The Star. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) SATURDAY, OCTOBEB 8, 1892.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XIX, Issue 3245, 8 October 1892, Page 2

The Star. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) SATURDAY, OCTOBEB 8, 1892.

THE OLD SOEE.

♦ The Hawera Borough Council at every recent meeting has had odours, closets, cesspits, and pigs set; betore ie; also poultry. The pigs have been cleared, closets improved, but cess-pits and other liquid nuisances remain. We dealt so fully and plainly with this subject some time ago, followed by a public meeting prepared at tht»t time to take remedial action, tbat it is with reluctance we again broach tbe subject. As much of tbe complained about nuisances remain, and as the disease- germinating and fructifying season is at hand, the matter must be faced. Cities as Wellington and Napier, already burdened with heavy municipal taxation and big loans, have recently voted almost unanimously for drainage and water loans. It is tbe only way they can hope to secure funds to carry out works to cleanse and purify their cities and surroundings and keep to a modest death-rate. A high death-rata i? neither creditable nor agreeable, any morejthan too much siokness. The only way to reform is by securing better sanitary conditions and , reliably pure water in abundance. Steps aro being taken to Becure both in the places referred to. Hawer& was justified m deferring aotion till the artesian well experiment had been fairly tried. There is no excuse for further delay. It is very expensive for the larger hotels and wherever large Etabling accommodation is required to remove bulky refuse. It iq impossible to draw off the liquid. All are - alike helpless in]regard to tbe latter. They can do nothing without drainage, and not much to good purpose with drainage unless also there is an effective water supply. These then are the paramount requirements of the Borough of Hawera. The alternative ot not securing these essentials of town and city life, is sickness, and, in case of serious epidemic a high death rate. Towns at Home where sanitary improvements have be6n effected in places previously foul and very hotbeds of all sorts of travelling diseases have remained quite unconcerned in tbe face of the threatened visitation of cholera, They have little fear of it for the simple reason tbat their towns, formerly unwholesome, are now sanitarily clean. This is a cause of present confidence, and the beet safeguard against cholera panic or any other disease panic. Hawera has no ground for any such confident complacency. It has, on i tbe contrary, much to fear from whatever epidemic may next present itself. Alleady here as elsewhere there have been a few cases ot a queer sort of stiff-necked affliction, w}t|i languor, PQt exactly inflneu^a, but something near akip. Tbe aptitude oj Hawera to take kindly to thiß new importation might well be looked at with suspicion, and the question asked, Why sheuld we be so early in the field with specimen oaseß ? Yes. certainly, wa had a pretty stiff dose of influenza, but we have had a good cleaning up since then. Still, tbe fact remains that tbere is neither serviceable drainage nor good water. Even His Worship the Mayor can only reply, "I am helpless until you supply me with drainage." As it now seems hopete.es to expect to strike artesian water, the sandstone rock proving formidable obstruction to deep sinking, Borne oiher supply must be obtained. Neither drainage nor water can be long deferred with satety. The matter must be faced, and the 60oner the better for health and the good reputation of the town. *- ■ ■ HOME TRAPE gTILft. ' The mail from England has brought the usual batch of trade ciroulars, indicating better prices for butter, with cheese quiet but firm. We have, however, been permitted to peruse a letter received by Mr. James Kowin, from his principals., Messrs. ' Liovell &d& Christmas, whom he represents ! in tibia oniony, and give an extract which ] will be more to the purpose as regards i this district. The principal member of ' j

the firm writes : — " I think prospeots for butter fairly good and cheese also. I rather expect better results even than last year, I would prefer consignments, making advances and paying on resultß. All my other business is done that way. One thing you must be extremely careful about — SELECTING FINE QUALITY — and seeing the goods are not heated before shipment. If absolutely obliged to buy, I will not tie your hands, but I am sure the other is the better business for all concerned. If we buy we must have larger profits, and on consigned goods I shall work for a very small commission." Seeing that this is a purely private communication from a principal to his New Zealand agent, we consider it far weightier tban any number of printed trade circulars. Emphasis is given to the necessity of only fine quality being sent. This is what Mr. Kowin has insisted on from the first. " Send prime quality and tbere is a practically unlimited market. There are no better judges of quality than the British public. 11 Then the precaution as to butter in transit to port of shipment, and, indeed, up to the cooling chamber on shipboard. This has hitherto been tbe weak point in i New Zealand. Victorians have looked well after the handling from producer right along to salesman in England, with the result tbat Victorians have secured top prioes. The same carefulness as to quality of the produce and carefulness in handling will secure equally good, and most likely better results, for New Zealand has so many advantages for producing a good article over the sister colonies. And thiß distriot takes a top place.