TRUTH SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1906. CONCERNING BACKYARDS.

NZ Truth, Issue 69, 13 October 1906, Page 4

TRUTH

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1906. CONCERNING BACKYARDS.

published. eveby satubdais - mobni ing at Luke's lane (off mannebsstbeet), wellington, n.z. subsobiption (in advance), 13s, pee annum.

Periodically . cases are heard m the Police Court wherein the City Corporation figures as prosecutor against house-holders, who, by neglecting to keep their back-yards m a state of cleanliness, violate the by-laws. Of course, with such scourges as. typhoid, (diphtheria, and even bubonic plague, ever m the air. and requiring little encouragement to break out m all their -: virulence, the .activity of the munici- > pal inspectors m pouncing upon the j offenders is commendable. Cleanli- ! ness, we all know, is next to godlijness, but it seems to strike the cyni-cally-inclined observer m Wellington that the distance between the latter t and some hack-yards, and even the interior of some of the hovels m this city, is very great indeed, and what is still more curious, is the fact that dirty-backyard" prosecutions are so few arid far between. By this it is not suggested that Inspector Jim Doyle and his sanitary staff are not willing to do their duties, but that landlordism is so rampant and possesses so much influence that it does not even stop at pulling of the strings tq the extent of suppressing prosecutions. The landlord of property found to be unclean sometimes finds difficulty m securing clean tenants, and clean tenants are not always disposed to go down on their marrow-hones to scrub • and scrape and brush away the filth accumulated during, the reign of their dirty predecessors. It roar be considered an impertinence on "Truth's" part to insinuate anything; but with Wellington's City Council \anythihg is possible, and it might l -be found advantageous, if the gratitude of citizens is a consideration, for any honest Councillor to enquire how many prosecutions have )>een stifled "by order* during the past twelve' months or so. Apart from that aspect' "Truth" wants to give the City. Council a tip or two conGaming the shameful system that prevails m certain portions of the city with regard to the removal of garbage from houses by "the Corporation carts. Around the Basin Reserve dis. trict, particularly m the small, streets off Adelaide-road, a dirt-cart is something of a novelty ; the appearance of the scavenger is hailed with paeans of joy because such appearances are rare indeed. What is the consequence? House refuse accumulates that should be removed at least once a week ; but if the dirt-bin is emptied once a fortnight householders m the locality specified think they are extremely lucky. Complaints have been made without the slightest satisfaction beine obtained. Just at present things are worse than ever. The scavengers have said, m answer to a resident of Brown-Street, that they cannot help it, as they have too much to do and cannot give a proper service. This mp.v lie Imp. and "Truth" will not io : (nnrifTd if it is, knowing the 1 meHhorls nf'thri Oitv Corporation only

too well. This neglect to remove house refuse is a very serious matter arid if any of the Council inspectors happened to pay a visit to any of these houses . the probability is he would threaten a prosecution for what is no fault of the tenants. A nice state of affairs, tiAly, and . all engendered by. the Council's mismanagement of the city's affairs^ If the removal of. garbage m Wellington, is beyond ' the power of the staff at present employed, let the staff be increased. Dirty back-yards are bad enough, but the Council's incapacity is still more damnable. It only requires a hot summer and a few windless days to start a serious epidemic m Wellington.