A DRAINAGE QUESTION.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12911, 28 February 1906, Page 6

A DRAINAGE QUESTION.

To the Editor of the " Timam Herald." Sir.—As a member of the Timaru Borough Council. I should like to state that at our meeting hist night 1 was, as usual, iu the minority when the formation of Lough street was proposed, and carried by the majority of the Council. My objection was not that it may not be necessary but that we have other streets far nearer to town where there have been houses for the last thirty years, which are not able to drain on tc the street, the reason of itbeing that the paths in fror.t of the houses are so much higher than the sections upon which the houses themselves are built. The sections to which I especially refer are those in LeCren street, between Church street and Elizabeth street. In other part? the footpath is four feet below the roadway., which is dangerous for any kind of traffic. Again, on the higher portion of that same street- the people have to throw all their disgusting slops into their own backyards, and yet. His Worship and the majority have sanctioned the expenditure of £7O or £BO in Rhodes street, for the drainage of one house, the owners of which have never paid any rates, tip to the time afc least at which this work was sanctioned. With regard to Lough street, there i» only one house there, and this house has only been up about twelve months. This work is absolutely nothing but- what would bo called in politics, a political job. done for the purpose of catching votes in support of the schemes which his Worship the Mayor has got up his schemes not for the benefit of the outside portion of the borough, but for the benefit of people in the centre of the town, who would, immediately on being connected with the drainage system, be relieved of the scavengers*' fees, whereas those people outside of this area would be compelled for all time to par at least, a Id rate for no purpose, besfdes also the scavengers' fee. Aud there is. nothing in the Act to prevent the Council iu office from proclaiming the whole borough -under the drainage system, which would mean that all the ratepayers in the extended borough would be liable to pay the same rate as the people iu the inner area, and would be getting no benefit by it. as they -would still have to pay the scavengers" fees. - I have many more interesting items in connection ■with this, the drainage scheme, which I will, when the time comes, be only too pleased to bring before you; but in the meantime" I must tlianß you for the favour of publishing so much. I am. etc.. TBm WELLS. February 27th, 1906.