SEWERAGE FOR SHANNON.

Shannon News, 9 July 1926, Page 3

SEWERAGE FOR SHANNON.

CR; THWAITES STRONG ADVOCATE

A.t the last meeting of the Borough Council Cr. Thwaites brought forward the question of sewerage for Shannon and the matter was referred to a special iiieeting of the Sanitary committee held last week. Cr. Thwaites, in addressing the. committee on the subject, stated that in the past when the matter had been brought forward the main argument against a scheme of sewerage had been the floods. His solution to this difficulty was to' build a holding chamber, as a flood seldom lasted for more than two or three days. Then when a flood did come up the overflow from the septic tank could be switched into' the" holding chamber. The holding capacity of this would be based on an average, allowance of

25 gallons a day of the population served. After hearing Cr. Thwaites the committee decided to take no action. 1 At Tuesday night’s meeting of the Council Gr. Thwaites asked if the SanitaTy Committee had brought down a report of the meeting. The Town Clerk stated he had received no report, but there was a minute that the Committee had decided that no aot/ion be taken.

Cr. Thwaites said there should be

a report of tire meeting before the Council, and he thought the Council should say if the matter was open for discussion. If it 'was necessary to have a motion he would move accordingly. He did not want to see it simply read out in the minutes and shelved. j The Mayor then asked if there was any discussion.

Gr. Thwaites replied in the affirmative, stating very emphatically that he did not .intend to- allow the sewerage question to drop. He said sewerage had got - to come as the health of the community had to be safeguarded. . The Mayor said the ratepayers could not stand the burden of a sewerage scheme at present. ■ Cr. Thwaites: That word “ratepayers” gets on my nerves."’ Every rentpayer is a ratepayer. Continuing he pointed out that the Coimoil were not there to represent only the land

owners, but the citizens as a whole. Former Councils had considered this matter from their own pockets as a matter of £ s. d.\ and not from a health slialndpoint. Summer was coming which brought about the flies, and these were the chief carriers of disease, from which none were immune. After the town’s experience of the filthy pan service, it

was opportune to put in. a proper system. He suggested raiding a short dated loan -to finance people with their installation, warning the Council that it was going to cost more if they waited by hasving to hrfeak up the permanent surface of the roads and footpaths.

Replying to Cr. Watkins as to what area his scheme would serve, Cr. Thwaites said the whole of the Borough. Hie pointed out that Palmerston North was now having trouble owing to originally only laying down a portion of their borough, and the same thing would occur in Shannon if only a, portion was laid down. He said if any councillor was about to take a house he felt, certain they would sooner pay 2s a week more for a place with a flush system than one with a house pan. l Or. Watkins asked if the Council had ever had any estimate of the cost of a scheme. Gr. Thwaites: Several, but only partial. But w.e have one for £12,900 for the entire Borough. Gr. Spencer said he did not agree with Cr. Thwaites’ statement that there was no difference between a ratepayer owner and a ratepayer tenant, as the former must always nav, while the latter could pack up and leave at any 'time. He agreed that the business area undoubtedly required sewerage, but it would be hard for the ratepayers at the present to bear the burden to overcome this difficulty. In his opinion what held a scheme in abeyance was the scattered area. This matter had been thrashed out by former Councils. nr Thwaites: Former Councils have not thrashed it out. They have only been reducing human life to terms ° f Q\ Roberts said should an epidemic break out it would affect those living in the outside of the borough as much as those living m the He thought to make ons to lay down permanent roads and leave them without proper drainage was the height of folly. Cr Spencer said it would mean a extensive survey and would be * big cost if they were not being used. “If we are going to do anything it properly. Probably Palmerston N. did not use sufficient foresight. The Mayor said be did no thin thev were in a position to put any further burdens upon the Gr Rioberts: It would be far bener «4.600 or thing of that kind 'mstead of ■ing £IO,OOO on a picture theatre.

Cr. Downee said they wanted the sewerage badly, but it was a question of ways and means for o e > »

it was decided to hold the question over for three months.