SANITARY CONDITION OF GISBORNE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1872, 29 September 1906, Page 3

SANITARY CONDITION OF GISBORNE.

OPINION OF SEVEN DOCTORS,

Tbe articles in tbe Times during the prasent week in regard to the sanitation of Shu town have created a good deal of interest. Some of the- statements contained therein having met with contradiction, a representative from this paper yesterday Wailed upon the sovoral doctors with a view of aso rlaining tboir opinions. “Do you think that the conditions of sanitat on are what they should be'?” iomailt d our repoittr io the first gentleman inlsrviewed. “Just tbo opposite,” was tho reply;! “ they aro as bad as they can be. I should s»y that psibaps iho moit pressing neoesß,ty is an improvtd method cf sewerage. The present systtm is abominable ; it would not bo half so bad if they

had what was projnoted at tbo time, the sealed pan system At present there is really no system at all. Exposed nightsoil means diphtheria and a thousand ills besides, Ij is h'gh lime tho Council did something in rigud to this matter.” “ Then tho questiou of tho disposal of slops is another crying necessitycontinued the medico. '■ A groat evil arises from ibis, and tbo matier should bo romediod. Tbe

poPution of tho so 1 which is daily t K'iif plsoa is at tho root of nearly all our coniagioco complaints. To this is due catarrah, diarrlcei, bronohial tioubles, and con umptiou. With a proper system of sn'osoil drainage Ihero would be a good oessation of tbese complaints. Iu fac', they would bo praolieally bauiffied. Tho subsoil drainage, however, is quite apart from the question cf house drainage and sewerage.” 11 When the ground around a house in □□drained localities is disturbed there is

always danger of disease ?” queried tho reporter. 11 That is so in moßt oases, but not when there has not been close habitation. I know of a oase where nightsoil was buried, and when the ground was disturbed they had seven oases of typhoid fever in tho house." And as to close building ? I would put a st p to all this olrse boilding. It is perfectly monstrous to have four houses and more on a quarter aorr. Every hr use in a place 1k i Gs borne should have a quarter acre of End It is perfectly soandalous that the Borough

Connoil allow the present state of affiirs to oontioue. There is another point that I should like to emphasise. The plans of every house that is going to be built Bbould be submits d to the Courc' 1 , and they should have a medical officer to examine the same. No house should bs allowed to be put ovor tho soil without uu impervious layer of oonorete, asphalt, or BOmethiDg of the sort. Have you any ol jeoticn to the cemetery ?

