NGAMOTU BEACH.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 March 1922, Page 6

NGAMOTU BEACH.

THE SANITARY CONDITIONS. HARBOR BOARD’S ACTION. CONFERENCE CALLED. A letter from the New Plymouth Borough Council, asking that the conditions on which rights to erect cottages at Ngamotu- are granted be enforced, created a good deal of discussion at yesterday’s meeting of the Harbor Board. In conveying a resolution of the council to this effect, the general manager stated that the insanitary conditions at Ngamotu were causing the council a good deal of anxiety, and they were of the opinion that something should be done to effectively relieve the position. After a round table debate the board carried the following resolution: —“That the Ngamotu Beach Committee be requested to confer with the board in regard to the sanitary and general conditions relating to the beach cottages, and afterwards be invited to join in conference with the Borough Council and the Board with a view to effecting improvements." After the council’s letter was read, the chairman of the board (Mr. Newton King) said that the works committee had made an inspection of these premiss the previous day. There was jio doubt that the sanitary conditions were not of the best, but it was a question whether this was not the duty of the Borough Council. He thought it was, but the council was endeavoring to throw the onus on the board. The question of the tenants making the cottages permanent residences was another matter that would have to be gone into by the hoard.

The following resolution was moved by Mr. C. E. Bellringer:—“That the Borough Council’s letter be acknowledged, and that they be informed that as the council is the local health authority, this board is of opinion that the enforcement of the observance of ordinary sanitary conditions by those occupying the residences at Ngamotu is primarily the duty of the council. At the same time, in view of the urgency of the case, the board will take action, and with that end in view the works committee meet the Ngamotu committee and confer with regard to sanitary arrangements.” THE COUNCIL’S DUTY. Speaking to the motion, Mr. Bellringer said he thought the council was trying to put the responsibility upon the board which did not quite belong to them. The borough council was the health authority of the. town, and if the buildings or conditions were unsatisfactory the council ought not to have allowed the state to continue, and which their own report said did exist, • during the whole of the summer. Now that the summer was over, and the menace was lessened, action was taken. Mr. Bellringer referred the members oi the board to the report of the council meeting in the Daily News of March, when a question came up of turning tenants out of the public hall at Fitzroy, so that it might be occupied for meetings. The council had not seen fit to order the tenants out, but almost immediately turned round and asked the board to get the tenants out of these cotfhges. The residences had been occupied all the year round, and the condit:ons were that the cottages should only be occupied for eight months of the year. However, this arose through circumstances w'hich had forced the letting of cottages as dwellings, the cost of building houses, the congestion in the building trade, and the increase in the population of the town, which was going on all the time. He agreed that the beach ought to be the most sanitary place of the whole town, but the conditions had altered very much frorfi the time wjmn the rights of the cottages were first granted. Some years ago the Ngamotu Seaside Committee had put before the board a scheme for an improvement of the sanitary conditions, but the scheme -as dropped after a while. He did not want to see a fight between the local bodies, however, as to who was going to do the job. As they had failed to do it there was all the more reason why the board should do the work. He believed that, by getting together, some scheme could be evolved which would remove the menace to health, and preserve the beach for those who occupied it. The original intention of the board was that the cottages should be availed of by people from the country. This had been entirely upset by the new conditions which obtained in regard to the increase of population. In future, however, it ought to go forth very clearly that the board did not intend to allow people to make their homes there, and those who had been doing so should get fair warning to the effect that the board would not allow the conditions on the license to be a dead-letter any more. At the same time he was not in favor of forcing people out just when the winter was coming on, and which would have the effect of causing congestion in other residential parts. He emphasised that definite action ought to be taken against any offenders in respect to sanitary conditions, but those who were on the round of inspection would agree that there were some places to which he thought much exception could not be taken. SANITATION ESSENTIAL. Mr. C. H. Burgess took another view of the council's letter. He did not think the board was being blamed, the council merely asking that the conditions of tenancy to the cottages should be enforced. Mr. Bellringer: They ask to turn the people out, and that is what I object to. The motion was seconded by Mr. J. McCluggage. The chairman read part of the regulations governing the conditions of the cottages, the lease being conditional that proper arrangements were made for all sanitary requirements and to prevent nuisances. Mr. C. A. Wilkinson said that no' doubt tjie conditions were, not satisfactory. The board had a moral responsibility as the owners of the land on which the buildings had been erected, and as a matter of fact, very little could be done without their co-operation. He suggested that they call a conference of representatives of the council, the •beach committee, and the board, with a view to having the matter put in order. He believed that a system' of septic tank drainage might be installed, and that the people occupying the cottages ought to be made to pay for it in the shape of increased rentals. Should an outbreak of sickness occur the responsibility would be rather a large one for

