THE PLAGUE SPOT OF MIRAMAR

NZ Truth, Issue 1216, 21 March 1929, Page 7

THE PLAGUE SPOT OF MIRAMAR

Shameful Laxity of City Council Exposes Residents To Epidemic Disease OPEN DRAIN r MEm^S P ' : T ' ■ ' ■' ■ V- '• -- : ' ' •• ! . (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Wellington Representative)

4iumiiiiitniiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii i minim m iiiimii iiiiiiiiiiiiim imiiiiiiiniiiiiii iiimiiimiiiii 11 iiiiiiiminmiiiiim iiiiimu inmiHiimniiiiiin!iiiniiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiniiMtiiiiini(iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHii.iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiMi| I Disgusting evidence of insanitary conditions which exist m Park Road, .Miramar, has been investigated by a "N.Z. J j Truth" representative and those investigations -lead to the opinion that Wellington City Council has little or no regard for j , | the health of a large number of men, women and children. | 1 Conditions were so bad one day that the headmaster of the Miramar Central School was compelled to dismiss 300 | 1 children and to order them to proceed straight home m order to escape the vile stench which emanated from an open drain § 1 running past the school. v |

yniiiiiiiiiin'iiitiiimmiiiiimuiiuiiuiiiiiimiinimimiiiiiiiitiiinitiiiiuiiim IT is apparent that the residents ol - this district have been- a long-suf-fering people. On the Post Office side of Park Road there is, no- such thing as a footpath. In its place there is an open drain which has its source some, distance past 'the --oil works at the Miramar tram terminus. . ..This drain traverses the length of the street, and except for about 300 ft. of culverting, m front of some shops near Miramar -- Avenue, it is open. Once past the shops it takes a turn into Miramar Avenue and again comes into the open to follow a course to the sea. Repeated petitions to have the drain filled m and a footpath formed have met with promises; and little else. It is known, however, that twelve months ago, the City Council agreed to the work being done, and it .is even m progress now, but so slowly that residents are wondering whether it will ever become an accomplished fact. In the meantime the ratepayers are compelled to face not only inconveniBad Sanitation ence, but the constant presence of foul odors which, during the summer months, are said to be most objectionable; It was about eight or nine years ago that the City Council took over the control of Miramar, and it is wellknown; that since then rapid strides Have been made by the district. The population has been considerably increased, but by no manner of means has the sewerage been improved. And to-day it is quite incapable of coping with the sanitation of the district., A sump is located at the corner of Byron- Street and Park Road. The subsidiary mains connected, with it are placed m various parts of the street, but, owing to the huge volume of work made necessary since the population has increased, the mains are wholly incapable of 1 doing the work. The result is that they frequently break and then the trouble commences. It then becomes necessary to cut off the mains 'while repairs are being effected. This forces the overflow Into the sump causing an immediate block-

iiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiitiiHiiiiiiiiiMtiiimiiiiiiiiiiniiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit'i " age of the pipes. The residential areas . become flooded, and as a further means 5 of relief, the sump automatically forces ( out the surplus matter, through the. safety valves. The safety valve from the 1 Street sump is a 6in. pipe which leads | into the open drain that runs^ past the residences and the school, . ' > It was such a happening that " occurred recently. The result was j that, within a few minutes of re- \ lease, the drain was a rushing ' stream of filth. The stench was . overpowering, and with the wind I blowing from the north-west, the houses and the school became',- en-' veloped m an odor that was un- . bearable. This .discharge- commenced shortly after noon. With the unabated continuance of

• the obnoxious discharge, Mr. Albert i A. Wedde, headmaster of the Miramar s Central School communicated with the Education Department by telephone ( and made it quite clear that he would I not be responsible for the health of the ' children if he had to keep 'them at the school. '. He was thereupon instructed to dis- ] miss the school, and 300 boys and girls I were hurried off home about 2 p.m. to- \ escape contamination from' what was ■• by now a veritable river of filth and disease. '.=■.-, Prior to this a number, of residents, who were being. considerably - affected by the foul ■ stench, telephoned anyone and everyone who was likely to have anything to do with; the matter. In all cases excuses were offered by

iiiiiiiiniiiiiniiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiniitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiliiiiitiii the people telephoned, and one man, who communicated with the city engineer's department; was told that as the engineer had gone to lunch nothing could be done until he returned -at 2 p.m. , * ' . It was notr until about 4 p.m., four hours after the first urgent summons had gone Y.o the authorities, that a gang of men arrived on the scene and commenced to stop the filthy flow. But the stench hung about the drain and, the houses for many hours after. Even on the Saturday moi-ning when the "N.Z. Truth" representative arrived on the scene, there was still an unpleasant odor discernable. The drain was' only a few inches deep m slowly-running water, but it was noticeable that considerable filth remained on the bed of the drain.

