BOROUGH SANITATION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13321, 5 March 1914, Page 3

BOROUGH SANITATION

(To the Editor of the Herald.)

Sir, — I consider the remarks made at the Council meeting by Councillors Collins, Bright, Wildish and Brown quite uncalled for, grossly exaggerated, and incorrect. I took the trouble to go down to the beach to-day at low water and examined the outfall drain from the -freezing works, and can truly say there was no offensive smell proceeding from this source. I will admit there were some small particles of solidified blood coming out with the water, but nothing of an obnoxious nature as described by Councillor Brown. Cr. Bright says the rocks for chains round the mouth of the sewer were covered with a greasy slime which was caused by the fat and tallow from the works, , Well, I hunted round all the rocks m the neighborhood for some chains and failed to find any trace of this at all. Considering the market value of fat and tallow, it is rather an absurd idea to think it would be allowed to go to waste m this way. Some of the papa rock may be slimy, but it is the natural slime of the sea and not at all hurtful to health. Tlie seagulls which are there m hundreds are the best scavengers to be got and anything they may miss if it goes out to sea is quickly disposed of by the fish. The small outflow from this drain (which is now being carried out several chains further) is coveredby the waters of the Pacific for twenty out of the twenty four hours, ao it is not at all likely any nuisance can arise from that source. How is it that these works have been operating for the past fifteen years and no complaint made until the septic tank) was placed on the beach? How is it that Messrs Langlands and Coleman m their letters to the Council make no complaint about this drain? They evidently know where the trouble arises, and rightly fix it on the sewage gnsses from the "septic tank. I got a fairly strong whiff of it myself to-day which was quite convincing enough to tell me where it came from. The fact of the matter is the councillors mentioned are only too glad for an excuse to draw a red herring across the scent and try to make the public believe the tajik is working all right when they know it is not so. I hold no brief for the Freezing Company, but simply pen these few remarks on the. state of affairs as I found them. I am, etc., * R-ESD3ENT OF KAITL