The further the oemetery is away the better. It should be where no peroolation oan tsks plaoe, and at a lower level than tbe town. And tbe rivers ? I would Dot allow drainage to go into the river excepting below low water, Every drain running into the rivers /should be trapped aLd ventilated. answer to farther questions the doctor stated that tbe low lying lands and the difficulty of drsinsgo and building regulations were the cbiaf drawbacks to Gisborne- Unless the u'mo’t precautions were tskan there wonld be an epidenro when the grouod was upturned for the water supply connections. The chief ocmplaints for which patients were treated were sore throats, tonsilitis, oatarrh, nasal troubles, rheumatism, and gastrobepatio. There had not been much typhoid of late. Ten years ago in one season he bad treated 18 easis, and there Were 40 iu the Hospital, bnt of late years there had been little or none. Ha believed that tbe trouble in tbe year mentioned was due to ground upturned. A vigorous inspection of dairies aod meat was at all times required. He thought Gisborne bad been a little lax in tbe matter of tbe abattoirs of latr. Too great care could not be taken with a view of preventing air coming from the soil into the house, that was from underneath the house The practice of building houses on the ground, and of boarding in round the foundation, thus preventing a free circulation of air round about the house, was highly objectionable. At the present time he had one case of diphthieria, which he attributed to this cause Another bad practice was pulling down the blinds in the houses and keeping the rooms dark and ill-ventilated. The second medical gentleman interviewed ventured the opinion that there was no more sickness or death in Gisborne than in Napier, Wellington or Auckland. Gisborne was naturally a very healthy town, hut there were several drawbacks. “ And what are they” ? asked our representative “ The chief danger of typhoid is the present cemetery,” was the reply It is a serious menance to the public health. The drainage from the cemetery goes into the river and the water is used for street purposes. In this way with a favorable wind it finds its way into the tanks and the disease is spread Seven years ago I reported on several sites and recommended one on the Waikanae handy to the railway, but so far the cemetery trustees yCve not moved in the matter, and interments still take place at Makaraka. “ And on the question of water and drainage ”? “ I think a mistake has been made not to have drainage and water together, but the bugbear appears to be the rates. We cannot, however, do without drainage and the question will have to be faced, no matter what the cost.” To further questions tbe doctor atat d that there was less typhoid io Gisborne than hitherto, but this was no doubt due to the ctre taken by housebo'ders. Strict inspection on tbe part of the authorities should DOt be relaxed. The third gentleman interviewed, in answer to the first question replied : ” I oonsider that Gisborne is a very healthy place, taking it all round, Ido not think that the amount of infectious disease is anything great io comparison with otbor places. Considering tbe abrenoe cf water and drainage we have every reason to congratulate ourselves. Typhoid is at present very low. There wero (e i oases last summer in the hospital and six tbe year before, and twelve the yrar lehr) that, but tbe majority of them c ime from the country.” Compared with other places is there more siokness or more deaths in proportion to tbe population ? ‘■l should say that there was less,” remarked the doctor. ‘ Tcere are perhaps a few email matters requiring correction, but with tho absence of a water supply and drainage system we could not expos) to have a healthier town. The close building which is going on should sertainly

be condemned. I have noticed as maoy a 9 sis houses on a quaiter acre, and it is certainly high time it was stopp d. Another matter rtqoiring atterton is tne Btecch from the freizing woiki, but at tne cost of a few pounds this could be overcome. It hes been remedied in many o the towns in England, ani can be done

here.” _. The fourth gentleman replied : ttisborne is naturally a healthy town. Its wide B‘reots and rca'te'ed population cause this to fce so. lottead of having the population inside an area of half a milp| as at Home, it is scattered over four miles, i do not approve of close bail<3ir, g’ S ®J' l ® only conducive to disease aod filih. What we most ri quire is a live inspector, one who will go round the back yards and look about as in other towns. Soma oftbe-

'Hsackyarls I have seen aie disgusting. The’ rubbish should b 3 burnt, instead ol be'ng stored up for years.” What mu-t be the t ffoct of allowing soapsuds and water from baths lo trickle I into the channels ? , •> Only the worst, and it Bhouid not be

a'lowed. Bioteriologioal tests of the number of the flora of the human skin found in a cubio oentimeire of water taken from the Seine in Paris, first abovo ana then below the laundry stations on its . shores, show that the difference runs into millions. From this ono ahould need no proof that the laundry and bath waters lying in puddles in nearly every yard to Gisborne are not conducive to surgioal

success.” _ , Replying to further questions, the doctor stated that a drainage scheme for Gisborne was absolutely necessary, as the danger from the overflueh of water, peroo- | lation and saturation of the soil, would ■ u_ I-- iu. j « *

This was to bo seen at Santa Crux, TV no rilYo (where thoco was only a water supply), vho.o tho liqrrd sewerage was to be seen ocr.ing from tho cliffs into tho soa. Tho filth medioal gentleman intorviovvod urged tho importance of drainage for Gisborno boiug taken hand in hand with a water supply. A pumping system should bo adopted, and as far as possible eowor ago should not bo aflowod to go into the rivers. D pbtborin, tonsilitis, typhoid, dyslentery, and diarrhoea woro tho ohitf ailmonts locally. What are the chief drawbacks to tbo health of Gisborne 2 Tuero arc oertain low lying parts which should bo drained, and I think tho grave yard is on a \ory bad site. Tho lutter drains into tho river, tho matter is washed round, and lodges on tho bark j . Fortun atol.v it never beoomes absolutely dry, ottr rwise tbero would bo a torrib'o epidemic here. Tho ono sofoty for the town is that tho river is a tidal ono. What is likoly to be the effeot of disiurbing tbo g._und for drain laying 2

