Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1920, TO-MORROW’S POLL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2173, 7 September 1920, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1920, TO-MORROW’S POLL.

TO-MORROW a poll of the ratepayers will be Held to decide whether Fox ton will be brought into line with other up-to-date communities by authorising a loan of £30,000 for water and drainage. To outsiders who visit our community from time to time, it is a matter for surprise for them to learn that our water supply is obtained from the roofs of dwellings and stored in iron tanks', which contain the drainage of house gutters and other filth which gathers on the catchment area. To say that each house tank is cleansed once a year would be a stretch of the imagination —some arc not cleaned out once in five years, some not at all. As the dry season approaches,the Water is reduced in the receptacles, and households are served with accretions of polluted and disease infested liquid. Little children are affected with what is known as summer sickness, the direct result, in many cases, of drinking the unboiled residue from the house tanks. Not a summer passes but many households are without sufficient water for domestic; use foryweeks at a time. It should be apparent to all that pure water iS i\ vital necessity to the health of the comimmity, and to, go on as we arc doing year after year is a reflection upon our intelligence, and a menace to (he public health. Then, again, (he liilhy ami insanitary pan syslem. Is Ibis to be allowed lo continue, indefinitely? Lven (he Children of Israel, during llicir forty \cars’ wandering in the wilderness, were more up-to-date in their sanitary methods than are the people of Foxton to-day. Vse what disinfectants yon will in an endeavour to minimise the nuisance in your back yard, it still remains a liilhy menace and a’breeding ground for germs which are winged by dies and deposited on (lie very food we eat. The dirty old custom has grown up with ns, and has become commonplace, and we express surprise when visitors awaken our allention to jhe filthy conditions. Let us arouse ourselves, shake up the dry hones, and to-morrow declare emphatically that this stale of things must slop, and that vested interests shall nol stand in the way of the health and happiness of the community. No mercenary reasons >hould blind ratepayers lo the common godd; no price too high to pay for the health of the community. We urge all ratepayers to do their duty as good citizens by supporting to-morrow’s loan, and so remove a barrier lo the health and prosperity of (lie community. If the poll is not sanctioned voluntarily to-morrow, then it will he the duty of the Health Depart-, merit to eonpel the work to he carried mil. The disgrace of this alternative should he avoided if possible. We hope those who at present oppose the loan will take a broad and humanitarian view of the proposal and seize Die opportunity 10-morrow to vole in the cause of health and cleanliness.

THE area to bo served by the water supply is, roughly, as follows: Prom the boundary of the borough along Lady's .Mile, the whole of Easton Street, llulke Street, Park Street, .leaks Street, Russel Street, to the boundary; lleta Street and Norbilon Road, to Section 507, thence in a southerly direction to the back of Section 33 oil the north side of the Aven’ue; thence along (he Avenue as far as Spring Street; 1 then the whole of Putter Street, Coley Street, as far as Sections -197 and 510, down to Sections 21.3 and 209 Union Street, taking' in Cook Street, Gladstone Street, Johnston Street, Prances Street, Reeve Street, Brown Street, Harbour Street, Clyde Street, Liddell Street, Havensworth’Place, Watson Street, Main Street,’ Hall Street, Whittaker Street, Whyte Street, and Thynue Street. The drainage area is precisely the same as that for the water supply, except that the line after it leaves Section 209, Union Street, runs along’ the southern end of Sections 148 to 100, on the South side of Union Street, takes in Frances Street, and runs along the northern boundary of Section 250, Purcell Street, to Harbour Street.