THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1882. THE SEWER CONNECTIONS.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2671, 28 October 1882, Page 2

THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1882. THE SEWER CONNECTIONS.

We have always been unable to discover tbe reason for the Drainage Board creating a monopoly ef persons licensed to make sewer connections in the city. That the health of Christchurch will be greatly improved when the drainage of houses is carried away by the sewers, instead of poisoning the air by remaining in the side channels, cannot be denied. Bat to do this involves expense, and therefore the system is far from popular with the majority of people. The Drainage Board, by what we cannot bat regard as an ill-advised step, have done their best to make it still more unpopular, and the people still more unwilling, by handing them over bound hand and foot to a select clique. The public are bound to employ these men and these only, though the work can be done probably jast as well at a reduced cost. It is true, we believe, that the Board have framed a kind of scale of prices, but it is possible to get outside tradesmen to do what is required, even under the scale. We fully recognise from a sanitary point of view the argent necessity of tbe connections with the houses being so made as to exclude the possibility of poisoning tbe sewer gas. But this could just us well be ensured by the householder being allowed to employ whom he pleases, as under the present system, because even now the connections have to be constructed under the supervision of an official of the Board. Therefore it seems to us that there is no necessity for the restriction now imposed. The work having to be done to the satisfaction of the Engineer to the Board, it matters little whether it is executed by a person holding a license or not. Bat the other way it does matter considerably, to the public, because they have perforce to pay an increased price. We do not for a moment desire to impute extortion to the license holders, but we would point oat that in this, as well as in all other business, free trade should be allowed to prevail.

THB WEST COAST RAIL WAT CONFERENCE.

We confess, though not by any means opposed to the movement, that there does not appear to ns any likelihood of tangible results following the meeting of the proposed conference respecting the West Coast railway. Indeed it seems that all the fuss and bother which is being made, though useful in allowing a quantity of oratory to find vent, is quite unnecessary. The matter np to a certain point is settled, inasmuch as the Government have appointed a Commission whose duty it will be to examine into the matter and report to Parliament. Whether a league is formed or is not does certainly not stike us as important. The Commission will examine the two routes, or rather the whole country east and west, and upon what data they can obtain from personal observation their report will doubtless be founded. No amount of agitation will place thousands of acres of agricultural land, or seams of coal, and forests of timber, where they do not exist. So we incline to the belief that though no particular harm will be done by the proposed conference, no great good will come of it. We have thought it necessary to call attention to this matter, because in some places a very exaggerated notion appears to prevail as to what will come of the meeting. The " Star" the other evening, for some reason or other appears to have felt it to be ■' its special mission to endeavour to thrust Mr. Ayers down the throats of the public as the prime mover in the matter. Now, if anyone deserves any credit in the matter it is his Worship the Mayor, at whose instigation the meeting was called. But our contemporary, with a very pecnliar and significant blindness, finds it convenient to ignore this fact, and gashes weakly for half' a column over Mr, Ayers.