ARE WELLINGTON STREETS DIRTY?

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 143, 13 March 1939, Page 3

ARE WELLINGTON STREETS DIRTY?

Comparison With Other Towns UNTIDINESS IN CITY AREA The view that Wellington's streets did not compare well for cleanliness with those of many other towns was expressed yesterday by the president of the 55’eliington Beautifying Society,

Captain S. Holm. “I don't think there is anything to complain about in the suburbs now,” he said, “but untidiness is noticeable in the business area. One often sees

paper and dirt littered about in a way that is certainly no credit to the city.” Captain Hohn said that one of the chief causes of tlie trouble might be the fact that garbage tins were put out on tlie pavements when business premises closed in the evenings and were not emptied by the collectors till early the following morning. In the meantime the tins might be overturned and the rubbish scattered about. He suggested that the solution might be to have the garbage collected either from the pavements early iu the evening or else direct from 'business premises after they opened in the morning.

RECENT LACK OF RAIN BLAMED

“Generally One, Of The Cleanest Cities”

“It is true that during the 1 last tew weeks the streets have not been so clean as we would desire,” said the city engineer, Mr. K. E. Duke, when the matter was referred to him.

He blamed chiefly the long spell of dry weather. Rain in itself, he said, did a good deal to freshen up the appearance of the streets, and the lack of it, with a consequent shortage of water, meant a reduction in the amount of artificial flushing that could be done An improvement would no doubt be noticed after the recent rain. Another factor that had to be contended with was lack of money at the end of the financial year. Working hours had been reduced and the available money did not go as fur as it had in the past. The difficulty was greatest at the weekends, high rates of wages having to be paid for Saturday and Sunday work. Traffic congestion also had a bearing on the problem. Cars parked in the city streets hindered the work of the men. and sweeping could be done satisfactorily only at night, when, again, higher wages had to be paid.

Mr. Luke did not think the time at which the garbage was collected was responsible for much trouble, nor did he agree that it could satisfactorily be altered. It was impossible, he said, to collect the garbage while traffic was on the streets; that, in fact, was why the council had had to go in for night collection.

“Generally speaking Wellington is regarded as one of the cleanest citieg in New Zealand,” said Mr. Luke. “We take a pride in keeping it sv, but we have had a bad spin in the last few weeks.”

Next year, he added, he hoped to make an improvement by reorganizing the whole street cleaning system. He planned to get an additional and up-do-date street cleaning machine and also an additional sump eductor.