A LIVELY DEPUTATION.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 98, 27 April 1922, Page 4

A LIVELY DEPUTATION.

THE MORBfXIfGSIDE DUMP. REQUEST FOR REMOVAL. REFUSED BY MINISTER. There were some lively exehanjes be,ween the Minister or Public llea:t l > Hon. C. J Parr) and a member of a leputation representing the ilount Albert Ratepayers' Association this norning, when the tvphoi.i outbreak rae discussed. The deputation desired hat the dump at Momingside should >c removed by order or" the Minister, as t was said to be a menace to the heaks >f the district, and one of the :ory causes of the outbreak. Mr. Forbes Eadie informed the MinU:er that he had not been correctly in:ormed by his departmental officers in •onnection with the dump. The Minister: Where do you get tuat Torn! The speaker persisted in th» statenent. Dr. T. .1. Hughes: Idiotic. The Minister said he had been iaormed that the dump had been completely cleaned up, and the unpleasant Kwrtion of it incinerated. Mr. Eadie: We give that an emlhatie denial. He wished the MiaUur iad visited the dump. No attempt had K«n made to burn, destroy, or diaintrel. house in Malvern Koad wae black sith flies. He had drawn attention to. .he burial of nightaoil and subsoil. The Minister: Let us get down to tze lump. You want it closed. Mr. Eadie: Most emphatically we da. rhe dump is a menace to the district. Someone has failed; someone has u»ea o blame. Who «"a<= it? The Minister: The water supply *a» :o blame! It is absurd to say that the Tump is the reason for it. "You are the custodian of the pabiie lealth of the Dominion, sir, and if voa :ake no action regarding the dump, aad ny little boy dies, I will hold yon pertonally responsible." Mr. W. B. Fowler considered that the \ lay of dumps was gone. The Minister: I wish it were! Your lump i≤ better than some others. One of the largest contributingcaueej )f the epidemic, continued Mr. Tpwler, tfould be found in the vicinity of the ilental Hospital The Minister: There is no evidence. Mr. Fowler: We hope to submit car*? r ully prepared evidence to you later, >ir. Mr. T. Long wished to know if the Minister could give some assurance. Hβ ras afraid that the civic heads of ilormt Albert had not kept pace with the •.riot's increased population. Referring y> the dump, Mr. Long said nothing had ' xen done to remove its objectionable 'ea-turee. All dumps should be done iway with. The Minister: Can you suggest aa tlternative site? Mr. Long: !So, for the moment. I eanaot. Mr. W. Clarke: It is a disgrace La :he community. The Minister: I think that you are riving mc a good deal of blame, Mr. Eadie. The responsibility in these mat: •.ere rests with the local authority ? yps mow. Mr. Oh, no, I am not. You art :he responsible head. Dr. Hughe*: As regards the prwenj refuse tip being the cause of the epfiemic, no excreta ha* been deposited ■.here. Mr. Eadie: I emphatically deny that. f have seen it. The Minister : You have been rer nancing. Mr. Eadie (heatedly): I never jonance. Is this the same Dr. Hughs* *'ho made the Niagara report? If 60, Foil have no confidence in him! Dr. Hughes eaid that had nothing tp Io with the matter. He was quite safe ied that the water supply had beentfi* •au*o cf the trouble, and that the dinzip sail nothing to do with it. He haS. iristted the dump every week, and <m\j an two occasions found it unsatisfactory, due to special circumstances. Jlls iireetioas had tieen efficiently carried Dut by the council. Except in? those few special occasions, he would consider it • the best dump in New Zealand. This brought a further protest from the deputation. The Minister: You do not think I'm iump was the cause of the epidemic!— So. Mr. A. F. Bennett, Mayor of iiaiint Aibert, said the dump wa= not deetnble, but the site was the most suitable ottering. It was not a matter of eo*t altogether. A conference would shortly * held when the question of a deetn*:tor would be discussed. He much rejretted that the Ratepayers' Aseoris.tion had aot kept in closer touch «ita the council, and had made such unfortunate utterances. The drainage wt>rk was being pushed on with all speed. The Minister said that difficulties over which they had no control had to bf taken into consideration, and he iw> satisfied that Mount Albert had a local iUthority that certainly was not slackening off. They were uot asleep as bad been suggested. '"I appeal to you, giatlemen, to assist them,"' continued the Minister. '"There is no reason why the surrounding districts should not assistThat should be the policy. The whole district should take Into consideration the question of building a destructor. Also get your drainage right aad get the nighteoil into the city sewer, and SOU will be in a very much better position. An attempt should be made to get a water supply beyond suspicion." He could noc permit any further deaiing with the present water supply At i'ae present time he did not think that a better site could be found for tue dump, and therefore would not order it* removal, unless he had reason to believe in the future that it -vas detrimental to public health. Nevertheless, he would advise the council, assisted by his offiaers, to prosecute their search for • better site. "And now, I want to say this," c°t>:luded Mr. Parr. "I recognise the difficulties of the council, and I am not gcioZ to jump down on the council with hobnail boots, when I know they are doing their very best." He mucii regrettid that such exaggerated etalement- had been made, statements that «ere against the true interests of the district *nd Auckland