CITY GARBAGE DUMPS

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22112, 7 June 1937, Page 4

CITY GARBAGE DUMPS

TO THE EDITOR 01 THE PBESB. Sir,—Mr L. Hollings is to be congratulated for directing attention to the careless manner in which the c'.ty garbage dumps have been conducted, but, at the same time, I am given to understand on good authority that his association has not had a meeting for many months, and the subject has not been discussed by it; but it is to be hoped that at the public meeting called lor June 10, which the City Engineer and City Councillors propose to attend, the whole scheme now proposed will be discussed and explained fully, and that the council will take immediate action to dump all available material as {■peedily as possible under the latest hyfienic methods, and thus do away with these unsightly and uselss eyesores and convert them into beauty spots, otherwise these dumps will drag on and on for years and years, a nuisance to the neighbours and a detriment to Christchurch as a whole.— Yours, etc., _.„ ADVANCE SPREYDON. June 3, 1937. [Mr L. Hollings, president of the Spreydon Burgesses' Association, said when this letter was referred to him that the association held a meeting in April,.when it was decided to write to the Minister for Health protesting against the proposed dumps.] TO THX EDITOB Ot THB EBBSB. Sir,—ln the first place we have complaints of unpleasant smells, caused by gases being carried from decomposing matter, mostly vegetable. These gases are very volatile, and are composed mostly of sulphuretted hydrogen and ammonia; both are strongly scented but neither is detrimental to health in small quantities. Rats give another cause of complaint; but as by the proposed new method the material is to be packed as closely as possible, their haunts can easily be located, and by connecting a length of pipe to the exhaust of a motor. In a short time no rat will live. The next is unsightllness. To overcome this, it is suggested, it would suffice to erect an iron fence, preferably with a quick-growing hedge behind it. The iron fence masking the ground under treatment could be moved on, as the process continues, to mask a new area. With regard to health, any summer's day children can be seen, both boys and girls, in the water, catching frogs and tadpoles. When a frog will live in water, there is not much wrong, as I know by experience. Now, there are few stronger and healthy children about Christchurch than those of West Spreydon. At the same time I do not favour the children playing there; and the pools should be filled or at any rate given a film of kerosene, as mosquitoes are well-known carriers of disease. At the same time there Is much material which should be burnt, such as oifal and fish refuse. I should like to suggest that householders should be encouraged to burn at once in their own incinerators as much of the worst rubbish as possible, so they would prevent its being carted about the streets. Flies, which are carriers, will, we understand, be prevented by having the loads sprayed on arrival at the pit. A more reasonable attitude, I feel sure, would help the City Council to solve the two problems of disposing of the rubbish and of converting our dumps into similar beauty spots to those already created at St. Albans, Waltham Park, Bradford Park, and elsewhere.—Yours, etc., E. A. LANGFORD. June 5, 1937. TO TKB BDITOB OF THS PBBflll Sir,—The value of St. Albans and other parks everyone knows; but it isn't necessary to fill a hole up with garbage as gathered. The ashes from the destructor would serve Just as well—and no risks. Germs live long. I once read that, a century or so after the Great Plague year in England, digging disturbed the dust of some victims, whereupon there was an outbreak of plague, and the village was isolated till it subsided. The trucks which carried the garbage to an out-of-town destructor could bring back ashes without noticeable expense and carry them direct to the site of the future park.—Yours, etc.. A.HJB. June S, 1937. TO THB BDITOB Or TBI PBBSB. Sir,—While not particularly concerned with the pros and cons of the establishment of controlled dumping at Spreydon or elsewhere, I would like to see the antiquated destructor closed down, or at least Improved. Living where we do, every wash-day our good linen comes in from the line covered in black smuts; and if we are so foolish as to have morning tea outside we have to drink them, while a window open the merest crack on certain days will ensure the Interior of the housq getting liberally spattered. To read the suggestion from (supposedly) educated and intelligent people in a civilised community that the paralysis epidemic was started in Dunedln by germs from the dumps there is amazing enough; but to be expected to believe it is incredible. Surely not this from Christchurch!—Yours, etc., OXFORD TERRACE. June 0. 1937.