BEMUERA'S DRAINAGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15142, 5 November 1912, Page 9

BEMUERA'S DRAINAGE.

! ,„EALTH OFFICER'S STRONG V " fc * LETTER. ;\- . ';. W DANGER OF TYPHOID. !- V APPEAL TO THE BOARD. •*•■ . ■j':«-al of the sewage oi Eemuera, WirSfiS Newmarket during the time S *2? ' wi ebp-c before the big city and •■• uLn diJage scheme fa in working V gravely exorcist the. nnnd« of mSJ pecplo in Hemuora. The matt*rwas ; i { - Tiled at some length at last, nights * *£ of the Rcnmera Road Board, a Si Jon of the Rcmuera Ratepayers" ~' Association being present V- % deputation representing both the ft Beard and the association waited on the ,:';S Committee of the Dnu rage Board #• to**rd 9 the e~d of tat monKi, and com- ';■ lined that the temporary discharge of '•>■■ Lftse into Hobson Bay, pending the - : finishing of the sewer, would create » ■'": nJisance and would be a menace to the. ■-;.' public health. It naked that tho Board ■" gfioxild at least minimise the nuisance by ■{!/ dodging the Orakei channel, and that the "'' ■ retaining wall across Hobeon Bay should " -,j b* proceeded with. A reply was received to the effect that ; . ' lie engineer, in reporting to tho Board, ■' had stated that the discharge of sewage ?- , at present taking place was simply the -,-i '/': jane a3 that formerly discharged into :■' Bobsoii Bay, and was in a much better position, and that no nuisance would be caused by the discharge. The engineer 5 recommended also that tho Board should ~[•' >l withhold permisßion for the use of branch Vo. 1 until the tanks wer<> completed, and ' ' that the sewage would be discharged at ', Orakei from the main outfall. Regarding ;''■:■- « tf» non-construction of the retaining wall, - l : had"been agreed between the Board, the '"S ' llarboar Board, and the health authorities, ' ■,-,,: that except as a preliminary to costly re- '•. J.clainitien works, the construction of the ' .' !,J will'would be a grave mistake in the in- ' tereats of public health. The Board had, : s -'"$ Uitwfore, decided not to proceed with the .'?.' I wort, I , l , The Safety of the District.

'/'■'- i The- question was referred by the J i; :-.. Drainage Board to the district health officeHDr. Makgill), and the following letter |- ,'from him to the Road Board was read,to t '.' 5 tL Semaera. Road Board last night :— >•''** I wry much regret that the ill((Misidered agitation of a section of the Bjonwra ratepayers has resulted in the Drainage' Board deciding to refuse to perI , mil, sewage to enter the harbour from the ;•-, Eertnera No. 1 branch sewer. % ''.-.. "In anticipation of sewerage being provided, houses have been built in Reimiers. on onsll sections, the soil of which is too porous and the am too small to admit of i. the household slop waters being disposed ' tiereon in a sanitary manner. Nuisances ■ sJriaijr are common all through the more Sickly populated parts of Remuora. It i «as hoped that the aeferage would provide I ,',-, t&c remedy immediately. Now that '_ -' j«nedy is postponed for perhaps two years. anticipate very acrieus trouble inconseqtiaoe, aad should tbare be, as is to be i, , feared, an undue amount ot typhoid and | . diphtherial in Remuera, the blame must i : - ' rat with the. Ratepayers' Association and I •-: j&« who, for selfish motives, have en- !'': ■ pneered the agitation in regard to Orakei Omsk., • i •'" The roisance which in theory may arise : ; ha i the deposit of sewage on the shores |. „ of that creek at worst would be but slight, \ ■ . ,iad would only inconvenience a few Cyachtunen. , Probably it would never ' : wile "at all'in the few years, before the . • pwsnanent outfall is available. To avoid ■,'. ■;■ | this theoretic .trouble the Ratepayers' , Association have produced a. condition of -./•fails which 1 may threaten the whole population of Remuera. and will probably ;;/.''\ffed to"fcgai of life. ■ ... "I trust your Board will dissociate itp < self from the action of the Ratepayers' if : Association, and will thus try to obtain .'■ ;■ a reversal of the Drainage Board's deciI sion. The safety of the district is of infir>. - tritdy greater importance than the more or ' lea imaginary grievance of a few per- |'.- ■ tons." .'■;._ Batopayers in Defence. '•<■, - ;. ,A warm discussion followed upon the i reading of this letter, Messrs. J. H. Han- , nan (chairman), and other members of the I .JModatwn opposing the statements made Vby Dr. Makgill. The nuisance had been .. «fflost unbearable, they said, for the past j t«' years, and had only been tolerated ; , t becaoße it could not be got rid of. Now a ■': means of getting rid of it was available, i and .the Drainage Board had enlisted the ;'■■' \ ' jrap of the health officer to stave ofv using .; : The | recommendation of the engineer ; jj«tqat no connections should be allowed AjHh No. 1 branch until the tanks were ;, ', finuhed was also the subject of com- ' Mttt and it was suggested that the ; v Board should claim its rights under the Act, give a fortnight's notice of its in- ; , , jtentaon to do so, and make connections \ ■"■» Kith the sewer. This view was opposed ( ■m members of the Board, who said that fi :« Wrmections could not be made with an un;;v«pttipleted. sewer. 1 . ''$&. annan id that the statements ;. ml ■ W-* MakguTs letter were fiction. Dr. I';, .;JUJtgjll must know, he said, that if sewage ; Mm framed out on the flat there would be v nSS? 4 An expenditure of about £100 I . mi got- over the whole difficulty. It 1 •■•3* * greafc disaster, he said, that in the I »MnceorMr. J. S. Diclcson, chairman of t'-2uT* d ' 809r,, » the Board had no repreI Mutative on the Drainage Board to watch I '^interests. ■ I Jfc ' Spencer said that the Board Mfggt make a mistake if it forced the 1 tonds of ** Drainage Board. The consei;. qmnag might be more serious than if the ; • TjTO "ere discharced into the bay. va the motion of the chairman, seconded ' Z. Mr. - Bond ' it was finally resolved to j .rJ. n action until the opinion of the ■ ; • Sobta' C?tOTS Up ° n its 05 ** 1 ' 00 had ' s§s*&i -