NEW PLYMOUTH SANITATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 September 1915, Page 4

NEW PLYMOUTH SANITATION.

Whatever the Mayor or anyone else may say to the contrary, the sanitary condition of New Plymouth leaves considerable room for improvement. The town is not unhealthy as statistics show, but that is in spite of, not because of, the conditions obtaining. Councillor Sykes was taken to task by the Mayor on Monday for raising his voice against the insanitation. He was accused of crying "stinking fish," and prejudicing the town outside, but if his statements have the effect of bringing about an improvement in the matters of which he called attep'.a, then lie will have rendered the town a signal service. It is much easier, and certainly more pleasant, to let matters slide and not trouble about such things as the town's insanitation, but, in our judgment, it is not a course consistent witii the proper discharge of duty by a public nian. Past experience has shown that it takes a lot to move the New Plymouth authorities over matters of insanitation. We have ourselves, for instance, called i attention several times during the past ten years to the very things, among others, that Councillor Sykes complains of—the inefficiency of the system of removal of rubbish, which is allowed to accumulate and become not infrequently festering sores. But to little purpose. The borough should undertake this work itself, as Councillor Sykes pointed out. It has the power under the new by-laws, and if this were done one of the chief dangers will be removed. /The sanitary inspection of the plate is also far from'efficient. This was strikingly shown a short time ago, during the prosecution of a restaurant keeper. The inspector has an assistant, and a work of such importance should be dtne with more thoroughness. Then there is the. case of that polluting stream, the Mangaotuku, which is a, perpetual menace to the health of the town. Whatever the cost, it should either be culverted or diverted. We are of opinion that if the Mayor and Councillors made an inspection of that part of the stream that runs under the business part of the town they would not rest until an improvement was effected. We will admit that during the past year or two art improvement in the sanitation conditions has been made, but there is still much to be done. Let the Borough do this —insist on proper inspection, institute a compulsory system of rubbish removal, clean Ihe .courses of both streams that run through the town, and as soon 'as possible culvert or divert the unwholesome Mangaotuku. When the Borough has done all this, and sees that the bylaws governing the health of the community are properly carried out it can be given a clean bill of health.