If ihs wo 1 1; is carried on in dry weaker tho risk if typhoid will bo very great. At iho present linn in Gisbaruo there is g’eat danger from tbe sub soil water. There are ooitain p-.rts of the town whore it is worse than others. I ntlributo iho reosnt outbreak of typhoid at Haiti to this oause, sub soil water being used for watering cabbages,

Tho next molioal goutloman approaohed endorsed tho opinions previously given upon the question of water and drainage, and urged tho adoption of a board ol medical men to ooutrol the sanitation of tho town in preference to it being loft to tho Iceal authorities " A board of medioal men could do more in a week than tho looal bodies could do in a year,” he remarked, “for they wonld bo better qualified to spook.” His exporionoe oouvicoed him that Gisbotno was a fairly healthy town, iho chief drawbacks being tho oemetery and mud flits. So long as they had tho rivers and tho Waikanae oreok in their present state, so long would j there bo danger of disoase. In view of tbo installation of water supply the greatest precautions would fcnvo to bo taken. Tbe inspection of Iho town was on tbo whole satisfactory. Tho sevrnth gentleman interviewed took strong exception to tho disposal of nightsoil, which was a serious detriment to the health of tho district. The several

systems prevailing in different parts of

England were fully explained, the Goux sysiem in use in Yorkshire being recommended for adoption in Gisborne. This was a most wholesome method, the pails being lined with a dry absorb.-nt packing of ootnpressed peat, which rendered tbe comonts dry and less offensive, The manuria! value of the excreta was emphasised, it bring put down at 17s per head of tbe population. Tnis would mean a revenue to tho borough of upwards of £SCOO. The necessity of a compete drainage system with the water supply was strongly urged, the evils resulting from the one without tbe other bring stated.

" What are the chief ailments in Gisborne ?” “Tbero is an alarming amount of nose and throat opsrations, and the advent of peouliar nasal discoveries. For asperity tioubles I have never met a town like Gisborne,”

” What do yon oonsider tbe chief drawbacks to tbe health of the town ?”

11 The waDt of water and drainage, and an adequate system of dealing with the nightsoil. The cemetery is also a menace to tbe pub'io health. No cemetery should be placed on any ground where the natural drainage is likely to find its way to dwellings or contaminate a water supp'y, Lands liable to floods, or enoroaobment by streams, or by tbe sea are a menace to the population.” "When tbe gound is disffirbed for the water, is tho danger likely to be greater ?” “Yrs, it oeitainly will be. You have only to take the oase of Auckland where an epidemio occurred whilst the electric oar sysiem was being installed.” The necessity for more stricter Borough supervision was urged, and the danger arising from sub-soil waters was referred to. The natural strata of Gisborne in many places showed it to be the bed of an old stream, and from its situation there must be a lot of sub soil water. There being no drainage this was a serious danger. An idea of the health of a place could not be obtained from the death rate, and comparing one town with another was of no avail as the same social conditions did not exist. To crowd a population of 75,000 on the present area of Gisborno with the present system of drainage would show a great difference the statistics, “ I would keep Gisborne as long as possible a suburb and oppose close building,” remarked the doctor. Gisborne is prac ■ tieally not a city life, a semi-rural state of affairs existing here, and under present conditions tho over crowding of buildings on sections should not be encouraged. I see strong objection to draining into the rivers The correct way to drain Gisborne is undoubtedly by pumping tho sewerage, first by filtration with the object_ of oxidising or retaining its suspended irn purities and allowing only the water to pass into the sea.”