STREET CLEANSING AND HOUSE REFUSE.

Evening Star, Issue 12732, 5 August 1907, Page 6

STREET CLEANSING AND HOUSE REFUSE.

According to tho latest Sydney papots, the Premier of New South Wales has awakened the City Council there to y sense of their responsibilities with regard to municipal administration. Ten years ago the present town clerk of Dunedin (Mr R. W. Richards) visited England and Europe, with a view of reporting upon municipal government and municipal work in large cities, and in one of his reports submitted on his return be dealt exhaustively wi.b tho question of street cleansing and house refuse, and recommended a. departure in Sydney which was from time to time under consideration of the Council, but no definite decision was arrived at. The present mayor has again brought forward Mr Rich ards's recommendations, which axe now under consideration.

With a knowledge of tbo above facts, one of our staff waited on Mr Richards and asked him how tho same matters affected this City. "In my first report to the City Council," remarked our town clerk, "*I incidentally referred to the r.ccessitv of the City Council of Duncdin having ~'ll these works in their own hands, the experience of older cities being directly against* contract work for this purpose. At present bik of these works are done by contract, which has currency until next year, and my idee is that the City Corporation should esita'olish yards at a central depot, own their own plant and stock, and perform the work by day labor—a system that is followed in thV larger cities of England. Some cities g--> to the extent of breedinj their own stcck. They have yards equipped with wheelwright's shops, smithy shops, storage for chaif (with chuff-cutting midlines), stables (with hospitals), and every conceivable necessity tor the judicious and complete management of administration is centralised at a site convenient to the territory of its woik. Regarding street cleansing, the conditions in Sydney are altogether diffeient to those in Duiiodin. There the central stieets are wojdpaved, and throughout their at various and convenient positions, undeigiound orderly bins are placed as receptacles 'or road detritus, etc., which are swept by lads with a hand brush on to a pan. The difficulty in Dune-din would be to obtain the services of boys for such work, and tlic employment of men entails a cost that. should not be attachable, to citv work."