Poverty Bay Standard. PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SATURDAY MORNINGS. GISBORNE: TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1883.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1298, 20 March 1883, Page 2

Poverty Bay Standard. PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SATURDAY MORNINGS. GISBORNE: TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1883.

As our readers are aware, we have for months past advocated a water scheme and proper sewerage, and we now publish for the information of the councillors and burgesses the following important statistics “At the recent Sanitary Congress at Vienna, some remarkable results of the effects of the sewerage of certain German towns were given, which are very striking. Munich is the residence of one of the ablest sanitarians of Europe, viz., Dr. Pettenkofer. His admirable illustrations of the effect of the impurities which were accumulated in porous cesspits upon the air of the town and the death-rate of the population, form a textbook of sanitary knowledge. At Munich thejentcric fever mortality per 1,000,000 of inhabitants for quinguennial periods was as under: — 1854 to 1859, when there were absolutely no regulations for keeping the soil clean ... ... ... ... ... 24’2 1860 to 1865, when reforms were begun by cementing the sides and bottoms of porous cesspits 16'8 1866 to 1873, when there was partial sewerage ... ... ... ... 13’3 1876 to 1880, when the sewerage was complete ... ... ... ... 87 Similarly at Frankfort-on-the-Main the deaths from enteric fever per 10,000 were : 1854 to 1859, when there was no sewerage B'7 1875 to 1880, when the sewerage was complete 2*4 At Dantzig the figures present some more striking characteristics. The deaths from enteric fever per 100,000 living were as follows 1865 to 1869, when there was no sewerage and no proper water supply ... 108 1871 to 1875, after the introduction of water supply 90 1876 to 18S0, after the introduction of sewerage 18 Hamburg has been drained by Mr Lindley, and he has stated that in his plans he carefully followed the principles laid down by Mr Chadwick. In that town the deaths from enteric fever per 1000 of total deaths were ;— From 183 S to 1844, before the commencement of the construction of any sewerage works ... ... . , 48*5 From 1871 to 1880, after the completion of the sewerage works ... 13'3 During the time that the works were in progress, viz,, from 1872 to 1874, the mortality from enteric fever per 10,000 living was :— In the unsewered districts ... ... 40'0 ! In the districts for the most part i sewered 32'0 • And in the fully sewered districts ... 26'8 I These results illustrate the effect of purifyj ing the air of towns by the rapid abstraction j of refuse matter, so as to prevent it from j remaining and putrefying in and upon the i ground.” ! In the face of this we fail to sec how ob- ! jections can be held out against a water supply. Argument heaped on argument we have used, but have been invariably met with the reply, “we arc rated too heavily already, and cannot stand any more of it.” These are the exact words which were made use of to ourselves two or three days ago by a well-to-do settler with a large family. Now, let that man weigh in his mind fairly from the above figures w’hether it is better to have water and sewerage, or io have sickness and death. Some men, however, are so miserably narrow-minded and penurious that they would almost sooner see their children die than puttheir hand in their pockets to pay a water rate. They are so short-sighted that they never think of the money saved in insurance premiums, doctor’s bills, and, unfortunately, too often funeral expenses. A parent should think of his children. They are more liable to be attacked by disease than those of riper years, and the man who will not gladly and willingly pay a trifle to secure the health of his offspring, is unworthy of the name. After all what is it ? Merely a few shillings a year which w uld never be missed, and the money expendu 1 in the procuration of water, would be repaid four-fold by the benefits which would be derived.