THE FOR CLEANLINESS.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11277, 19 May 1902, Page 4

THE FOR CLEANLINESS.

It should need few words on our part to commend to the earnest attention of householders and the local municipalbodies the appeal made by the Minister for Public Health, published in our columns this morning. While the plague was confined, so far »a these colonies were concerned, to Australia, its possible occurrence in New Zealand was largely regarded with indifference. The rtcent death from the disease in Auckland, and the occurrence of a case in Lyttelton, have had, however, the effect of .waking the public and our local rulers into activity. The rudiments of domestic sanitation are being impressed upon the most neglectful householders by the inspectors employed Iby locaJl bodies, and the amount of cleaning up of backyards that has been going on for the last few weeks ie unprecedented. In this connection there ..one sentence in the Minister'e circular to which we trust one or two local foodies will give • due consideration. "All local " authorities," he says, "should institute at ''least a bi-weekly removal of all house "refuse." Such-advice should, of course, be quite unnecessary. That, on the other hand, it is highly necessary, is shown by the fact that at least* one Christohurch suburb, St. Albans, has not even instituted a system \of removing ■such " rubbish, once a week. It" is true that an arrangement is in force by which a householder can have rubbish removed on notifying the clerk of the Council, and paying ft fee 3or the service rendered. But'according to a letter from a correspondent, of which we publish a summary elsewhere, this plan does not seem to work very well. In any case ife ie open to the objection that it entails more , trouble on the -householder than many will undertake, whereas if, as in the city, antf, we understand, in Sydenham, rubbish *carta came round regularly, even once a week, no one woi£d have the slightest excuse for allowing a backyard to gefc into a dirty state. The expense to the local body, eupposing that it had no funds to spare for the purpose, cousld always be recouped by a small special rate. People shoaild not need any special facilities to induce them to be scrupulously particular about such matters household refuse nowadays, but human nature is such that even with, the enemy at the gates some wil neglect to make preparations for. defence. Undoubtedly the only satisfactory way of ensuring that this particular precaution is taken is for the local bodies to do the work themselves, and, if necessary, charge for it.-