At the mouth of the pipe which gave off the filth there was a deep hole, bored out by the force of the discharge. Residents of the district^ are unanimous that the present state of affairs has gone far too long. For five years the Miramar Ratepayers' Association has made per- l sistent and constant complaint to the City Council, but that body seems to have failed to realise that the district has grown and that the ■ drainage systerh is entirely inadequate. It would be thought from an hygienic point of view, the council would at least do something tangible to guard the children from disease. The drain is open m every sense of the. word and not" the slightest protection is. offered

11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111*; ,' to stop the children from playing about . m the water, which is never clean for j , any length pf time. " Only last week a child dropped his '• ' lunch into the. water and fished it out ' again. He would have consumed it, but for- the fact that the teacher was informed and he destroyed the food.' ! Had the. child eaten it the conse- . - quences might well' have been serious. The residents, are satisfied that the ' ■ many cases of sore throat and disease / which attack them are due entirely to , the existence of the drain, and also ( to the fact that it is ,an open depository for anything and everything. ] It was admitted by Mr. C. G. Swinburne, -.City Drainage Engi- , peer, that the schoolmaster . was : justified m sending the children < home. There were three breaks m one main on that Friday, and he ] had his men repairing them at the time the discharge began from the « sump. He .made it clear that the " mains had to be repaired, .before " the discharge could be stopped. ;-.".- Asked why the discharge was allow- i ■'" - ■ ■■• ■■ ■ -'■ .. ,1 ■ . ' ' '■■•.*'■ . '".. ! Replacing Mains -„ •■ ' •■.■.■'■' ' .'-■■■' 'i ed to go into the drain, Mr. Swinburne informed his interrogator th,at if it did not go into the drain it would go into . the backyards of the residents. The City Council was at present engaged m replacing .the old spiral mains with something substantial/ to cope with the . growing -district, but this was taking time. , , The fact that tenders closed on Monday for the culverting the open ■ drain seined, to him to offer s.ome satisfaction, but it may be pointed ; out that the work will take at least a year to complete. So residents will 'suffer only for another twelve months. Now that the /present state of affairs has been broadcast, maybe., the YCity Fathers will make it their business to increase the number of men doing the work at Miramar. It- is a: n*- a tter that - calls for instant and drastic action. .While, admitting that these things^ take time to ; remedy, the least that* could be done for the safety of the public would be to get a hustle on- and clear upyvvhat is a shocking state of affairs with the _n ; eatest despatch.

that," with her mother ahe visited a house m Anderson's Bay where thej met a woman who was not like the woman ln the dock. While at the house, the girl said she saw her mother give the other woman some money, but heard no conversation. About a week later the woman called at the Duncans's home m George Street. She then prooeeded to describe what happened when the woman visited hei home m George Street Mr. Hanlon, however, objected or the grounds that Mrs. Clark had not been identified as that woman, and contended that the evidence was irrelevant. Detective Cameron: Who was the woman who called at your home ? Miss Duncan: She said she was Mrs. Clark, but that is not the woman over there. (Indicating accused). Asked by the police officer to describe the woman, the girl - stated that she was of middle-age, stout and about a head taller than her own height

Medical Evidence

"Will you say what caused your illness?" was the next question of the Chief- detective, but on being warned by the magistrate that, she was not bound to answer, the girl declined to reply. The evidence of Dr. W. H. Borrie was to the effect that he visited the girl Duncan on October 23 last, and on examination -came to the • conclusion that .'a. particular physical change had remoyed. a certain condition. Detective-sergeant . Nuttall related what occurred .when, after certain inquiries, he visited accused on February 25 with the object, of 'arresting' her. To the reading of the warrant, Mrs. Clark had allegedly replied:— "Who was the girl?" The detective said he had informed her that the girl concerned -was the person who had left a newljr-born child at accused's back-gate, arid had been' previously .. dealt; with m : the police court.' Y-'Y V ':Y* V Clark, he added/replied:—"! don't iiiiiiiiiiitiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimii

> ■•.-..-■ j .-.- --•-. -.■.-■ 1 know her. I have never seen her be- : fore mmy life." ./'-' .v -...ii.. > In connection with the y -second charge, the detective again called, upon > Mrs. Clark on February 28. To the „ I warrant of arrest her alleged reply i was: "I don't know about it." i With the remark that- m the.' case --• I of the girl>; Duncan; ther'% was-^really - no .evidence, and clrcumstances-ywerit I to. show that Mrs. Duncan "was a . ■ "worthless" witness, Mr. 'Bartholomew ' threw out the second charge. y On the first information, Mrs. Clark . was committed for trial, bail being al- » lowed m self; £200,. and .brie surety of : a like amount; accused^-, to report . weekly tYthe police, i 6ri leaving- the court* buildings, Mrs. Clark was escorted by a strong' body- , '. guard of male arid female friends, some.?;; r of .whom' gave expression to.-- -.their Y" triumph m sheltering: the; wonia^fr 6m . press photographers. ,% '......,> ~i: ii»iiii»H»iiiii»iHiNii!nMMini»ininnuiM»niiniii!i»r»jiiiiiiinn"ii)i'iinii]mmimif y