The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1887.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4860, 9 March 1887, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1887.

Mb G-. T. Cross has addressed a circular letter to the Borough Council nnd to the medical practitioners of this town on the subject of the earth-closet system. The whole question of the removal of night-soil is fraught with the deepest importance, and is intimately connected -with the subject of fever on which we treated in our last issue. Mr Cross points out that the pan system, as now carried out, is little better than that of the cess-pit. If this be so wo can well understand that there should be cases of fever, the origin of which can scarcely be traced. We beg leave to think that it should not have been left to Mr Cross to make this discovery. The Corporation employs an Inspector of Nuisances, who has an assistant, and those officials should most certainly have reported ere tins to the Council that our boasted dry-earth closet system was only a common pan) with no earth, or any other disinfectant or deodorising material. Wo arc assured by Mr Cross that it is only but a very small ■pvoportion of the total of pans in which earth, ashes, or sawdust, is habitually-employed. "Wo do not know how Mr Cross has obtained his information, but we maintain that the contractors for the removal of nightsoil should have made it their business to have reportod the matter to the Inspector of Nuisances. It is no secret that at tins time of the year there is not a town in the colonies which is altogether free from fever cases ; theymaybefew, asinNapier, or many as in all the larger cities, but it would seem that no place is too small to escape altogether. As we have previously pointed out fever, by whatsoever name it may be called, is a wholly preventable disease, and is caused cither by defective drainage, or by the absolute dirty habits of the people. What more culpable careless and dirty habit can that bo which is. pointed out by Mr Cross ? It is a shocking- reflection that people whose practices are cleanly, hold their health, and even their lives, at the mercy of persons who are indifferent to even the commonest i'onns of cleanliness. We can offer no apology for treating on subjects of this kind ; the whole matter is too serious to be shirked. What we want to know is this—what is the duty of the Inspector of Nuisances i Has ho over supervised the nightsoil removal contractors when at work? Mr Cross says, " the occupation of uig-htman is not so eagerly sought after that the contractors have . much choice, consequently there is less fear of dismissal for neglect or -areless performance of duty." A former con'vactor was remonstrated with once for .employing men who used_ blasphemous language. "Well," said the contractor, " you see, sir, I caa't get curates and such like to take a billot of this sort." The reply was a very happy one, but the character of the language that nightmen use is of much, less importance to the health of the town than is the manner in which they carry out .their duties. It is, we should think, one of the special duties of the Inspector of Nuisances to see that they perform them. It is not enough, that he should occasionally visit back-yards. He should look into every earth closet in the town once a week, make a note of those in which no deoderising , material is Used, and of the condition in which the closets arc kept—some we are told are never scrubbed nor any attempt made to keep them from becoming rcvoltingly offensive. In every case in which neglect is slum ii of clear Uness the offenders should be promptly prosecuted ; and the use of deodorising material—and nothing , is better than ashes, either of wood or coal—should be made compulsory under pain of severe penalties. Unless these precautions are taken it is impossible to keep the town wholesome_ and healthy. We t>ust this subject will not be lost sight of. The Municipal Council as the Board of Health has the matter in its own hanls. The time, will come, perhaps, whcn.enlightenmcut and cleanliness going hand, in hand death from typhoid fever will be regarded as murder at the hands of those who neglect the simplest principles of sanitation.