SOIL FERTILITY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 77, Issue 6558, 27 August 1948, Page 4

SOIL FERTILITY

ASPECT OF SEWAGE UTILISATION LECTURE ON MODERN TRENDS Introduced to a small but intensely interested audience by the Mayor (Mr G. Spinley), Mr D. M. Robinson, president of the Auckland and Suburban Drainage League, gave a lecture, on the subject of sewage utilisation and composting in the Town Hall on Wednesday evening. Mr Robinson supported his remarks with a documentary film record of modern se.wage developments in the United States of America; the film being one made under the direction of the U.S. Department of Health.

In introducing Mr Robinson, the Mayor said that the borough of Te Awamutu was embarking on a sewage scheme which would cost, initially, £40,000. The scheme included an Imhoff tank installation which had been practically forced on the. council by the Health Department. He personally was not enamoured of the Imhoff tank, and, like the audience, was anxious to hear Mr Robinson’s views on the subject of alternatives. Mr Robinson knew his subject thoroughly, and the purpose of his visit was to give, the borough council and the public all the information possible on the questions of sewage utilisation, composting, and related matters.

Mr Spinley introduced also Sir Alexander Young, patron of the Auckland Drainage League, who was for some years associated with the Waikato as a Member of Parliament, and was Minister of Health in 1926-28 and again in the Coalition Government of the early ’thirties. Sir Alexander, he said, retained a keen interest in public affairs, regardless of his advanced years. Changing Views Mr Robinson, in opening his address, said that formerly the sewage question was regarded as mainly a matter ,of disposal; of getting rid of sewage as quickly as possible by releasing it into streams, rivers, and harbours. Nowadays, however, sewage was being increasingly regarded as an agent in the promotion and maintenance, of soil fertility. Instead of contaminating waterways it could be returned to the soil in a changed condition where it would increase fertility and would also be a factor in improving public health. Healthgiving qualities of food were gained from the. soil, and it was from the soil fertilisers, changed by the processes of nature, that food was formed. Dealing with his subject from what he described as its negative aspect, Mr Robinson said that the Imhoff tank system of sewage, treatment that the Health Department was almost forcing on Te Awamutu was more dangerours than the ordinary septic tank installations. Effluent in an Imhoff tank was a breeding ground for pathogenic organisms dangerous to human life. Unsterilised sewage, and even that which is sterilised contained harmful bacteria.

“It was only in the last 20-25 years that the discovery was made that the bacilli of typhus, cholera, and similar diseases were spread by sewage,” continued Mr Robinson. “Until it was finally accepted by the medical profession there was considerable controversy on this theory.” A similar stage was now reached in regard to the factors in the spread of poliomyelitis. Professor Kleen, a Swedish authority, advanced the theory at the Fifth International Micro-Biological Conference that prevailing sewage disposal methods were responsible for the spread of poliomyelitis. A close survey of infected lakes and one to which the public had no access was made in Sweden, and on the basis of this the Professor reached his conclusion, and developed prophylactic methods which were approved by the conference. This put the seal on the theory of sewage contamination being the “villain of the piece” in respect of the spread of the poliomyelitis virus. The Living Soil In treating sewage to render it harmless to humans, said Mr RobinSon, the best method was the natural one; the return of the sewage to the soil, from whence it originally came. The soil was a natural purifier. It harboured bacteria which were the natural enemies of pathogenic organisms, and the return of the diseasecausing organisms restored the “dynamic equilibrium” of the soil.” It was an old Jewish custom to bury contaminated substances in the soil for 24 hours as a purifying measure, commented the speaker, “indicating that even at that stage of human history the purification value of the soil was recognised.” The natural controlling forces of the soil provided the only method of destroying the deadly germs of typhoid fever and epidemic diseases. If the berieficient bacteria of the soil disappeared humanity would be destroyed practically overnight. “We must keep the soil healthy,” said Mr Robinson, leading up to a discussion of the merits of artificial fertilisers, which he thought could not entirely replace natural plant foods necessary to the soil. “A combination of artificial and natural manures may be the final answer to their problem,” commented the speaker. “After all, none of us can live entirely on whisky; it might be a useful artificial stimulant, but it will not support life.” Quoting Mr Bruce Levy, of the chemical fertiliser industry in New Zealand, the speaker said that the cow, on which New Zealand was dependent, “is the natural composting machine.” But the cow was affected by the poisoning of the soil with excessive quantities of artificial fertiliser, and the incidence of stock disease in New Zealand was rising each year. According to veterinary opinion the average replacement of stock in the Waikato, in consequence of losses through disease, was 25%. “We. are flogging the soil, and all we are doing to replace the elements taken out of it is to use superphosphate,” stated Mr Robinson. “This must be supplemented by organic material if soil health is to be preserved.” Parasitical Cities Continuing, the speaker said that cities and towns have been parasites living on the countryside for hundreds of years, “and they have returned thanks by burning residues -in incin-

erators, and pouring fertility through the sewers.” “A very fine article in the ‘New Statesman and Nation’ recently made the. assertion: ‘The deserts of the world are on the march,’ ” continued the speaker. The world was faced with an increasing population and a decreasing area of land from which to feed humanity. Food production was one of the greatest needs in the world; a starving population only a comparatively few miles from New Zealand’s shores was a definite menace to the country. A pronouncement by Sir John Boyd-Orr, world authority on food, emphasised the danger of the present position in relation to the feeding of the world’s population. Relating his foregoing remarks specifically to Te Awamutu and referring to an illustrative film on sewage treatment plants, which was the main feature of the address, Mr Robinson suggested that the borough council should decide first on the principle of the system of sewage treatment and composting considered suited to local needs, and then to consult their engineer as to the installation of a revenue-earning plant which would meet the borough’s requirements and at the same time would not be a burden on the ratepayers. At the conclusion of Mr Robinson’s address, Mr G. Wallace moved a vote of thanks to the speaker for his comprehensive discussion of the subject, and in seconding the motion, Mr G. S. Clarke suggested that interested ratepayers should attend the next meeting of the borough council and demand alternative action on the question of sewage utilisation. The meeting closed with the customary vote of thanks to the chair.