BOROUGH SANITATION.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 2, Issue 155, 19 December 1913, Page 1

BOROUGH SANITATION.

Drainage Scheme Opposed.

Fifteen Favour the Pans

As already repotted in the "Times," some fifteen vuters out of sixty in attendance at Monday night's meeting uf ratepayers voted for the installation of the night-soil pan system for Pukekche borcugb, and the motion to that effect was consequently declared carried. After the Mayor had explained the position, Mr Lockie Gannon's report was read. This showed that at a cost of £BSOO provision had been made for sanitation for a population of 7500 people within the drainage area, the annual cost being £SOO. An estimate of »henight-soil service came uut at £320 per annum. The Mayor explained that Di Makgill had said that a sewerage system was generally lower in cost than a night-soil service. Mr Dell asked if the £BOOO would cover everything—connections with the service and ali.

The Mayor said connections would cost Is 6d per fjot and there would be the patent w.c. to pay for.

Mr Dell said it was all right so long as the people knew. He asked if only the people in the drainsgj area would be taxed?— Yes.

Cr Patterson ask/d if the engineer had made provision for water-mains along the hue of the sever, as the sewers required to to flushed.

Mr Gannon said that as the town progressed the water mains would naturally be put iu. At present £BOO could be saved by nut including a portion unserved at present by water (from junction cf Harris and Queen streets to Jackson's corner, along Helvetia road, and down Victoria street to Harrington avenue.) Cr Patterson said the general experience was tnat the estimated cost was doubled. They were told their water service would coat six or seven thousand pounds, but it bad cost £16,000 and they were not finished yet. Mi Dell: That's so. To-night we want to know exactly where we stand. Cr Hamilton said there were lots cf parts of the bumugh not vet connected with water which would have to be connected whether the sewerage went through or not. » Mr W. S. Russell said it was unfair "that we should be taxed inside the area." It was that way with the water and afterwards the outsiders, who weuld not come in at first, got the advantage of our expenditure. This loan should cover the whole of the borough.

Mr Perkius said the water he used would not amount to more than £1 per annum, but his rates came to £l3 per year, Mr Russell: The same thing would happen with drainage as with water; they would buy their pipes and use our water.

Mr J. Adams supported ibis view. "We would.pay for the land and the septic tank," be said, "and those who came in later on would benefit." Cr Patterson said there was no water main piovided in Harris street, Helvetia road, part of Seddon street and Victoria street, and he was surprised that the engineer had not been advised of this.

Mr Stembridge said the scheme was incomplete. He was heartily in favour of drainage, but be wanted a complete scheme The drains would be absolutely useless until they had water. He thought it would be better to have the whole scheme revised To get the water mains tco. Cr Hurley said the drainage might be most important, but they could not put more water in as they had no money.

The Mayor: The water is there already over almost all the area proposed to be sawered. Cr Comrie: There is very little indeed that is not provided for. Cr Patterson: Emphatically no. Harris street at the top end has no water, and you are not leaving Seddon street out of the scheme. Cr Hamilton (to Cr Patterson): Can you name a house in Harris street not provided with water? Cr Patterson: They have only small pipes; not a main.

Mr Eussell asked what rate would be required if the cost wera spread over the whole of the borough ? The town clerk: One-third of a penny. Mi" Eusse'l: How many councillors would be in touch with the sewerage ? Cr Patterson : One !

The Mayor said there were four or five who would be counected. " Do vou mean to insinuate that we are trying to put something on you?" he asked. \

Cr Hamilton said they were there as councillors to do their duty to the people and if they did not do something they would be responsible if the plague broke out. Drainage, too, would be cheaper in the end Councillors had spent more time than most of them in going into this matter and it appeared they got very little thanks for it.

Mr Eussell: Why do you ask us to carry this load ? Cr Hamilton said it was every man's duty to keep his own place clean and the same thing applied to a borough. "If you do not have drainage, you will have a night-soil service and you are only being asked to go into a drainage scheme together." Cr Pollock : If the rate were struck over the whole borough then the whole of the borough should be served by the scheme and it had been said that it would cost half-a-million to sewer the whole borough. The Mayor said that according to Dr Makgill sewerage was the only thing for the town. Was it not better to pay 10s or £1 a year more and have health ? If ail epidemic broke out it would be their responsibility. » Cr Patterson asked if the total annual cost ot this scheme was £SOO, or was that for interest alone ? What about upkeep ? What about the flushing and the extra cost for water? He was in accord with the drainage system but he did not think they could pay for it. The Mayor said the upkeep was put down at £lO a year ; that was for cleaning the tanks, mot for the water.

Mr Curd: Will all the peonle vote on this loan ?

The Mayor: No, only the people in the area.

Mr Stembridge asked why other communities near Auckland which he named still stuck to the pan system ? Cr Patterson said he reckoned it would cost 16/3 per year for water and another £1 a year for each house. It would also take £ls to connect with the sewer.

Mr Cooper asked if the people outside wanted to come in would they pay ? The Mayor hoped that the water scheme would soon return a profit. Mr Andrew : Will that profit be taken off the people who provide it, or will the whole profit go into the general fund and benefit the outsider as well ?

Mr Perkins said if he could get a guarantee that the drainage would only cost so much he i would favour

Mr Dell asked: What amount do we really get spent on the roads now after all expenses are paid? The Mayor said he would be glad to go into the question and supply the information.

