Borough Council.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 198, 5 September 1901, Page 3

Borough Council.

A special meeting of the Borough Council was held last evening to consider the water supply question in conjunction with Dr. Byrnes, Health Officer for Canterbury. There were present His Worship the Mayor and Crs. Nicol, Sinclair, Jones, Bitchemr, Barclay, Coltman, Freeman, Inkster, and Cameron. Dr. Symes spoke first of cesspits, condemning these. He commented on the drainage of

the town, and then touched upon the disposal of nightsoil. The sealed pan system was best of all. In many cases the closets were sunk down, and this resulted in the ground getting foul. A sanitary inspector should be appointed with power to order people to raise these. The proper plan was to have raised pans sliding out, and this had more to do with health than anything else. People thought anything was good enough. Zinc pans would cost about Is more than galvanised iron. The pans could be emptied in the daytime by the scavengers, being taken to the depot. This was done in Melbourne.

Or. Colt man: A water supply would be necessary.

The speaker thought some sort of a water supply would have to be provided. With regard to the water supply, he had visited Kelcy’s Bush" and thought there was one slight difficulty. -Sooner or later Waiinate would require to have side - channels, and these would require to be used for drains. Waiinate would never be healthy until something in this direction was done. Ashburton used a bigger supply than the one proposed here. Ashburton was much the same area as Waiinate. He reckoned that in the suburbs of Waimate within a radius of a mile there were 200 houses. At an average of four persons, this gave 800 people, and with the population of the Borough this gave 2200 people. Ashburton’s population was23oo. Another objection to the proposed source of supply was that in his opinion it was depended largely on the existence of the bush.

His Worship said that Keicy’o Greek was a spring supply, and hence not dependent on the rain fall.

Dr Symea, in ieply, said that the bush prevented evaporation in addition to attracting rain. He had been told that the water contained a good deal of organic matter, and such water would be liable to develop imparities if any had access to it. There was no doubt the Waihao River offered a much larger supply than Kelcy’s Creek. An adequate supply could be pumped up above Mr A. M Lean’s bouse on to the hill above, either by a ram or an oil engine to a height of about 200 feet. Ke was not an engineer, but had no doubt that this work could be done. The advantage of this supply were that purer water was available ; the supply was very large, and there was no risk about the scheme at all. It was s aid that the Waihao River was slimy, and Or. Sinclair said this was from the Waihao Downs Creek, in which no fish could be got to live. Or. Barclay pointed out that the slime spoken of was a kind of plant, and in no way detrimental to health.

Dr Symes did not think the purity of the Waihao water was in any way affected by surface slime. This water was very pure. Continuing, he thought it the duty of tho County Council to assist in supplying the suburbs with pure water. The Council could make the suburbs special rating areas. The Borough Council should endeavour to get the assistance of Mr Bremner, who was an excellent engineer. As the governing body of 800 people, the County Council should assist in the matter. Tho speaker said he found there was great opposition to the water supply in Waimate. If some scheme were drawn up to show how it would affect individual ratepayers a lot of opposition would be overcome. It Was competent on the Borough Council to close any well which was reported unwholesome, but the majority of those who had wells were content with them. After using bad water for a tim«, pdfcple get, to a certain extent, used 3 to it. He knew houses where the water was positively bad, and yet there was no sickness. Still it made them liable to infection.

Mr Manchester said that he thought the County Council were under a misapprehension regarding what they had been asked to do, and he asked the Health Officer if any other County Council had joined with a Borough Council. Dr Symos could not remember any. His Worship, continuing, said the suggestion was an important one. He did not think there was a great deal of opposition to the supply, except on the score of expense. He said if the supply of Kelcy’s Bash failed, or if it were no purer than the one they had, it would ruin the town. .Dr Symes thought the County Council would do something in the matter. He renewed his suggestion that that body should be asked to allow their engineer to make a report. Or. Jones asked whether, in the event of a town’s water supply being deficient, tha Government could make the people laj lO» a better supply I

Dr Symes said that the Minister of Health had that power to use at his discretion.

v His Worship asked : “ How if ha has no discretion ?” which was greeted with laughter. Or. Barclay said that Dr Symes had been indefatigable in his investigation of health matters in Waimate. He had obtained his information from all sources, and the speaker moved a hearty vote of thanks to him for his labours and his reports. Cr. Sinclair seconded this. He said Dr Symes had found some very bad spots in Waimate, and the sooner they were blotted out the better.

Dr Symes returned thanks. He felt the responsibilities of the position of Health Office*, and he was anxious to see the water supply of Waimate satisfactory. He was most anxious to help the Council, and he thanked them for their vote. A conversational discussion took place on health matters generally. Dr Symes urged that the drain leading through the Council’s paddock and the school ground should bo concreted. At present it should 1)3 done for twenty chains, but later it should be finished to the river, a total of about a mile.