Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1900. The Plague.

Manawatu Herald, 12 April 1900, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1900. The Plague.

The Borough Council meets to-nipt as a committee to consider the steps to be taken to secure the cleanliness of the town. There* cannot be any doubt but that they have taken their time about the matter, and we doubt if their deliberations to-night will result in any satisfactory decision being come to. We have, on frequent occassions pointed out that one of the first duties of the local Board of Health is to secure a house to house report from the Inspector of Nuisances. We understand the Inspector, though handing in some reports to his Council has omitted providing a detailed one, and thus in the last report presented he admitted he had not noticed what he termed a plague spot in the centre of the town. Why objection should be made by the Inspector to prepare a detailed report has yet to be made known, and if a proper report iB made the reason why will not be missed. It is unfair to every ratepayer, not that he should abate anything approaching & nuisance on his premises, but that one should only be called on when so many others are equally to blame. In respect to our repeated suggestions to this proper course of inspection we find that the Government have issued suggestions to the local bodies respecting the public health, and one of the first of these suggestions is a house to house visitation by an expert inspector. We do not fear any outbreak of plague and we sincerely trust that we may be spared that affliction, but the scare may be useful in getting the ordinary sanitation of the town attended to. We may remind Councillors that not only closets come within their view, but that pigs kept within a certain distance of a street, and the careful disposal of rubbish are matters demanding their attention and that of their Inspector. The ratepayers look to the Council to take all proper and fair steps for a thorough inspection of the town, and we urge that until this has been reoeived councillors have really no groundwork to proceed upon.