members of local bodies to take on their shoulders. USE OF THE BEACH. * Mr. E. Maxwell urged that the mover should alter the motion, as it was composed of two distinct parts which clashed in meaning. He proceeded to remark that all wished to popularise the beach, also to see it run for the convenience of the country people in Taranaki. That was what was in view when the board allowed the people to put up the shacks —for that was really what the buildings were. They never intended that it should become a residential area, and he thought the board should be most guarded in taking any action that would lead to the belief that they considered the locality as such. • It was purely a temporary arrangement, but since then the Borough Council, rightly or wrongly, had looked upon it as a residential area.

Mr. Burgess: You are wrong there. Mr. Maxwell: Well, they have adopted a new system altogether. They are levying rates on land that is not in any way defined, and is purely foreshore. Continuing, Mr. Maxwell submitted that the council’s action in levying rates had put them distinctly in the situation that they had rendered themselves liable to provide certain borough conveniences for these people. They were also liable under the regulations of the borough, and it was for the council to enforce these; then if the tenants would not obey, the Harbor Board would be in a strong position to act against defaulters. T%e property, however, could not be regarded as permanent, as the land was to be.taken for railway purposes. Mr. J. S. Connett was of opinion that the time was opportune when the whole matter should be reviewed. Conditions were very largely altered since the time when the houses were first built at Ngamotu. That better conditions were needed went without saying from the state of affairs at the beach. He would be sorry to see any feeling between the board and the council over the matter, and in the course of time the cottages would have to be done away with. At the same time they ought to be able to agree amongst themselves on a satisfactory arrangement for carrying on. What the Ngamotu committee was doing was in the interests of the town, and this should be recognised, and not looked upon as something they were in .for their own personal ends. Mr. Bellringer had mentioned that there was a proposal for ejecting the tenants. The speaker believed that the greater proportion of them could go out without any inconvenience to thejnselves. There was only a small proportion of the cottages that were occupied permanently, so that the board should have no difficulty in getting control. Mr. Connett believed that if the whole matter was gone into by the representatives of the three bodies an amicable arrangement, and one satisfactory to the public generally, could be arrived at. PARTIES TO CONFERENCE. The chairman said the board naturally wanted to work as much as they could with the borough council, as it was for the common good. The affair was rather mixed up, and the conditions woiAd have to be remodelled altogether. Before the council’s letter had come in he had come to the conclusion that had come when the conditions regarding the rights of occupancy should be entirely altered. There • was the point that a number of these shacks which had been built years ago for a nominal sum had been let at extravagant prices. He believed that the board should first confer with the Ngamotu committee, and then invite the borough council to discuss the position. In reply, Mr. Bellringer pointed out that the board were asked to enforce certain sanitary conditions. The implication was that the board was responsible, and it was not a fair thing to put it on to them. At the same time it was of such import that he did not wish to delay by arguing. The cottages had been one of the best mediums of advertising the harbor. People staying there for a few weeks had seen what the port was capable of, and had returned to their respective districts to become advocates of the harbor.

Mr. Wilkinson moved an amendment that a conference be arranged between the harbor board, borough council and Ngamotu beach committee, to discuss the question of sanitary arrangements at Ngamotu. In seconding, Mr. Burgess said the council were just as interested as /the board in having this matter remedied, and he thought Mr. Bellringer was taking the council’s action a bit too harshly. He knew from experience that the council were seized of the position for a good many years, and had done their best.

Mr. Maxwell suggested that as a good deal of the business affected the board, they might meet the Ngamotu committee first and then all three bodies could confer.

Mr. Bellringer intimated that he would accept an amendment to this effect. The amendment was then put as given above, and was carried. It was decided to hold a short meeting of the board on Thursday, April 20, to meet the Ngamotu committee.