The Timaru Herald. THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 1908. THE SOUTHERN OUTFALL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13677, 20 August 1908, Page 4

The Timaru Herald. THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 1908. THE SOUTHERN OUTFALL.

The interviews with the drainage engineer and the Mayor which we. print- thus .morning will be entirely satisfactory to the residents of the south end who have objected ,to tho proposed modification of the drainage scheme. Mr Craigie himself confesses to to, personal sympathy with the objectors, And as .head of the Council he admits the, justice of their claim that tho v Council should' keep faith with them by building a septic tank n>b the southern outfall, where the bulk of the sewage of the town will be discharged. There ie, we think, mote than mere ' sentiment, in the demand for. the tank. Mr Marchant, in his remarks to our representative, says that he put it in " by way of perfecting tie 'scheme," so that obviously the southern residents are justified in regarding its< omission,.as an infringement of the originally attained by the designs of the engineers. They',ate! therefore, not to be blamed' if: they decline to acquiesce in such. an,. i»W fringejnent, and Mr Marchant'S statement will certainly confirm their determination to ",haV? the original • plan adhered to. We imagine that the Council will throw no difficulty in the way of a reversion ,fo the ; first scheme for. the construction of a septic tank. The change is, 'as- t the. Mayor says, a technical undertaking tipon the probable result of which only experts are competent to give a reliable opinion, and in this case the experts are unanimous in the opinion ---at the substituted, - proposal for •'» concrete sewer liquefying tank would ' deal with . the offensive matter in a. perfectly satisfactory, •manner. They may be, and no . doubt are, quite right in that-opinion,, but a» the engineer 1 tells' us that the septic tank, ; while not an absolute necessity," yeh makes for the perfecting'of'the scheme,' it appeals hardly worth while to effect a trifling saving at the. expense of ■a, portion of that perfection. Mr;. Mar-.; chant's remarks about the of the. northern tank are conclusively in favour of the contention raised by the southeri residents ~<ifc their meeting on -.Tuesday • •evening He admits that the northern; , tank '< was built in" deference, :to .public opinion, though .the . scientific mind didV not look upon it as being .required, .'but •he ia. satisfied liiiy that the scheme, was'perhaps" a thing,, and that afc any rate,it absolutely , destroy the chance of pollution outside ..a ■. small radius of the outfall. There are no artificial, structures along the southern beach to cause the complications which have been set up by the eastern mole, but if by placing a tank at. the powder magazine, the .same immunity from the pollution of the .bench will be secured as Mr :Marchant expects at. the Jtenvenne Cliffs, then the little extra expenditure will be thoroughly justified. ' The southern foreshore Jias certainly been disfigured in. a way that is little short of sacrilege, as one of the speakers .at.''the South School said. It ought to be. preserved cleaa and wholesome 'as :'h;\heal% playgrmtfut for the children, in the south, end of the town, and as an agreeable resort, for the »adult parti,of the population. Not'only should the danger of filtering sewage be guarded against, but the unsightly tins which have been strewn along ,'the beach, and the offensive rubbish tip-whose .fumes .pollute the atmosphere, ought to be: re< moved further from tiie homes and Mia strolling ground, of the people. TThe growth of population will. surely force these deposits further afield, and when one nuisance is being abated, its companion, evile might as' well also be dealt' with. j '■'.