THE NELSON DRAINAGE SCHEME.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue XXXVI, 15 December 1902, Page 2

THE NELSON DRAINAGE SCHEME.

llll*] DECISION OF THI* HARBOUR BOARD.

Till'! ilecisK ll ul the Nelson liar- j hour Hoard that it wms unable to ptrinil the discharge of any drainage elbucni e-n the loresh.ores of the harbour partially wasjied by the tide or mt" an) part of the harbour not deep waier and lelov.* low water ;nark was arrived at hy the unanimous approval of the members, and it. ruler ts the view nf the great tnalonl y of 'he ill i/.rus of Nelson. Thene is a strong feeling, borne nui by undoubted medical testimony, that, however innocuous a n effluent, from ,i sep'iic tank may be. there irisk in letting it discharge on areas net always totally submerged and aeteii upon In ihr daily Iklp, cspcciallv if thai area is quite (lose 1 w ihr in > and in a line wil li a prevailing' bree/e. The experience ot niitiiy other places, including Au.sil rai ian towns and suburbs where Uu* -rpuc tank system has been j l ried. is also against, stich discharge : while, as we Uave conclusively • hrivvii from the latest data. e\en 'the typical septic tank installation al l-'\eter, m l-.'nglatul, has* I lip rhiuriil coin e)rd in sealed pipeto Dink Mars)), a considerable distance from !he ill \ . ,wi(l m bn I. from an) lai -ie popul.i t ion «illo•_rlliei .

jii •, iew ni puhln MiLiimii a nil lbe (UllV (IcClsjiMl I' W.ls |K,SS|||l,' fill* tlie' ll,ir!i.i*.r Mn i '1 fe. a* r!\c **. 1 . I licrclee:**'. : • !• fe' < * --ai'* I hal ' '"* CUV <*„*, .ll Cub] 1, :■ . *eii*i lie jin . : i*-1 j i ii; i c_a rd I>, Ihe dra na **c -i liciiic it li.i- adopird lor -nliiin---,('II I o 1 lir 1,1 l('|).i\ cr- for Ihe -an- - lum lo <ilo.Ul To l-'o 10l hi* ra Ic|.,i \ci - with 1 lir scheme unamcivlrd Hi ihr (liirrtioii of oeuiv ry ing llir rlllni nl 1 .) dri*|i waWr would he to ,n\ nr rr ii'r'l mn. 1 f on the obhet hand rhr drsiniu r cm I'nrllirr alter ills |)|;11IS Wjllioill iidilltion.ll rosl. so as io provide im! only a (it cp-walrr rllliirnl hill also -raled llislcid of mi 1 1 1 \ io\i ivd 1 ank*-. 1 lir ipirsl mn foi i onsidri ,i.l mn will he much inodilii (1 A point thai raiiiie 1 he overlooked, however, is that lhe )>l. oi- h-ivr .ilieaeh horn considerhU aherrd. and ili.it Cue furl-hei altci a i uni required as absolutely iir((**.sary before either the public or ihe llarixnir Hoard tar. accept them will ili.uigo them so vitally as lo rriider the scheme a completely new* • •we. rrsi milling in very few* part iruiai - thr original proposal of Ihe (lemi;iiit. lim lx i uu; almost a l.v*- • inulr of tht allenia'l ive proie; I wliii h IheCi i \ Council hv ,i sma II inaiorii.y re.iri ird. This Im*;ll'_s us hack io t lit- n, ntt nl ion lh.it , by ordinal \ luciiu'ss-liki prut* rilui'r . both llii- rricrlrd s< lirmr, which remains unaltered, and Ihc accepted scheme, which musl he modified oui of .ill II srmhlaurc to its original self dcloie il ian Imp.' tt' tt ■"*•- ih* eudoisenH'iit . should be submit led to the ra tepa} crs for a < hone t o he made.