Mr Gannon, the engineer, said the sewers all went to the back of private property ; that would be an advantage because it would gave the destruction of roads and the lengths of tho four-inch connections would be considerably reduced. As to

whether it was right to vun sewerage branches through private property there was scarcely a borough in Auckland that did not do it. It had been said that the estimate might be exceeded. During the past two years he had put through £150,000 worth of work und in not a single instance had his estimates been exceeded. He would bo quite prepared to take this job on himself at the estimated cost. In Devonport when the sewers v?ere put in they were installed over the whole area and the water came later.. The soap suds were just as dangerous as the night-soil and it was generally recognised that drainage was one of the most important things in life ; it was a case of health versus sickness, life versus death. TAKE -A POLL.

Mr E. J. Eames said he need not repeat what had been said of the sanitary aspect of the scheme. But he would point out that if the sewerage were not installed now it would involve a cutting up of the streets later on, after a permanent roading system had been adopted. A good deal had been made of the extra cost but it could not be said that the burden would fall ouly upon the people here now. Provision had been made for sewerage for 7500 people—and by tho time they had that population there would be nothing to complain about in the cost that would have to be paid. If they doubled the population and buildings they would halve the rate, and the way to get population quickly was to improve the town and by its conveniences make it sweet and clean and healthy. The night-soil removal at his office at present cost £2 12s a year but he would willingly pay £5 4s, or ;.ven more, to have a proper sanitary service. That was his point of view so far as cost was concerned, but he recognised that it was a big proposition to ask Pukekohe to carry an £BSOO drainage loan at present. Still he would move, " That this meeting of ratepayers requests the Borough Council to submit loan proposals to carry out the drainage

scheme, as outlined at this meeting, to a poll of the rate-

payers."

Mr B. H. Andrew said he would second the resolution although he would vote against the proposal at the poll. Still he thought it should go to the poll and if the ratepayers adopted sewerage he would stand in •withVthe Met. . .. r -

Cr Patterson said this meeting was representative of the people interested. Supposing a vote agaiust tbe motion were carried would the Council still put the matter to the poll 'i The Mayor said as far as he was concerned he thought the matter should go to the poll, however this meeting decided, but he would bring the question before the Council for consideration. Cr Patterson : Then the Council have money to burn in connection with the matter.

The Mayor said that as other issues were to be submitted it would not cost £5 to take the voto on this question.Cr Patterson, local agent for Mr Eoutley, said that Mr Eoutley's report contained more data than Mr Gannon's. He asked that it be read. This was.done (the report has already been fully publishod ia the " Times.") After the report had been read no comment was made one way or the other. EEFEE THE MATTEE BACK. Mr Stembridge moved as an amendment — "That this question be referred back, to have included the cost of laying water-mains to cover the same area as proposed to instal a drainage system." Mr Eussell seconded. Cr Hamilton said the question of water extension was a separate matter and could not be regarded as an additional drainage cost. If they dropped the drainage they would have a night-soil system. He would sooner have tho proposal thrown out than have any further bother about it.

Mr Perkins lepeated that he was not fully satisfied that the f-ewerage would not cost double the estima'e. Cr Hamilton said at present they had Mr Gannon preparing a report on the water service ; Mr Wyatt had said it would be necessary to get more money for water, and that would havo to bo done whether the people liked it or not.

EATE THE WHOLE BOROUGH Mr Eussell moved " That the poll for the £BSOO

bo taken over the whole of the borough, the rate to be proportionate." Mr P. Kogan seconded. Mr Perkins said the people in the town would not get all the benefit; the farmers would be indirectly benefited. Cr Comrie : It had been said that they could not afford £BSOO. But they should look at it from every side and see if they could afford to be without the sewerage scheme. Would they balance disease to a child or a sister against the cost ? The pan system did not deal with half the trouble ; the suds were not dealt with at all, and the suds and the slops were the biggest difficulty. The pan system only dealt with a certain part of tno trouble once a week and was most unpleasant where the population was thick. As against sewerage the pan system did not give half the advantages with much more than half the cost. He thought it would be an unfair thing to ask people who' were two miles away to pay. To his jiind this was a serious matter and the people should be given an opportunity to vote upon it. Mr Stombridge's amendment was. put and was declared lost by 6 to 4. This" was challenged by Cr Patterson, and at the second voting more hands went up and the amendment was declared carried.

Crs Bilkey and Hurley hotly protested against the people not voting. Councillors went to a lot of trouble, called the ratepayers and then they would not vote oue way or the other.

The Mayor supported. Mr Kenneily (to the Mayor): I did not think it worth while to vote after what you said about the matter going to the poll anyway.

THE PAN SYSTEM. Mr Perkins moved—- •' That the pan system be installed."

The mover said there would only be the incidental expenses and at any time the system could be thrown out. Cr Patterson seconded.

Eeferring to Mr Eussell'a motion Cr Hamilton said it was only a roundabout way of killing the scheme. Mr Eussell's amendment was then put to the meeting and carried. Cr Bilkey said the> farm lands of 50 acres ought not to be rated in the way that a quarter of an acre with a house on it was rated.

Next Mr Perkins' amendment (to instal the pan system) was put and carried by 15 votes to 8. At a later stage of the meeting Cr Hamilton said he was still in favour of the matter going to the poll, " Twenty-three people voted," he said, "do you expect me as an intelligent councillor to decide the question on that vote? - ' No one answered.