THE SEWAGE OF TOWNS.—BACK DRAINAGE V. CONSTRUCTING PUBLIC SEWERS THROUGH PRIVATE PROPERTY.
TO IHp EDITOR OFiTUE MEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sib,— As the ■ subject of city,drainage must soon occupy tbs .serious .attention, of;the Council, and as ;thoro are onlytwo sohomos before them, both of i which agree in-theh; main features, and are essentially the same iu nil important particulars,;: but -which differ in .some details, 1 wish to offer the ; following observation,, -.—Much difference of opinion formerly existed among engineers as to the course in which Bowcrsv ahouUV be laid.. Some iyeai'd slncq the, officers: of: the late Board;of Health recommended thesy stem of back drainage. Other authorities equally eminent, and who possessed the advantage of a more extended practical experience hayor satisfactorily shown that loss interference, is caused with private property by taking; the sewers, down the public streets.' They have also found, in the course of . their experience, that, it is; loss, expensive to the authorities and leas dangerous to the public, to place the’sewers in public.thoroughfares than on private (land at the i back of houses. The highest authorities agree (such as Kawlinson, Latham, &o.) that sewers should be laid out in straight lines, with manholes, for inspection and ventilation, so; aa-to plaoe: the whole system of sewage under, control, and that this is not applicable to book drainage, as it is impossible to put manholes on private property at the backs of houses, without causing great inconvenience to the,.occupiers,; and entrenching- ou the rights and privileges of the citizens. The practice of loading drains through private property is . found to. engender much ill-feeling against the authorities, aud not. unfroqueutly entails great hardship upon the owners , and .'occupiers of property through which these drains ran. Again, the
local authorities have no power to enter upon private property for the-construction of sewers, except by purohasiag.such light; and experience has shown that wherever compensation has to be made it materially increases the cost , of the undertaking. .... The objection urged against the drainage to the streets by the officers referred to arose from having to carry house drains through or under ■ houses. This is an objection which could not be advanced in the case of Wellington, as there are very few houses built close together. Houses in this city are not so closely packed together as not to admit; of a passage from the street to the back premises, and through which a drain could be taken. There would therefore be no necessity to lead drains under houses in this city. There doubtless are oases where it is absolutely necessary to carry public sewers through private property, but those are the exceptions and not the rule? Long lines of contour sewers through private property should never he permitted, unless it can be shown that the city cannot be efficiently • drained by sewers ini the streets. This • has not been done. Much less should such contour sewers be allowed when the cost of the work is thereby largely increased without improving its efficiency. Indeed, all experience in the drainage of towns proves that private property should never be interfered with, excepting where the convenience and safety of the public absolutely demand it.— I am, &c., Citizen.
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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5367, 10 June 1878, Page 3
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534THE SEWAGE OF TOWNS.—BACK DRAINAGE V. CONSTRUCTING PUBLIC SEWERS THROUGH PRIVATE PROPERTY. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5367, 10 June 1878, Page 3
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