THE HEATHCOTE SANITATION ACT.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10480, 19 October 1899, Page 2

THE HEATHCOTE SANITATION ACT.

The following correspondence will bs of interest: — The City Council Offices, Cbristchurch. October 13th, 1899. — Caas. Lewis, Esq., M.H.R., Wellington.—-Sir,— A very important Act has been passed by the House which affects the working of the city in sanitary matters, viz., the Heathcote Road District Sanitation Act, 1899. It was not-till after the Act had? been passed that we knew of the extant of the injury that its provisions would inflict on the sanitation of this city. You ere perhaps aware that the citizens raised a loan to enable it to make a line of tramway to one of its sanitary reserves, for the purpose of disposal of its nightsoil and refuse. By the Act the whole machinery of cleansing the city is thrown out of gear, and the difficulty of providing for carrying on the work will be considerable, tirtd yet the Council is expected to make provision to meet the new order of things by December Ist next. lam directed to respectfully ask the City members how it is that they did not apprehend that such an Act would seriously affect this city, and draw the Council's notice to it. especially as it was only a few weeks ago I had the honour of asking you to forward to mc any Bills that were likely to affect the city.—l have, etc., F. T. Haskins, Town Clerk. (Copy.) October 17th. 1899.—The Town Clerk, Christchurok—Sir,—l am in receipt of yours of the 13tb inst., with reference to the Heathcote District Sanitation BilL The Bill was duly advertised and deposited for examination in pursuance of the law relating to local Bills; its provisions were set fortn in both Christchurch papers; leading articles and correspondence took place, at all events, in one Christchurch paper, and, I fancy, in both. As a result of the publicity thus givon to the measure communications reached mc from local bodies eurrounding Christehurch, as well as from the promoters of the BilL The whole matter received such publicity. evoked so much public discussion, and was so fully ventilated, that the idea of your being in ignorance of matters with which other local bodies were fully acquainted, never suggested iteelf to mc. I regret to learn that "the whole machinery of cleansing the city is thrown out of gear" by a provision making it illegal to deposit extremely offensive matter within 15 chains of a dwelling house or public road, to the obvious dancer and manifest discomfort of residents and passers-by. I regret stiU more, however, that Chmtchurch should in the past have pursued a system of this kind to such an extent that its cessation will, in your own words, "tiirow the whole, machinery of cleanine: ihe city out of fir from reeretting obliged to abandon such a practice on and after December Ist, I am, on the contrary, surprised to hear the extent to which you have contributed to the nuisance in the past, I represent Christchurch. it is true, but my obligation to guard people in any district against insanitary surroundings must always override local political considerations.—l have, etc., diaries Lewis. V >