The Globe. FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1875.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 335, 9 July 1875, Page 2

The Globe. FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1875.

The present Provincial Executive concur with the views expressed in the resolutions passed at the conference between a committee of the City Council and the chairmen of the suburban Road Boards, on the subject of the drainage of the suburbs. His Honour the Superintendent, too, is ready to take steps for procuring the passing of the necessary Act for carrying these resolutions out, if the conference will draw up such an Act as they may propose to submit for the approval of the Government. A letter to this effect was read at the meeting of the City Council on Monday evening last. But Councillor Bishop was not to be moved, and the other members of the Council backed him up, for we find that on the same Monday evening the adjourned resolution which was standing in Councillor Bishop’s name was carried unanimously. The question thus appears to us to be as far from settlement as ever. The union of forces, desired by the chairmen of the suburban Road Boards, and the present Mayor, *will probably be prevented by the action of Councillor Bishop and those who agree with him. If an Act such as is desired by the Conference is drawn up, and his Honour uses his endeavours to get it passed, we may be sure that the Council will use all the influence at their disposal to prevent this desirable event from happening. And the question arises too, as to whether his Honour would feel justified in attempting to get an Act of the nature indicated passed through the House, with the knowledge that the unanimous feeling of the City Council was in opposition to it. The Act could hardly be drawn up from the suggestion of the Road Board Chairmen only, and the members of the City Council, with the exception perhaps, of the Mayor, would not have anything to do with it. This being the case, the idea of joint action between the suburbs and the city ia the matter of drainage becomes an impossibility. Now it is imperatively necessary that something should be done in this matter, and that speedily.

The winter is passing away, and the state of the town will be more unhealthy than ever in the spring of the year, if the present state of things continue. We hear rumours as to the inability ot the outfall drain to carry off nearly as much water and sewage as it was expected to do, and that any sudden heavy fall of rain is liable to be attended with very unpleasant results. Such, at all events, is the report current in Christchurch, though we do not vouch for its accuracy. If our present system of drainage is not equal to the requirements of Christchurch, and the Council persist in doing nothing, what will be the state of things in a few months more? Of one thing we may be certain, that the public of Christchurch will know where to lay the blame, if imperfect drainage should be the cause of an unhealthy season in the city.