THE NIGHT SOIL CONTRACT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3815, 6 October 1883, Page 3

THE NIGHT SOIL CONTRACT.

[To the Editor of the Daily Telegraph.] y IR) —As there seems to be a certain amount of dissatisfaction in the minds of the borough councillors respecting the manner in which the work of removal of night soil is carried out, I beg to make known publicly that I am quite ready and willing to have my contract determined by the Council at any moment on their' paying oyer to me my security deposit of £50. The position of night soil contractor is no enviable one under any circumstances, but less so when, as would seem to be tho case in Napier, he is liable to be fined at any moment for an offenco proven only by ex parte, evidence. It is rather hard, as any one who loves justice _ will admit that a man should be tried, convicted, and a heavy penalty imposed upon him, without his having the chance of defending himself. Yet this is Avhat the councillors did at their meeting on AVednosday night last, when they even ignored my letter of explanation. To judge from tho report of the Inspector of Nuisances, too, one is led to believe that it is impossible that a gate can be left open after nightfall without the act being that of the night soil contractor. I wish to say, Sir, that —with the exception of tho fortnight I was unable to do so owing to sickness —I personally supervise my men at their work, and if the borough councillors ever succeed in getting a contractor who will do tho work in such manner as not to cause an occasional growl then I say thoy will be very lucky, and the people of the town will have become less dyspeptic than they are now. I may say I am very desirous of affording them that chance, as in the present condition of things it is in the power of any one who desires to do me an injury to lay a bogus charge before the Council against me, and I am promptly fined without further enquiry. There is another pleasant feature in my work A good m-tiiyj! of tho householders on my list persistently neglect to pay their littte bill, some of them not being worth " pushing," but if I neglect them as they do me tho kindly Council comes to the rescue again, and the contractor is made to suffer. The public will now sec if I am as much to blame as has been represented.—l am, kc, AY. Miles, Night Soil Contractor. Napier, October 5, 1883.