SANITATION OF THE TOWN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2040, 27 March 1907, Page 1

SANITATION OF THE TOWN.

MPROVED SYSTEM PROPOSED

Tlio Borough Engineer presentedthe following report to the meeting of the Borough Council Inst night:— “In accordance with my instructions, f have the honor to report in detail on the sanitary service as obtaining at present in the Borough of Gisborne. The Council is alive to the fact that the day is not far distant when it will become an absolute necessity that tlie town should be properly sewered, and the pan system supplanted by an up-to-date water carriage one, but*in the meantime steps should be taken to materially improve on the method now in operation. The service is performed by day labor and supervised by Mr. Little, the Sanitary Inspector. The staff and plant comprises three men, two large and one- small float, one light trap for fever service, two old emergency lloats, live horses and sundry tools. The buildings are two cottages, cartshod. shelter shod, stable and boiler shed, with two boilers and a vertical steam boiler. The pans are both round tmd square, of any dimensions, and without covers, and they arc provided by the householders at their own expense. The method ol collecting is by the moil going round at night with the floats, removing the pans, dumping the contents into the floats, and returning them uncleaned into their places in the closets. The floats, when lull, are emptied into shallow trenches, excavated in the sand on the Council’s reserve, and the trenches filled in. The floats are then washed out. and got ready for service again. Tu fever cases special pans are provided; these pans are removed from the premises by the spring cart, the pan and contents being placed in the coppers containing 1 part of Calvert’s No. 5 carbolic to 25 parts of water and boiled for half an hour. The pans are then takoli out and washed, and the contents of the boilers buried. DEFECTS OF THE SYSTEM. There can be but one opinion on the ■ subject, and that is, that the whole affair is out of date and insanitary. The method of emptying the pans by dumping is very objectionable. The pans when returned to the closets after emptying are disgusting, and during use constitute an offence to the senses. Owing to the lack of proper conveniences, the floats cannot be properly washed and disinfected, and in consequence as they travel along the streets the odors are wafted about in all directions. SERVICES.

The number of pans emptied during the week totals-1660, from 1200 premises, and represents 14 cubic yards of nightsoil removed, or 86,320 pans, totalling 728 cubic yards per annum. COST OF SERVICES.

To arrive at the cost it is necessary to consider the value of the plant, wages, etc., which is as follows:—Plant: Three nightsoil floats and trap £O7, horses £14:5, harness £2O, tools £2 10s, steam boiler £25, buildings, boiler shed and boilers £25, cart shed £lO, stables £25, shelter

shed £lO, two cottages £330, total £6S9. To this has to be added 10 per cent, for interest and depreciation on capital invested in buildings and plant, totalling £6S 18s per annum, wages £430 8s per annum, and liorsefeed, shoeing, repairs to harness and plant £365, making a total annual cost of £S73 16s. This sum divided by lOGfl gives (within a small fraction) 10s 6ld. as the actual cost to the Council jter service, but ns the owner or occupier of the premises has to provide the pan (the price of pan being about 8s and its lifo two years), tho indirect cgst to the burgesses generally is 10s Old, and to tho owner or occupier of the premises for the pan 4s, or a total cost per annum of 14s 6-Jd. Schools, churches, and the hospital are at present attended to without cost to those institutions.

but ill undertakings of this description sentiment should be waived, and the service run on pure business lines. Admitting that the present method of collecting and disposing of tlie nightsoil is defective, it is necessary to consider the remedy and how to apply it.

PROPOSED REFORMS. As long as circumstances compel the continuance of the pan system, tlie best aud most effective method of dealing with the nightsoil is to abolish the open pan and float altogether anil substitute thg spalpd jian and proper sanitary waggon for them, a small quantity of dry earth or sawdust being provided as a deodorant during the time tlie pan is in use. The pans should bo enamelled and have special airtight covers. After have been emptied they should be washed and steamed Old. to that they may be returned to the closets absolutely clean. By this system this important and necessary service can be performed in tho most sanitary manner and all offence of any form avoided. Such a service would be much more . effectively and conveniently performed by contract than by tlie Council’s own staff and plant. If the Council undertook the work , it Would involve (he immpdiulfi lyntluy for plant of about id 000,' but b.v contract the enamel airtight pans and plant would he provided by'the contractor, and the complete service Would he perff>i ! !|jei! Af j; cost, pot exceeding 25s per service per annum, including removal of household refuse

THE PROBABLE COST. If the Council considered it. advisable to adopt tile closed pan system and perform the service wit h its own plant and staff, using the ordinary galvanised iron pans with scaling covers, the cost woidd be not less than 20s per service per annum, made tip as follows: —Kay 1100 pans ip duplicate galvanised iron (28(10 at tis. £810). but as life, of pans would exceed two years, then the cost per pan per annum would be £B4O divided by 2. £420 ; covers, 1200 at 6s. £210; wages, four men, £*ss/ 14s; horsereed. shoeing, repairs, dry earth, etc.. £365; interest and depreciation on plant and buildings at 10 per cent.. £100; total cost per annum for 1660 pans, £1652 14s. Should the sealed pan system be adopted, and the Council did the work (the householders supplying pans and covers), then the indirect cost to the burgesses generally would be: Wages £557 14s, horse feed, etc. £305, interest and depreciation on plant and buildings £100; total, £1022 14s. This divided by the number of services gives a cost of 12s 33d. and to the owner or occupier (two pans and one cover 12s plus Gs, divided by 2), 9s, or a total cost per service per annum of £1 Is 3jd. The difference of the cost between the present system ail'd the foregoing is in the pan being in duplicate, cover, extra cost of labor, and interest. The cost of the existing service is defrayed by the Council out of revenue. As the present method of collecting and disposing of the liightsoil is repulsive, insanitary and out-of-date, it is very advisable that the Council should seriously consider the ways and means for improving it. There can be ,no doubt that the sealed pail is the best, and if the Council wished to adopt it, then .the. contract • system with the enamelled pan is the best and most effective, hut if the Council perform-.

od the work by means of its own staff and plant, the ultimate cost would be less, lull at the expense of efficiency. In oi-der that tho best results may fie obtained from an efficient sanitaiy service, it is necessary' that attention should he given to the condition of tho closets. 1 have personally inspected many of them in different parts of the Borough, and found them, generally speaking, m fair order, hut in the more crowded portions of the town a very large number wore in a very undesirable condition. owing to faulty construction, uanl of ventilation, and lack of ordinary cleanliness.