Hastings: What Is.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 6094, 10 March 1891, Page 2

Hastings: What Is.

[to the editor. !

sib, —In your issue of the. 6th instant a letter appears signed "Verbum Sap," sotting forth what Hastings might be. if he had confined himself to Hastings and not ' introduced Napier, it would have been more interesting , to the residents of the former town. The Latin quotation " Semptr nocuit diffeiTc jpaiatit," which means "Delay has ever been injurious to thosw who are propared," is very applicable to Hastings, ■which is, and hai< been, prepared do meet its adversaries, in the shape ot fever and other diseases. Some few years ago the ratepayers by their vote, empowered the Borough Council to borrow £25,000 for carrying out sanitary works on the water closet system ; and £iB,OOO have already been spent on a splendid main sewer and connections. The Council stopped short of completing the scheme, when abont £300 would have rrovided water, and placed them in a position to compel every householder within the prescribed radius of tho main sewer to connect. Some little time ago, I recollect the Council providiug ways and means to complete tho scheme, and they unanimously decided that it should be done. Now, let us see what was the result of the decision. A few of tho Councillors who live a long way outside the prescribed radius, and who at one meeting voted that tho scheme should be completed, at; a subsequent meeting (when prominent supporters of the scheme were absout) aotually bronght in a motion tantamount to shelving the question and nullifying themselves, and passed a resolution that all householders within a certain radius from the centre should be compelled to adopt the earth-olcset system, thereby incurring extra expenso to the householders. As one of the unfortunates who pays rates on that £18,000 already spent, and also pays for the removal of nightsoil, I should like to sco a public meeting called for the purpose of discussing the matter, before the ground gets saturated with germs of disease, caused by the deposit of filthy matter, which is beyond all doubt the primary oause of epidemics, sure to como, aud theu when deaths are frequent, and our town gats a bad name, population, iustead of increasing, will rapidly decrease, through people being driven %o seek healthier residences. It is beyond doubt that God's blessings are bountifully bestowed on this part of the province of Hawke's Bay, where ttie 6un shiuea three huudred days iv the year, the soil canuot ba excelled in any part of the world, and with one of the greatest blesmngs and gifts that can possibly be bestowed on any locality, viz ; a never failing supply of pure water, which only wants tapping—When all these gifts are bestowed, upon a coinmuaity, and not taken advantage of, it shovrs great apathy and carelessness on the part of the inhabitants, who ai* to blame for electing men to the O'l'dncil who think more of private public interests, —I am, &c, Houhesco Ref.bkens,