Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1895. SANITATION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5199, 5 December 1895, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1895. SANITATION.

Two different persons brought under our notice yesterday the existence of bad smells about Mnstcrton, About this time of the year the advent of warm weather reveals to most people the discomfoiting fact that the town is unclean, and that for those living in it there exist certain dangers which have a tendency to culminate in (liplhcria, typhoid and other fell zymotic diseases. On the Borough Council rests the onus of sanitation, and this body very properly employs an Inspector to look after any nuisance which nienanees the public health, but it pays this ollicer an altogctlicr.iiiadeqmilo salary for such services, so that they can be only performed in a perfunctory manner To thoroughly inspect some lmmlredsof back yards. Humorous polluted creeks, cesspits, and muck-heaps, is a woik of magnitude, which cannot bo accomplished on tho scale of pay appropriated by the Council for this purpose, We need hardly say that this worlc is not done, and cannot possibly be performed unless the Council makes improved arrangements .for doing it, The fault does not lie with the inspector who discharges' cerlain multifarious duties, for a spill salary, and no doubt giyes, hpnest yaljio for the money whiph hp j'pcejyes. The case is- parallel wyth that; of a certain colored. preacher in America, who stated-, that;. l//\ only, received opo dollar per sermon for his ministerial labours. " ThaUs poor pay, Sambo!" | said his interviewer. " It is, replied iSainbo, and then in a stage 'whisper he added-, " me give them poor preaclieo:" What we say,.is.proved by an incident at the late Council meeting. .A very serious nuisance was brought under the. notice of the Council, by Crllombjow, and duly discussed. But it did not seem to have-occurred to any Councillor that, with -efficient inspectorial ijiiTangcipopts, such a'nnisance-jtlio dissemination of nigbf-spi) j'n gardens —eopld not, pxist for a, single day. It is the Inspector, apd not tho Council, who blight jo (Jodl djre.ctjy with cases of this kind, flip fnpt that tlie Inspector does not feel it to lie his duty, and the Council does not regard it as his-duty, for liini to suppress nuisances until they liaye been discussed in tho Council, and his attention is drawn to thorn by his employers, repeals tlie perfunctory and utterly hopeless character of official sanitation in Mastei'ton. Why did not Cr Feist who moved that tho Inspector's attention, be drawn to this 'pa|.'tjc|ili}r'nuisance, ceusu.ro tho Inspector for neglect,of duty ? Simply because no neglect of duty ©isje.d, ns tho Inspector is not usually expocto'd ; to exercise his powers, under tho Bor- 1 ougli by-laws without special orders 'from iiili omjiloyei's, 'Tho Council linsgon'o toft considerable expense in passing certain by-laws, but it does not seein to realise that unless tliese ! 'by-laws'are carried out they a'ro utterly lisoless. to, - the coin- i [dimity. " Cr 'Hornblpw undoubt- i

edly did good Borvice by calling public attention to a specific nuisance, but ho would lrnvo doue inoi'o good if lie bud insisted upon a thorough inspection of all nuisances, and bad proposed that sufficient money bo paid to insure tbis important work being carried out. Tbe otlior day a valuable'settler, who is leaving Mastovton, informed ns that ill-health was the reason of bis departure, and that he attributed bis indisposition to " bad water." Are people to be driven out of the town by its insanitary condition, and because the Council does not protect the inhabitants.