The Globe. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1877.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1045, 31 October 1877, Page 2

The Globe. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1877.

In former articles on the question we have pointed out that there are two subjects to be considered in connection with the opposition to the Local Board of Health Amendment Bill. One is, how to carry on till the proposed alterations are effected, and the other, in what direction should those amendments go ? Of course if a Bill is introduced and carried this year giving effect to the demands of the City Council, the first question will have been disposed of. We learn that a Bill has been prepared and forwarded for introduction embodying the views of the City Council. We have not seen it, and cannot give an accurate statement of its provisions, but learn that it proposes to hand over the powers of the Local Board of Health within the city to the Council, leaving the Act, as it affects the rest of the district, untouched. Were it to become law, the result would be that the suburbs would be left as now, in the hands of the Drainage Board as a Local Board of Health. Inside the belts the City _ Council would be supreme; outside, the Drainage Board would have full control in sanitary matters. As we have said on more than one occasion, we have no objection to such a plan. It might be more expensive, although its advocates say it would not, but if it resulted in the health of the city and suburbs being carefully conserved we would be satisfied. But we are afraid that, if the City Council get all their demands complied with, the suburban Eoad Boards will also raise an agitation to regain their lost powers in this respect. Those who have the health of the district at heart will view such a result with the deepest concern. When they had the powers, the suburban Eoad Boards simply did nothing. It was because sanitary matters were entirely neglected by those bodies, that the powers were handed to the Drainage Board. We have no reason whatever for concluding that they will behave any better now than then. We hope the Eoad Boards will show more sense than try and get up an agitation in favor of resuming the powers under the Health Act. They ought to see that, however willing some of their members may be, it is not to the interest of the outlying portions of the districts to spend large sums on the immediate suburbs of Christchurch, The result will be that the health of those districts will become deplorable. Christchurch will, as a matter of course, suffer. Lever, and other forms of disease Tyhigh

result from defective sanitary arrangements, will originate outside the belts and invade the city on all sides. Of course if the Drainage Board continues to act as a Local Board of Health outside, we have nothing to say against the change. It will probably be more expensive, but that is a matter for the ratepayers. If they are contented, well and good. If, on the other hand, the City Council has raised an agitation which may result in the creation of four or live petty Local Boards of Health outside their belts, they will have cause to regret the course they have taken. Our Dunedin evening contemporary draws attention to the persistency in misrepresentation which characterises the articles of the Daily Times when dealing with the question at present before the House. On the authority of his Wellington correspondent, it was said that it was confidently asserted that subsequent to the House adopting a resolution in favor of the construction of rolling stock and other railway material in the colony, “a large order was mailed home by the late Government.” In a day or two this rumor is magnified into a “fact,” and a telling point endeavored to be made out of it. It is confidently asserted the resolution of the House on the question of rolling stock “ was treated by the Government as so much waste paper, and on the new Ministry taking office they found, as we have already announced, that a huge order for railway material had been actually mailed for England.” It is a curious circumstance that such an argument has never been made use of by any of the speakers on the Government side during the debate which is at present going on. Had there been any truth in it, the most would have been made of such a telling point.