ST. KILDA TIP

Evening Star, Issue 25715, 12 February 1946, Page 10

ST. KILDA TIP

STRICT CONDITIONS IMPOSED DOMAIN BOARD RELINQUISHES CONTROL Following advice from the Ocean Beach Domain Board that it had decided to relinquish control of the tip at St. Kilda, the town clerk, Mr R. A. Johnston, at the request of the Public Works Committee of the Dunedin City Council, communicated with the St. Kilda Borough Council, and the letter was "considered at last night's meeting. The Public Works Committee is prepared to recommend the council to -take over the tip and conduct it on modern lines provided) that St. Kilda will agree to pay one-quarter of the cost of putting the tip in order (estimated at £500) and thereafter one-quarter of the administration costs. A higher expenditure will be incurred, due to the necessity for exercising stricter control over material. No metals will he received unless they are flattened, tanks must be cut up, tins and drums flattened, old motor chassis crushed and flattened, and old tree stumps cut to approved leiigths . The tip face will be restricted to a height of 6ft arid a length of one chain, so that trade materials which do not answer to requirements will have to be refused, The medical officer of health, in April, 1945, reported that conditions at the tip, to put it mildly, were shocking. The several large open faces were providing breeding places for flies and harbourages for rats, considerable numbers of which were observed. The letter contained a mild threat that the tip might be closed if these matters were not attended to. On January 15 last a further communication was sent 10 the Domain Board, stating that the conditions were not satisfactory as far as fly control was concerned, as there was evidence of extensive fly breeding., ''"it could be overcome by a better control of tipping of both household and trade refuse, particularly the latter, which appears to bo quite indiscriminate," stated the letter. " If the City Council and St. Kilda are to take control of the tip, then there are going to be some drastic alterations," said Cr Longworth, discussing the matter with the St. Kilda Council last night. "As the city uses other tips, I think the estimate of onequarter of the cost is quite reasonable. The main thing is that the tip is going to be kept in good order. I think that councillors will agree that if we are going to get a satisfactory tip from the health point of view then we are getting somewhere. Full control of the tip must be vested in the city and St. Kilda." Cr Roy said that an enormous quantity of tradesmen's garbage came in from the city, and practically none from St. Kilda. He did not see why St. Kilda should be saddled with quarter of the cost when eight-tenths of the refuse came from the city. It was decided to agree to the proposals made by the Public Works Committee of Dunedin.