WHAT MELBOURNE WANTS

Temuka Leader, Issue 2191, 21 April 1891, Page 4

WHAT MELBOURNE WANTS

Ordinary persons will be somewhat astonished at the audacity of Professor Allan, of the Melbourne University, who, we are informed by a Melbourne journal, said at the annual dinner of the Surveyors’ Union on Thursday evening What we want in Melbourne are great fires to burn a considerable portion of it down.” He was referring to the insanitary state of tHe city. “ Suppose we put our drains right and perfect our water supply,” be continued, “even then we cannot hope that Melbourne will be very healthy. We have got a large portion of Melbourne built on unfit soil. Houses have been built in places where they never ought to have been built, and on land that has been surveyed. How can you drain a place like that ? No thorough reform will come without great fires,” He then referred to London and Liverpool, where whole parishes bad been pulled down to be rebuilt. Professor Allen believes that the president of the Metropolitan Board of Works should not be an engineer, as if he were, he would be bound to differ with the schemes propounded by the able authorities employed by the Board. What was wanted was that the president should be a level-headed man, an honest man, and an all-round man. If the Board selected such a man Professor Allen thought Melbourne would become a new city, — nydney Morning Herald