THE ABATTOIRS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 186, 24 July 1923, Page 4

THE ABATTOIRS.

DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE

COMPLAINTS OF MAHORA NORTH. MEETING OF RESIDENTS. A well-attended public meeting of the residents of Mahora North was held in the Mahora Schoolroom last night, Mr. J. B. E. Bird presiding, to protest against the condition of the sewer serving the abattoir, and to urge the Borough Council to abolish the abattoir in accordance with the condemnation order of the Government officials. The chairman said he had seen it in the papers that the abattoir had been condemned as insanitary and out of date lor present requirements. If the Health Department saw the insanitary conditions in the locality of the sewer for over a week, he did not know what they would say. It might be said that th© state of the sewer was due to abnormal conditions that were uot likely to occur again, but it was nothing of I the sort, as be had beeif fighting on the question for the last fourteen years. I During the recent rains the sewer had become blocked and, overflowing, ran down the channels, causing a menace to the health of the surrounding popu-; lation. It was said that this blockage only occurred in flood time, but last February, when there was no flood, the I conditions were similar. With regard to the present conditions. he had| spoken with Mr. Cliff and he saw the position. Ho was a live wire and took a very active part in the present agi- [ tation. being principally responsible for. the holding of the present meeting. I As residents of the district, they had, a community interest, and it was their duty to see that this grave nuisance, was overcome, especially as they had 525 children attending the school, whose health mjgbt be affected. Everything was all right at present, but they must take steps to secure the health of the district and prevent its being menaced, by seeing that the Borough Council set things right. He could not understand, how the Borough Council were able to override their own bylaws by permitting the undigested contents of cows’ paunches to go into this sewer, which should be kept in the highest state of efficiency. There was no chance now of relieving the position until the rivers fell. The abattoir had been condemned as unsuitable and. in discussing the position, they must not consider the butchers, but the health of themselves and their children. Mr. E. S. Cliff© said he saw the condition of the sewer and the road last Thursday, and the filth was inconceivable, and beyond all words to describe. Ho noticed blood, and water coming down an open channel and a mass of the contents of paunches. The conditions were a standing disgrace to all concerned and no patching up would be tolerated. They must insist oi| new premises being erected outside the town. It was said the butchers were not in favour of this. One of them said to him that the abattoir should remain where it was and be repaired, pointing out that if the offal Were disposed of properly, everything would be all right, but he (th© speaker) told him it must be removed. Another butcher who had experience of abattoirs all through New Zealand and iu Australia. had told him that it was the filthiest place he had ever put his foot in. Those paunches going into the sewer mqst generate gasses which would cause sickness and were they going to stand that ? It was time they started a Progressive Association to wake the authorities up. Mr. A. M. Robertson also bore testimony to th© sewer being blocked and the filthy state of the road. There was a wooden trap over the sewer on the road, which could easily be removed by meddlesome boys, in which case children might fall into the sewer and be drcAned. There were no vent pipes to take away the gasses and the block seemed to be between the outlet and th© trap and stuff consisting of blood and the contents of paunches was bubbling up on to the road. If the refuse was left Iving on the road for a few days in the sun. conditions might be created which would cause an epidemic to break out. Mr. F. W. Burw’ood snoke in a similar strain. The Council knew the sewer was overtaxed. Thev had two pumping engines there, but thev only usea on*' because they were afraid they would burst the sower.

THE COUNCIL’S DIFFICULTIES. Mr. F. W. Cook (Deputy-Mayor) said the Council realised that the abattoir would Have to go. Sundry meetings had been held with the butchers on the question, and a further meeting was to be held with the object of delegating the Council’s powers to the Tomoana freezing works, which the Council believed would be the best solution of the difficulty. There was not the same unanimity between the butchers, however, and one authority said that the Council had not the legal power to delegate their powers to Tomoana. The meeting might make a protest to the Council, or they might go to Wellington and see what they could do. The Council was anxious to get the abattoir removed. It would cost some £3OOO to repair it, and then that would be insufficient. He wanted to say Ahe Council had ordered that the contents of the paunches must not be put into the sewer, but evidently the order had been disobeyed.

The chairman said that the present Council might not have been aware that these paunch contents w'ere being put through the sewer, but a previous Council did know and they said the offal had to go somewhere and it was for the benefit of tho public to g©t rid of it. In rainy weather the outlet of the sewej; to the Nganiroro was below the level of th£ river and tho offal accumulated and floated to the top, blocking the sewer. He reterred to on© occasion when a previous Council could not understand what blocked the sewer and a man Was sent through, with the result that tljpy found it blocked with poplar roots. The Council was treating this particular locality scandalously. Mr. Cook explained that the last Council had given orders that the paunch contents should not lie sent into the sewer. The sewer, however, became blocked and found the blockage was du© to sheep’s shanks. (Laughter.) The Coiyicil would be faced with the whole question of sewage in the future. Mr. Cliff asked if it would not be possible for the Council to purchase 25 or 50 acres of pumice, or land of that kind, outside the town, at about £5O an acre, to be used for purposes of afforestation, on which the abattoir could be established and the blood and offal used to nourish that ground. The abattoir difficulty was not insurmountable, if handled in a proper manner. They should show th© Borough Council that they wanted to help them, and if they put the abattoir on such land all riglit-thinking people would support them.

In reply to Mr. PitcaithJey, the chairman said the butchers wore carrying away the meat from the abattoirs while the conditions complained of prevailed. DEMAND FOR ABOLITION.

The chairman proposed: ‘ ‘That this meeting request the Borough Council to take immediate steps to carry out the condemnation order passed on the abattoir by Government officials and, failing th© taking of such action, tho Council to bo notified that the matter would be brought under tho notice of the Minister of Internal Affairs. The chairman said that if an epidemic broke out it would keep the town back for twenty years. If the resolution was carried it would strengthen the hands of the Council. The motion was seconded by Mr. Smith carried. In answer to a question, Mr. Cook said that the Council waa at present

awaiting the report of the meeting between the Abattoir Committee and the butchers. Instructions had been issued that no offal should go down the sewer. Mr. Pitcaithley: It seems that six butchers are holding the Council up. A voice: Two butchers. On the motion of Messrs. T. B. MoNeil and H. C. Apsey, it was decided that the Borough Council be asked to take immediate steps to have the sewer from the outlet cleaned out and that, as the sewer is already apparently overtaxed no more solid material from the abattoir be discharged into it. A CITIZENS’ LEAGUE. The chairman said that they should form a Progressive League in Mahora North. As individuals they could do nothing, but as representatives of a community their influence would lie felt. They had a good example in Parkvale and there was plenty oi work : for them to do. He moved: •‘That the residents present to-night form themselves into a Progressive l/eague, to i look after the interests of, and to forward by every means in their power, the advancement of Hastings, and the Mahora North district in particular, jthe name of the association to be the Mahora Citizens’ League.” I The motion was seconded by Mr. A. M. Robertson and carried unanimously. The following officers and executive I were Mr. J. B. E. Hird; vice-president, Mr. E. 8. Cliff; ■ hon, secretary, Mr. F. W. Burwood; committee, Messrs, A. Saunders (chairman), H. G. Apsey.J’L M. Ixuiglev. W. iT. Chaplin. Powill, Prebble. W. Webb, ' Mesdames Saunders and Wyatt. | The meeting concluded with votes of thanks to Mr. E. S. Cliff, the prime I mover in the meeting, and to the De-Iputy-Mayor (Mr. Cook) for his presence and for the informHtion supplied,