DISAPPOINTED

Southland Times, Issue 20499, 30 May 1928, Page 7

DISAPPOINTED

MAYOR AND DEPARTMENT. SOUTH INVERCARGILL SEWERAGE. The Department of Health has written as follows to the Borough Council regarding South Invercargill drainage:—“l am directed to inform you that your council’s application for a requisition under Section 22 of the Health Act was considered by the Board of Health at its quarterly meeting on May 18. The board decided to defer consideration of the application pending the receipt of further information, including an estimate of cost. I understand that these particulars have been or are to be supplied by you to the Medical Officer of Health, Dunedin, who will no doubt transmit them in due course to the board. The board will not be meeting again for probably three months and I was instructed to advise your council that if in the meantime any poll of the ratepayers is being taken in Invercargill it. will be advisable for your council to include this matter on the ballot-paper.” The Mayor expressed disappointment at the contents of the letter. He said that he thought the Health Department would have agreed readily without putting the matter before the ratepayers. That meant holding up the work indefinitely. When he was in Wellington he told the authorities that it would relieve unemployment to a large extent, but the Department had replied that it was not interested in unemployment. The Department ought to be, if not directly at least indirectly. It was not likely that a poll would be taken within three months. In regard to the Department’s statement that it did not know the cost of the work the Mayor said that he had told them when in Wellington what it would cost. The letter was referred to the Works Committee to deal with.