WANT OF SANITATION IN NGARUAWAHIA.

Waikato Argus, Volume XXIV, Issue 3751, 7 April 1908, Page 2

WANT OF SANITATION IN NGARUAWAHIA.

To the Editor. Sir,—The residents of Ngaruawahia cannot thank you too much for your sub-leader of Tuesday last,' dealing with the disgraceful sanitary state of this township, as on the following Wednesday the Health Inspector paid us a visit and after a short inspection gave the Town Board peremptory notice to have the place cleaned up within three days. With the aid of public subscriptions and fortified with brandy, etc., a gang of men is now pursuing this not too pleasant task and finding plenty of work to do In Saturday's issue you publish a letter from Mr Fitzpatrick and amongst other statements he says, "The camp was visited daily by the police and some member of the Town Board and was always clean." This I grant, as the natives imposed a fine of 2s 6d on any person committing a nuisance WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE PAH, thus looking after their own health without doubt. It was not the state of the pah that was complained of, but the disgusting state of the township, which the members of the Town Board did NOT inspect daily with their eyes OPEN, or they could not have failed to see the filthy condition of affairs. I would like to ask Inspector Bennett it he ever saw anything worse. The natives should never have been allowed to camp in the place they did, and if so, it was the duty of the Town Board to enquire into their sanitary arrangements before they were allowed to settle the camp. But no, not one word was said, and on Saturday the 21st March, when a complaint was made to the Town Board by a person residing near the camp, that the natives were using his garden as a convenience, the only action taken by the Board was to refer the applicant to Constable Cavanagh, who . was powerless to take action unless he caught the offender in the act. Further I would state that on the 30th inst, one member of the Town Board interviewed the natives and complained of the filthy state of the township and asked, would they put up sanitary conveniences if timber was supplied them. They asserted their willingness, but another member of this progressive Town Board strongly objected to such timber being supplied except at the natives' expense. Besides the two deaths mentioned by Mr Fitzpatrick, other deaths did occur in the camp and as you say, no enquiry was made as to - the cause. At the present time there is a mild epidemic of dysentry going round the township, from what cause however it is not known.—l am, etc., WAIPA.

To the Editor. Sir,—ln fairness to Messrs Fitzpatrick, Paddy, ard myself, I feel bound to reply to some of your statements. You state that the board made no provision for accommodation of the natives, and the chairman refused to do so. The fact is that the town board guaranted the cost of erecting two places of accommodation, and the Maori council undertook to erect them, and one of the regatta committee promised to supervise the work. Work was started, but the police interfered, on the grounds that the site selected was on a road. The town board was not aware of this fact. The Railway Department had two very large closets erected, and the regatta committee erected two more on the banks of the Waipa. Mr Bennett, the health officer, called upon the board, who promised to clean up the place the moment the natives left. Messrs Fitzpatrick, Paddy, and I attended several meetings, and had several consultations on the matter. I have been in the colony since 1860, and have never seen a cleaner, steadier, or more respectable lot of natives. Even Mr Nicol took exception to some parts of your sub-leader. I am under the impression that no one travelled round the township more than myself, and I did not see the dreadful state of affairs you mention. The natives had their encampment penned off. I heard one man complaining the moment the natives landed here.— l am, etc., E. F. MOFFITT. Ngaruawahia, April 4. .

Sir.—Kindly allow me space to contradict the statement referring to me as acting-chairman in your subleader of the 4th inst. At no time during the tenure of the present Board have I had that position. On a few occasions in the absence of the chairman, and at the request of my fellow members, I have presided in order that the meeting should not lapse. The chairman was here most of the time that the Maori meeting lasted, and as he is the only person who can incur expenditure unauthorised by the Board, if there has been dereliction of duty on his part —on which I think there cannot be two opinions—your informant and another member of the Board, who elected him, are, I consider, the responsible parties.—l am, etc., E. FITZPATRICK.