The Petone System.

Manawatu Herald, 5 April 1900, Page 2

The Petone System.

To Councillor H. Baker lies the honour of haying taken the most sensible step in this much-talked-over system of sewerage. He wrote to Mr H. S. Baker of Wellington upon the question and received the following valuable reply : — Yours of the soth reached me yesterday. The system in force at Petone is that the Council do the work themselves, charging the individual householder for the number of visits paid. The vans used are like an ordinary lorry with the roof to it and doors instead of sides, the roof being about 2ft. high. The service is conducted in sealed pans, the ceiling consisting of I an ipdia rubber ring placed between the lid and the pan. The man calls in the day time generally early in the morning, bringing in a clean pan, taking the cover from the one he brings in, placing upon the pan that has been used, and by putting down a little lever attached to the lid, the pan is practically airtight ; they are taken away to the depot and after being emptied are put over a steam jet supplied by a small engine, also re-tarred and used week after week. The pans are all of uniform size, and are owned by the Council. I understand a loan of £300 was raised to provide the plant for the system, There are two vans, and we have about 600 to 650 houses in the Borough. I am sending you by separate post a oopy of the Council bye-laws. The system without doubt is on« of the

best in existence, as it can all be done in daylight, and there is no oftence of any description. If your town clerk was to write officially to the Petone Borough Council, no doubt they would give you every information. Only one can is used to each house. I understand the Council make a charge. I think it is 4d or sd per week." This gives some data to work upon, and the next will be for the Council to fix an area, and then to find how many buildings, and how many people are contained therein, as well as the rateable value. We fear that the number of houses comprised in any reasonable area will cause the Petone system to be too expensive to adopt here.

Trooper Armstrong, of the fourth contingent, broke his left arm by a horse falling with him on Saturday. The Gothic is expected in Wellington on Sunday afternoon. Nine miles of decorations have been erected between Kingston and Phoenix Park, and £10,000 has been spent in illuminations in honour of the Queen's visit to to Ireland. Mr Chapman the Town Clerk in a report to the Borough Council says of the house lately erected at the back of Mr Hamer's shop, " This house is said to encroach considerably on the right-of-way from Clyde-street to Ravensworth Place." Should not the Town Clerk as guardian of the Borough's roads know whether the right-of-way has been encroached on t not, before now ? and could he not ave told the Council what was the tact*instead of what is said ? .-"JC* ' The Wanganui Education Board advertise the annual meeting of householders for the election of school committees to be held at the various school buildings on Monday, 23rd instant, at eight o'clock in the evening. The young man Murray, who was committed for trial for an assault on a woman has been convicted at Wanganui for an indecent assault and remanded until to-morrow for sentence. Mr Edmund Osborne, of the Centre of Commerce, has on the first page an interesting announcement about the engagement of a good dressmaker. The arrival of the new season's goods is made a feature with the fact that every kind of garment will be made to measure. Mr Oswald Gardner intends moving the flaxmill at Paiaka to the opposite side of the river sometime next week. He has an excellent site on the south bank very close to where there was a flaxmill many years ago. It will have the advantage of the mill and bleaching grounds being safe from floods. A private in the Ist Border Regiment describes the difficulties under which some of the letters are written : — " I am lying on my chest while penning this, with the paper resting on the butt of my rifle, a comrade holding the candle, and keeping off the wind with his great coat." An exchange says:— A suggestion has been made which is worthy of consideration, and that is that Englishman should wear a rose on April 23rd, St. George's Day. The English people are not, as a rule, demonstrative outwardly, and hence they very seldom =ire seen to wear the emblems of nationality like the Irish and the Scotch, who prize these above all. But this is a unique occasion, one in which the Empire as a whole has asserted itself, and on the anniversary of the Patron Saint of England, Britishers all should do honor. The loyalty and discipline ot the Canadians in undertaking the dull work of building railway sidings and erecting platforms at Orange River station is a better proof of their real military value than almost any success in fighting St. James' Gazette. The funeral of the late Mr Thomas Edwards was held on Tuesday afternoon. Many friends attended to pay their last tribute of respect to an old and esteemed settler. There was nothing disclosed at the last meeting of the Borough Council is to the time the Manawatu County I. Council will pay their share towards i.he Wirokino Bridge. The Councillors also do not seem interested in a matter which will, for a time, materially affect the Borough's expenditure. Rats ! It needs not a terrier in these days in Sydney to create excitement by the ejaculation of " Rats." The " Bulletin " has caught the amusing side of the scare and publishes a full page of sketches on rats as currency. Brisbane is paying two shillings a dozen for dead rats. The " Bulletin " shows a very out-at-elbows man in the state of D.T.'s standing at a counter asking a clerk " if this is the place where they give 2s a dozen for rats ? The clerk answers " Yes." Then the D.T. says •' write me out a cheque for £100. I've got all the blessed rats in Sydney with me." In the picture are thousands of cats as pictured in the D.T.'s mind. Push is what is needed in every citizen to make the town progress. Mr Joe Tos having desired to give up his grocery business Mr A. R. Osborne promptly stepped into the breach, bought the stock, entered into possession, and is now carrying on that old established business. The public may rest assured that nothing will be wanting on the part of Mr A. R. Osborne te secure success, and his wellknown business habits will have here a trial worth making. The other stores should be glad that it is not another business opening here, and thus all can wish our new grocer success. The record for the Sandon district has yet to be reached. Mr A'Court got 87 bushels to the acre trom 18 acres at the corner of Bailey's line. Mr Phillips got an average of 69 bushels of oats. And it was rumoured that Mr Grace's might yet beat the lot, but threshing there is not yet completed. Mr Perrett's also turned out very well. Altogether, the yields in the Sandon district have been a record. Wheat that has been threshed is much firmer than last year. No doubt the season has had much to do with the yields, and some think the extreme drought two years ago has been a benefit to land which retains the moisture too long in the spring. — Advocate.

