SANITARY REPORT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11854, 19 May 1909, Page 4

SANITARY REPORT.

CRYING NEED FOR EFFICIENT DRAINAGE. ] The voluntary guarantee offered by Chief Inspector Sciiauer, of the Public Health Deixirtment, m a final interview with the Borough Council, that there would be "no whitewashing,"' is amply borne out m the first section of this important report, which has come to hand through the Chief Health Officer, and has recently been receiving/the consideration of the Sanitary Committee of tho Council. The area dealt with m this' first section comprises that situated between the wharf and the police gaol, which contains, amongst other modern and satisfactory premises, a number of old and dilapidated buildings m regard, to which tho Inspector speaks his mind without hesitation. The report discloses some glaring insanitary localities that emphasise that the efficient; and thorough drainage and, sewerage of the town should not be delayed a month longer than is necessary. , ' For instance, situated within the area named and separated by only, three blocks from the post office, is a boarding house that the inspector describes -as one of the dirtiest and 1 most insanitary premises it has been his lot to inspect. Drainage is conducted to a soak pit tliat was fulL and backed up the drain; • The whole of- the waste water flowed under tho bath- room, and at the time of the Inspectors' visit there Wa's- 4 inches depth of foul liquid 1 beneath the floor. The occupant was quite aware of this fact, and calmly informed the Inspectors that the cesspool had been overnpwing for about a month, and he liad not taken any steps to abate what was a very_serious and dangerous nuisance. Waste vegetable matter,, potato peelings, carrot tops, etc., were being dumped over the fence on to an adjoining vacant section. . Kitchen waste was simply : tipped on to the ground m what was oi'iginally ; a vegetable garden, but now a poultry' 1 run and general refuse depot. There are two -privies m tile fowl run, one for . each sex, without guard to ensure, privi acyv Slops are disposed of by empty : r itig same. OU the poultry, run. Inspec^r : SchauerrS recommendations are drastic, bul; : reasonable, and comprise the empty- : ihg arid carting away of the contents > df the soak pit, cleansing and disinfect- - ting beneath the bathroom and wash- > house, digging into the garden of waste • water arid .prefer enclosure' ■idf ' poultm ■ All Mofythese the occupier < undertook' ta effect . immediately. .... .'■..:. j> '.,,'.- ' y- '■ A Vvacrfnt; section fronting Nesbit road [ W -*d;escribed as - trodden qnitfe' -bare - of- ; vegetatibni!iandi into, ft- quagmire'; 'by ; horses. ; f»tFhe .insanitary? condition? caused , by»;.ith&. -Irotßes ,is a 4( serious inuipanctirvto | pedple m the vicinity, and by whom many bitter complaints are made. The I removal of foul .matter, grading and filling .irt of hollows with" shingle is recommended. -.■.-., '■-', . . Although not overcrowded, . another ' boarding house, containing 17 persons, was found to. have untrapped, uhVen- \ tilated, artd-leaJty bath , \vaste pipesy ' whilst -the, outside premises ■"''were^.the p subject of important recommendations. The roof leaks, two ; rooms m the> attic a4*e without any .means of ,- fire escape, 1 has unhung sashes and a 2ft wide jstair- 1 1 case,H;he tread of which is Worm-eaten > and unsafe. Recommendations, needles^ • to ad[d^ follow. • .' ; - A dwelling, m Pitt street .; is declared > toibe very old and dilapidated, and the t Inspector. nirges its condemnation as'un--3 fit for humatt habitation; the collecti6n 3 of refuse .m the back .yard to be reiiiov--5 ed to the Borough depot. ' -, '-, ■'• 1 An unoccupied; cottage m Custohihduse r street is also' said to -be unfit for ,habi^ » tati'oti, should be. demolished ;otlier- ? Tyisti xemoval ; of all . decayed- timber, " rubbish, etc., and thorough renovation. J A 'AyHare occupied by a Chinese fear--5 dertex', is classed m tho same schedule. Another lodging house " m 'Kahutia j street, with a lull complement of '>\ll f bpairders,' / new ; ,-,, and" additional [privy accommodation, the existing; cpnr venience- being 'filthy. -About 100 head i of poultry were enclosed m a small Yard adjoining the washhouse,. ahd \#iich j 'should only contain half that, niimber. .An-, underground , concrete cistern< was leaky .arid useless, and required. "\ttlltni , m with - clean earth. : House • timbers , were deciiyed ; roof and spouting" leakyV '. "No djainage" appears m this ( fls m other -instances, l; Several four- roomed cottages towards ', tho Waikanae were found to contain ; two families. The most striking of- these was one . occupied ' by Mr and' Mrs , . who, With his wife and four children, whose ages range from 1£ years to, 10 ye,irs, Occupy only the two .back rboniß. > each containing approximately > ISCO L cubic feet of air space, less than that > taken up by the fwrniture. The rent ■ of the '■; cottage is 14s 6d. per^ week, and j the two front rooms are sublet at , 5s ! per \vesk, each furnished. "Tbis house," - remarks the Inspector. **is un*do\ibtedly I overcrpwded." The, whole of the fariiily L of i two: adults and fpiir children sleep i m' 1 one^ room, containing 1200 cubic feet i of aiv space or with that taken up by » furniture deducted, 175 cubic feet of 1 air space each. Besides beipg overi crowded, the back room was dirty, and , v was evidence of food haying tfeen s prepared attd taken 1 m the bedr win. i Thft Inspector re^mmerids the tenant » being notified to inform his paying 3 'guests., m the interests, of *"his ' family, i thit their room is more desirable than ) their company, at the loss of 10s per -'■ Week. ■ ■ ' -■ ■■-'■" ' : '■■•■ : ' : '- : ' ' ■ - ,The Borough Council is requested by t the ■ Chief Inspector to enact « by-law [ prohibiting the flushing oft urinals direct r- :f r6m ■ the water servicey i arid pointing out* that there is a danger ol^ntamittai tion qf the whole of the Borough' water supply. When the water is* turned v off \ at the main m the street,' that contained m service pipes, being highei'i is invari- ': ably drawn back into the ihain land with ', it foul • air from such' conveniences \ through a.weep-pipe, iif anyexistSi' 'It is urged that a ' whare m Rangi street be condemned, being badly de- \ cayeel and dilapidated, or extensive repairs. \ \ A rain water storage ( tarilt which has ' never been cleaned within the lcnow- ■ ledgfe of the occupier, arid -ta' consequentI- ly very dirty,; although the only source of water supply, is mentioned m connection with a cottage m Matavoa street. | The floor is badly decayed and broken ' Rt the backdoor,' 1 other timbers are defayed and. the back room, 10ft by 12ft has no' piles beneath tit except around , the walls. .Something, of course, is re? : quiredrhere. Priyies, stables, rubbish disposal and Receptacles, trapping and ventilation of drain pipes -into soak pits are the sub- , jeet of frequent recommendations^ wliicli , complied with by all should , give local tradespeople a flush of steady worl<. 1 ■ *" The. police station , and buildings have been carefully inspected and reported on, with the. result that a number- of minor improvements are required*. The gaol and gaoler's residence, however, th 6 insanitary condition of which have more than once> been referred to m these columns, is m a- serious oonditipn ■• tliat requiTfes , the > immediate, erection of the ne« r police gaol, foy which tv site was acquired at Victoria. Township. After referring to tho state of the outside premises, the inspector reports that the kitchen, where^ nil- prison food U? prepared and! cooked,: measures only 15ft by 9ft and 7ft 6in l«gh. It contains only 1013*5 cubic i feet ;iof. air space, the only means of ventilation being a window; 4ft by;. 2tfW .'■';• There is no scullery and no sink. '.The house is voiy old and' low oh the ground. > The roof leaks m several .places, and most> of, -the' 1 barge ; and covering boardls as well as the back / dodr tread are .rotten. :An old, unused bricklined cesspool, a receptacle for sewage, is within three feet of the front of the gaoler's residence, and, this, with other matters, comes under the- scrutinising eye of the Chief Inspector.