The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 1915. WATER AND DRAINAGE

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 177, 31 March 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 1915. WATER AND DRAINAGE

(Wit’. , ia incorporated The Tab hap. ',,ii3 Wuimarino News.)

A dicussion that arose at the last meeting of the Borough Council on demands made by the Health Inspector upon a ratepayer to perform certain Avorks in connection with water and drainage, clearly indicated that Taihapc people are in a somewhat parlous position. It seems that, however desirable it is to establish sanitary conditions as near the ideal is possible, where a new and improved installation has to be dealt with inspectors should proceed with some caution. Unfortunately, in Taihape there are two very serious obstacles to ratepayers performing the burdensome, costly work the inordinately large order the inspector’s demand involves. There are very few ratepayers who have an amount of money lying idle, Availing for a peremptory order of the kind in question, and oven if he has, the inefficiency of the present Aval or scheme constitutes some bar to sweeping demands such as the Health Inspector’s letter seems to indicate are to be made. The Council has been called upon to extend the scheme and it has, Avith the money at its disposal, found it utterly impossible to comply-unless the already overburdened ratepayers arc prepared to submit to another loan. So it is with individual burgesses—they simply haven’t the money to fill such large orders Avith out some reasonably extended notice. One councillor said the inspector’s demands upon him for one house alone involved an outlay of £9O, and he frankly stated that if he hadn’t been a councillor he would not have had the Avork done. But the contention that the water-snp-ply is altogether insufficient to go on -adding to the demands upon it for drauiage is a very serious matter in- iced, and the' Council OAves a dory to the community in this respect. If compliance with the Health Inspector’s wishes that all property-OAvncrs should

be linked up with the drainage scheme means that the old system is to eo-exist with new for supplementary purposes when the new is inoperative, owing to the inadequacy of the water supply, the position becomes a grave menace to health, and it will be for the inspector to direct his attention lo neglected and dirty premises until councillors have had time to set the municipal house in order.

The inspector is, without doubt, doing his duty as an officer of the kind ought to do it, and it is no part of that duty, perhaps, lo ascertain whether, the' drainage scheme is amply effective to allow of the work he wants done; neither is it for him to trouble about whether a ratepayer is financially strong enough to have toco or three hundred pounds’ worth of work executed; but these are comnionsense views that must be taken into consideration, and tin Health Department is not justified in assuming that because the Council has compelled previous demands of their inspector to be complied with it can go on doing so in all cases. The Council is faced with the necessity of determining the possibilities, which the inspector has nothing to do with, and if it finds that it is impractical to proceed with what the Department dooms necessary sanitary improvements, councillors should at least be given credit for honesty and public spiritedness in their deliberations. The water, drainage, and electric scheme is at present of only s bizarre nature, and it seems that the sooner it operates equally over the whole of the borough the sooner will many of its difficulties disappear. A new Council is shortly to be elected and it is in the best interests of the community and of every individual ratepayer that this all-important question should be thoroughly discussed and ventilated in public meeting. This town is not wanting in clever business men, men who are quite capable of seeing it through problems more knotty than that which now confronts it, and it is their duty to come forward, even if they do not offer their services on the Council, and indicate t course that will convince ratepayers of the wisdom of its adoption The present is a time when all diffidence, hesitating, and undue modesty in public matters should be laid aside, and we arc not sun that the business-man, who feels; he is capable and refrains from doing bis public duty, should nolle classed as a shirker.