THE MUSSELBURGH DRAIN.

Evening Star, Issue 12061, 4 March 1907, Page 1

THE MUSSELBURGH DRAIN.

TO TTTT. KDITOB. jjir I was amazed to read your local' referring to the above drain. Your re--porter most have misunderstood Dr Ogston, or Dr Ogston must liave misunderstood the drain. The drain is below the level of high water, but it has a fairly good outfall. The mouth is titled with floodgates, which are now and then opened to let in the tide. U this w-ere done regularly, and 'in a manner that would not flood private property, tho drain would be kept clean, and no one would complain. Just to show that the drain has a good outfall, I will give you a short history as to how tho dram was prepared for Dr Ogston’s visit (at the invitation of the Dunedin Drainage Board) at the beginning of last week. On each sde of the tram line running to Tahnna 1 1 ark. is situated an open drain, the two merging into one at the Anderson Bay rood and euiptymg into th-a Bay. These drains, on the morning of tho dav of Dr Ogston’s visit of inspection, were allowed to till with water from ihe bay: and the eastern branch, which was in a particularly fUthy state, offer being filled, was dammed back at the corner of Grey street with bags of sand or some suen material. At- some time during the atternoon, after tho aide had ebbed some distance, these bags were removed, causing a scour, which completely cleaned tne drain from end to cnel, and I can say that during the last twelve months it has never been so clean. This shows Unit the outlet- is a good one, docs it- not? I am not the only one who noticed tho condition of tho drain that afternoon, avid I may state that 1 saw it within two yninules of the inspection party’s crossing it at the Ferguson street crossing. With regard to household drains emptying into it, and tho doctor’s remarks re slops, what about, the big leak in the rising main, which, discharges into the so-called swamp, and is allowed to run back into these drains by means' of a ditch between tho school and Culling Park? ' What about the horribk*, black fluid, the vile smell of wliich permeates the air for miles around? “ would Like to know where on earth people arc to have their house drains empty, if not connected with tho sewer (which, by the way, most of the houses in this- —Normanby: - street are)? It seems to me that tlio Drainage Board can defy the law, arid nobody is game to bring thorn to book. Were'such a state of affairs allowed to exist on private property, we all know what would happen. If Dr Ogston would give tlio Board notice Jo icpair the rising main at once and compel them to do tin work, he would earn the thanks of alarg< number of residents here. —I am, etc., Nokmasbt Strkkt. March 4.