DISPOSING OF CITY REUSE.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 55, 4 July 1887, Page 4

DISPOSING OF CITY REUSE.

Nature's processes, by wfch she "makes, unmakes, unbuild, and builds again," are so excepnt and efficient that when men atempt to imitate; her they are desiving of every commendation. The dty drawback is that Nature in sore of her operations is inimitable, find any endeavour to copy herj methods is certain to end diastrously. No one can doubt that the poper way to dispose of the refuse coljcted daily by the city dust carts isjto pass it through the fire, renderingit not only innocuous but of economb value as manure; and at first sightit seems a brilliant inspiration of Engineer to have the filtl which is taken away from shops ail dwellings to prevent it from breecing diseases converted into power fir supplying pure water to the citized. But it is plain that the proposal tduse the city refuse as fuel at the purjping station in Karangahape Eoad woild create an intolerable nuisance, and might result more disastrously to ijublic health than if it were left to p burned by individual citizens in! their grates. The object in ' delecting the rubbish is to havj it carted out of the city, and not to.have it collected andfoncentrated in a particular spot where Js effects would be felt in an aggravated form by the dense population. If |c rubbish is to be burnt, and at the sane time utilised, why not use it at! the pumping station at the Western; Springs'? The greater portion off the rubbish is consumable, and twith a proper receptacle constructs for it, and each day's collection {burnt off as it arrives, with an adnixture of the ordinary fuel, no J danger could arise to the pubic health. ■To spread the rubbis| on fields at Kingsland, as hss been done in the past, and feave it to the purifying influences cf Nature, is more likely to contaminate the Western Springs through filjhy matter percolating through the parous soil into the sources of the Spritigs. That conclusion is based upon Sr Pond's warning regarding the Moint Albert cemetery, which also) forms part of the drainage grousd of the Springs. To absolutely guard against the pollution of our excelleifc water supply, it may be found advisable, after the experiment has been made, not even to burn the city refuse at the Western Springs pumping station ; jbut in any case the old method of lesvying it to deodorise on land from whicl the water supply is drained ought to te discontinued, and in no case should! the of the rubbish take place within a mile of a populous district/