The second special War number of the Review of Reviews is to hand. The contents are sufficient to cause the editor-in-chief Stead to commit the "happy despatch" so much in evidence in China. It is notable also that this number of the magazine has no mention about editors on the front page. Everything about the war is good, and shows that the pro-Boer Stead has had to let his own property be guided by men who are in accord with British feeling. A company with a capital of £40,000 has been floated in Melbourne for mill* ing kauri and white pine at Opua, New Zealand. The company will charter steamers to deliver orders. The Swiss Government has just passed a law, making insurance against sickness and accidents compulsory on every person over fourteen years of age carrying on work, except on his own account, in Switzerland. The sickness benefits proposed are free medical attendance and 60 per cent, of daily earnings of sick persons. In case of death there is to be a burial allowance of from 5 to 10 dollars. Fund9 are to be provided partly by contributions of employers and work people. The contribution is not to exceed four per cent, off each person's daily earnings. In the accident branch if permanent incapacity results from an accident, a monthly allowance will be paid, and in the event of death, pensions become payable to the family of deceased. The law is subject to the referendum, and if sanctioned by the people, will come into operation at the beginning of 1903. Mr A. R. Osborne notifies that his tailoring business will be carried on by a first-class tailor, but Mr Osborne will supervise the cutting. As this is the most important part of tailoring Mr Osborne's customers will understand they will be as well looked after as previously. With to-day's issue we publish as an inset an important notice from the wellknown U.F.C.A. establishment. A perusal will show that they will hold a brilliant exhibition of Autumn and Winter goods at their Palmerston store from today, at which amongst other lines, charming and up-to-date millinery -and exlusive novelties will be shown. The following will represent the Foxton C.C. against Taikorea at Victoria Park on Saturday. Betty, Bowe, Furrie, Gray, G, Kruse, Nye, O'Dwyer, Martin, Smity, Styles (capt.) A. Morgan. Emeg., J. Robinson, B. Kemp.