Tho decision oi tho Harbour Hoard will (iitiie before 1 lie City Cotnu *il in ilne course nevi Krxlay ,C the ordinaiy inee'ting. and it is Imped that lho Council will consider the posiliiu fairh. i-iodora 'toly, and withinit temper. Thore has been a *^' "=d deal oi talk to the effort thai I lie ('oiiihml ian empty 'I lie dram.tgo efllmni, where if c lionsos on any lowIvinix sniii-lul.il area witlioi 1 1 „\vn boundaries. Pnit, TihaU-vor lone this contention may |ios^*-*- a*-* a legal o[imion, it niust ho obvious lh<ei public opinion will condemn any act calculated lo lessen the \aino ol <ily frontages, or milil,i.t<" .ilmiiisl" ilic -ueoess of lhe llarbeuir iinprowmeiits Works vi lho least degree. KurUioniini c. il 1^ said lo be the inl'M'. t ion of sonic a I least nt" lho member- of lho f|!y (.'ouncil !n KU'er (lie adoplcd drainage scheme on I lie i,itepa\ ots under (lir pto\isiems of iho Health Aot should tho sand urn to a (o.ui ho refused b> bailor Ip this connect ie.n it niay iio pointed met that the provision of lhe Ad lo force drainage on a community is* not meanl to bo applied in cases whore specific: schemes are rOiected on thoir merits or demerits. It is not remotely probable that* the Covenimont or F'arhamoni will sanction (he application* of such force again s**'5 **' the expressed wish of the cili/ons and en the face of a unanimous decision of the Harbour Hoard defining where an edition t shouldho discharged, for such a procedure would ho an outrage on th-* liberty and constitutional procedure provided for self-governine eoiiijnu--111 I M'-

lii all tho circuiiist Alices*, the only 1 sensible ;utd fjit-Uic^-liKc tmioo fur • the City Council to pursue is to 1 review the wliole position and re- ■ consider the plans in the light of an diluent to deep water, and .sealed tank.-. The need of dr. linage is* ndniiiud, and, whatever may be done in the near or <lislant future in con* iKvlinii with a. comprehensive >cl*cuic*, soiuetli ing must 1,0 doilQ promptly in regard fe, purely local wauls, notably I lie drain in i\a,*jb ington \' alley about which there was trouble by a block on private lard a few months ago. In other districts, where new buildings are being erected, residents are being put to expense and trouble to furnish some kind of temporary drainage which e-m last ouly till such timo as a complete system is put into force, when Irefh expense wiil hive to bo incurred. Thus the longer the ballot of the ratepayers on a drainage; loan is deferred tlie greater will b*: the disinclination of individuals to vote a sanction which will directly allcet their [.ockets in the way of fresh connections, and by] ! | that mr-ans the merits of any scheme -j submitted may be obscured by delay. I If the City Council will simply ' accept, and act upon the obvious j conclusion that ouy scheme tei bo j accepted on ils merits must do c away with even the most remote ■> risk uf contaminating 01' dcpreciat- c ing the value of theTnudtfat. facing [ tLe foreshore of the busities3 part of c

he city, there is uo i-ctsom why a project should not bo submitted to ;he ratepayers at a very early dale. * » * The Council has two schemes iv its possession, both on the modern principle of the septic tank. One, till modilied in the direction of furnishing sealed tanks and conveying the elllaent to deep water, is out of court *. but there is no reason why the necessary modilication should not ba made provided it- comes within the estimate ou whnh the plans were accepted. Tbe other scheme waa rejected by a narrow majority, and in its pn-ix-nt form itis merely a sketch, all that was asked for, as against a perfected scheme at a greater cost for the plans. The two schemes, both brought to completion by the respective designing 1 engineer!-*, might now be taken into I reconsideration, ami on their merits they might be submitted to the J ratepayers for choice — a course that J should havo been adopted in the first instance. Tho reopening nf J tiie whole question, on these lines will save lime, remove past fiict'nm.

clear away obscuring issies. and in; the long run expedite .sanction to a drainage loan. It is therefore hopi:d tluit the Council, as a local body composed of earnest busi nest* in en. will see it,. "*viy clear to deal with this important subject iv a proper spirit, and to decide ou a cou:*;:e of procedure t hub will bring a drainage scheme within the scope of early aeomplishment to the satisfaction of all, and in the best interes' s of the city.