THE BELMONT FELLMONGERY

New Zealand Mail, 15 February 1900, Page 38

THE BELMONT FELLMONGERY

HUTT COUNTY COUNCIL REFUSES A LICENSE. At the meeting of the Hutt County Council on Monday the question of granting a license to the American and British Agency Company, to carry on a fellmongery business on the banks of the Belmont stream, was considered. On the 13tli ult. a committee of the Council visited the works, and its report was adverse to the granting of the license. The water from the Efcream is brought into the building by means of a race, and distributed into tanks, pits, washing boxes, etc., passing out again, into the stream, and thence into the Hutt river. Although the members of the committee were assured that nothing deleterious would be allowed to enter the river, they failed to see how it could be avoided, as all the pits and boxes appeared to be connected with the water-race.

The people of the neighbourhood appeared to be divided on the question, some being in favour of granting the license, others being against it. Several individual ratepayers made protest, and the Acclimatisation Society also moved in the matter, pointing out that the chemicals from the works killed the fish in the stream. A petition containing sixty-eight signatures was presented in favour of granting the license, while another bearing eighty-five names was presented in opposition to the establishment of the works.

The Council had also been interviewed by Mr F. Wills, on behalf of owners of property all round the works, including the owner of the freehold on which the works stand. They all protested against the issue of the license, considering that the works would not only pollute the stream and be injurious to those using the water below, but would also reduce the value of property in the vicinity. The matter was considered by the Council in committee. The Health Officer to the Council, Dr Purdy, who attended by request, regarded the proposal to establish the industry with disfavour, He said he was not at all satisfied with the result of his visit, as, although the works were fairly clean, and at the time no deleterious matter was flowing into the stream, he thought that tanks containing deleterious matter must precipitate the contained matter into the stream, there being no fdterbeds in use. Experience in England indicated that once these works were begun it was a difficult matter to prevent pollution. He considered, on the ...whole, that deleterious matter would be emitted by the works.

Councillor Brown was also opposed to the works. He asserted that most of those in favour of the license were non-ratepayers, and lived above the works. The protests came from those who lived below and were old ratepayers. Once works of such a description were allowed in the district, others would follow. Many settlers had cows that grazed on the banks of the stream and drank its waters.

Mr Wakeham (the chairman) pointed out that similar works were being carried on by the Gear Company at Petone, without a creek of water. Dr Purdy explained that all deleterious matter from the Gear works was emptied direct into the hariwur. ■ ... -

On the motion of Councillor Brown, seconded by Councillor Walker, the proposal to grant the license was unanimously negatived.