'.an/ up grade-7With ■ a "twelve-stone .driver on top of tho load' balancis/Undbu[btedlycruel. -~' •>: ;". . ■■.

■';■[ something.more than is'containcd',;in- the.Motors'.. Regulation ; Act, 19()8i .'is required to' deal with: the. question of :motor traffic in the city. ,:Itis obvious: frflqu'en'tly '. driven'; through the' streets ''at "a': rats* of ' speed which, is not. safe, but the wording ■of the Act: "Every person commits an'Offence'who drives a motor ■in a public highway; recklessly or negligently, or at a speed or in a manner which is dangerous,; to, .the • publio, having regard-to; all thb'.'oiraumstances of ! the-case, including tho natnrelcb'nditibriSiand use of tbe highway and thea'mpunt'of'trafßp'whioh actually-is.;at

time-.o^might-;reasonably: be expected to bo . proof, .of ;an. offend unnecessarily difficult; redklessness or negligence art;duestions;'upon whioh opinions 1 aro ; ;.likely. to^Qiffer/'and:when a motor is trav6lling..at:'wy-i2s'.miles an/honr (not an, uncommon occurrence) it is. not easy '.to: got. ;ovidpuce ;as!..tp ;.the', identity ef the driver or i.tho :ra'toVof' : .Bpeed; : ,1 Jthink tho Act should provide for'"a maximumsrate oi . 'the [city,;'say:ls. miles an h'diir. ■■; .., ,'.'.' CATTLE. .'' ' _.':J,

.. The infliction of heavier fines appears to havo; had the effect of- making owners of cattlo more careful,' there.being only 87 con- - -victions.as. against ,143 for the previous year, but there is still much cause for.complaint. T think it would be an improvement if the pound-wera shifted'from its present position, iwhera'-it'iis'bf little use, to Island Bay, or KilbirUie,;'sp' that "the'owners' of land tres-VaMed-'on.'could;' in some, measure protect, .themsolves.'.-,,.;'•..'" '.'.'. '■;-.. '_ SAKITAEY 'STiTE OF- THE CITY. ;■: '.'lt is satisfactory, (continues the, report)' to note 'that the death rate (9.10) continues ,to be the lowest in the Dominion—house to house inspection goes on daily, and the re-ports-are generally favourable. I would like to say that our method of. dealing with the ■ city refuse.is my point of viewaltogether? satisfactory;-. for' example ; -a' weekly, removal-of rehiso from .dwellings, irrespective of tho quantity produced, is Hot sufficient.l submit that if tho city is to, have the full 'advantage :,of ■' the destructor, it should'bo more accessible-—everything in the ~way-'of rofuse.should be taken' from'dwel-,| lings at least twice a-week; and everything other than '.trade .refuse: be received. People who desire to get rid of old bedding or clothes, and who pay for cartage, shonld not be oharged at the destructor, there would then bo Jess indnceinent to make tho nearest vacant section a dumping ground for rubbish. With respect to trade refuse, tradespeople put out tho refuse overnight on, the footpaths in all -sorts of receptaclos,,and as these receptacles are rarely covered, the-footpaths and streets are freqpsntly littercd.with papers and refuse.' Even when tho contents are not disturbed, the of lines, -of boxes, buckets, and kerosene tins of rubbish along the foot- : paths'is very objectionable,, and not, at. all 'in(keeping'.with blocked streets, and paved .footpaths. As,tho by-law which provides for .suitable receptacles,jdoes not apply in these 'cases, I would suggest'.that the engineer, ho asked to consider,, tho.':'qnestion of erecting iron rubbish bins, ; of a suitable design, at convenient intervals in the business centres," and snpplying.'koys r; tq,VbTisiness people at a rental sufficient to. cover cost of removal to the council. I feel sure that such a regukv' tion would meet with approval, and it would terminate a'very objectionable practice."