CLEAN UP WEEK.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 December 1917, Page 7

CLEAN UP WEEK.

UOOD RESULTS FROM TEST STREET.

A stranger to Xew Plymouth passing along Molosworth Street late on Thurs" (lay evening or early yesterday morning might well be excused for 'supposing that New Plymouth householders had verted to 16th century methods of sanitation, for in front of every house lav a pile of household rubbish, tins of "all fhapcs nnd sizes, old bedsteads, pots and pans, old linoleum and clothing, bicycle parts, zinc lifting, a plaster model, and ft hundred and one odds and ends that had served their life of usefulness. Recognising that cleanliness and the resulting general health are essential for efficiency, the Borough Council decided at last Monday's meeting to test a »chcmo whereby New Plymouth would lake its place as the cleanest and healthiest borough in the Dominion.

On Wednesday morning last every householder in M'olesworth Street was circularised and asked to collect all rubbish and place it on the edge of the footpath before S a.m. on Friday, for removal by the council. No insinuation was made that Molosworth Street was a particularly dirty street, but it was selected, as being a fair average -town street. Before the regular rubbish collecting ; System was instituted about a. year'ago. 'householders'made a general practice of throwing their rubbish anywhere and everywhere about their sections, and, tvorking on the old adage that "out of night is out of mind," manv stowed odds And ends under lio.usps and sheds, -<ntil fo much accumulated that an oppress had to be. hired, and the householder was put to considerable expense, Under the new scheme, nil that is required of him is to do a little work, and the council bears the expense.

' AN AMERICAN IDEA. ' ■'''•' The town clerk (Mr. F. T. Bellringer) got the. idea for the new scheme from the annual report of the Philadelphia (U.S.A.) City Corporation. It that city an annual clean up is made, the whole iif the work being done in one day. The town is divided up into blocks, and committees arc sot up to supervise their I particular districts. The. citizens enter into the spirit of the thing enthusiastically, and keen competition- results. Referring to the hearty co-operation of the citizens the Philadelphia report says: "Prompt and vigorous was the reply of the citizens on the first day of 'Cleanup Week!' Rubbish in all its manifold forms, small trash and dirt, were put l out In such startling quantities that it was necessary to increase the force employed in removing the rubbish. Housewives and housemaids waged war against dirt in the places which had formerly been crammed with aibandoned household utensils and -furniture, with the result that Wg loads, but small articles, were carried away to the waste reclamation stations and dumps." . It' was this scheme that the Town Clerk brought before the New iPlymouth Borough Council in February last and again in his annual report presented in April. At 8 a.m. yesterday a start was made and during the day the four expresses working \inder the supervision ot the inspector took jnit seven wellheaped loads from the sixty houses in the street. Only one householder failed to contribute her quota. The mayor, town clerk, and the borough engineer were interested visitors, and were thoroughly satisfied with the result of the test. '.A further test will be made on Monday next, when Courtenay Street Will receive its clean up. The council will be asked on Monday night to authorise a scheme for the whole of the Oorough. It is proopsed to divide the town into five or six blocks, and with extra conveyances no difficulty should be experienced in getting the work through in a week.

The success of the scheme depends whollr on the enthusiasm of householders. The inspector proposes to endeavor to interest the boy scouts in the movement. There are many ways in which the boys could help, such as collecting tins from empty sections and unoccupied properties. If householders will co-operate with the coiuicil there is no reason why the scheme—which, by the way. has never been tried in Australasia before—should not bo completely successful.