THE MECHANICS' BAY NUISANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12833, 5 April 1905, Page 7

THE MECHANICS' BAY NUISANCE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, This was serious enough months ago, when about 100 residents in the vicinity petitioned the City Council. It is now worse, and the nuisance has become unbearable. feiekness in the neighbourhood is on tho increase, and it is attributed by medical men to the noisome atmosphere created by this putrid mass. It is ' said by certain members of the Council that the nuisance does not arise from the City Council tip, but from the mud in the intake being disturbed by the removal of logs which have lain there for a long time. Be hub as it may, there is 110 possible doubt that tho public health is in danger, and that residents are seriously thinking of shutting lip their house* and removing their families ill a different state of things exists. That such a position should be possible in a city liko Auckland is a scandal and a disgrace. bother tho responsibility rest with the City Council or the General Government, or whether they are jointly responsible, matters not. 'Liie tact remain-) that the horrible nuisance is there, and so far appeals to have it abated have been in vain. First a petition is presented to the Council to stop the tipping of refuse; the reply is that the Council is of opinion that 110 nuisance arises from the tip. Now it this bo so, it. is curious that the fearful smell, that people in Wynyard-strect, Alien Road, and' Lower Synionds-streot, suffer from wero not noticed before the city refuse was tipped into this place. The Council use tho tip with the consent of the Railway •Department, and I say it is a scandal that such a spot as Mechanics' Bay should be made a receptacle for city refuse— i.e., the refuse from houses and backyards, which everyone knows consists of various putrifying matter. it is said that every load of refuse is covered with earth; so it may be; but let rain come upon that earth, and the bulk of it is washed away, leaving the refuse exposed. But even supposing the earth covering is sufficient, according to the city engineer or tho Government overseer, still the idea of a refuse tip in such a populous neighbourhood is repulsive to all people who would regard tho ordinary laws of health. The Council will no" move. They say, "The nuisance is on Government land, and it is there irrespective of the tip." So much for the Council. Now, as to the Government. i 110 Pro-, nner was interviewed by two deputations aoout it 011 March 13. What do we get from him/ lie said in plain words that such a state of things should not be tolerated for a moment; that the Health Department should take steps about it; that the Health Department was not doing its dutv ; that he would see that the Health Department did do its duty; that lie would get the Minister for Railways, who is also Minister for Health, to withdraw the permission to uso the place as a tip. When asked to take steps to have the whole place tilled up, ho replied, " You are asking me to promise to spend public money. I cannot spend public, money without first having the necessary appropriation by Parliament." This could only mean that Mr. Scddon wished to make the deputation believe that he could not and would not promise anything involving the expenditure of public "money unless he was first authorised by Parliament to do M). Was ever .such rubbish talked in reply to a deputation on such a serious matter"? If the Premier wants to give a picnic to his supporters costing the people £6000, ho gives tho picnic and gets the appropriation afterwards. if bo wants to promise £15.000 towards the Queen's statue in England ho promises it and gets it, authorised afterwards. It is news, and most gratifying news, to hear that Mr. Beddon will never make any promises involving the expenditure of public money unless he is first told by Parliament that ho may do so. It is news that nobody believes. However, though the Premier couid not make any promises involving the spending of money, ho promised that tho Health Department, should bo shaken up to a sense of its responsibility, and if it was so sluggish as not to move in m> serious f. matter he would see that, it did move and do its duty. This promise was made on the 15th iust., and the stink remains and the people are getting ill, anil mot a single thing has been done to remedy •tho, evil which exists—on what? On a Government railway reserve. There is no getting away from it that, whether the bad smell cornea from moving logs or from the Council tips, or from Mechanics' Bay mud, or from all combined, the offensive spot is Government property, and the putrid matter is 011 Government property. We have a huge Department of Public Health, with principal health officers and junior health officers, anil a whole army of subordinates, to keep the premises of private people clean, and to see that no decaying banana skins or rotten potatoes are allowed to remain in our backyards, while wholesale rottenness and putrifaetion is calmly allowed on a railway reserve. It matters not whether the railway authorities or anyone else brought the offensive matter there. It is there, and tho Government, as owner and occupier of the land on which it. is, should lie just as liable to abate the nuisance as a innate owner. It soma person unknown I brows a dead «Jog into my yard or on my vacant, allotment, and 1 leave it there to rot, the Health Department would prosecute me. And rigidly so. Why, then, should the Government be allowed to say, "We did not bring the offensive matter on to our property: someone else did; so we will leave it there'/" This is the position taken up by the Government.

In conclusion, please allow me to say. in justice, to both Dr. Mason and Dr. Freiiglev, llgMcwhat they have done so far shows that th-iy, do recognise the seriousness of tilt; ni.ritW, and have fully reported it to headquarters; but neither of them can authorise the expenditure of the money required for the purpose of abating the. nuisance; therefor*" they can only report and advise what is to 'he done. It is for a higher power to authorise the work, and if the, higher power will not. do the m-eessary work, is ' : < likely that cither Dr. Mason or Dr. Frenglev i's going to prosecute th- head of ids own Department for having a iiuisanc-> on the land controlled by him, even if such a prosecution would lie? No, sir; tl an epidemic breaks out and lives are- lo<=t, and I Auckland i- cursed with a •e.cshlenoe frmn this -pot j!,r, responsibilty rests with the City Council ami with the Government, whose Premier wishes n« to believe, that he cannot spend anv money even on puHm health withoul the i'"--'iry appropriation Ivin" first made bv Parliament.—! am, etc., ('. V. r,uni.»T.K. Wynyard -tree!. March 29, 1905.