MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1868.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 22, 8 June 1868, Page 2

MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1868.

Xorin Raid tho' dootora aro complaining, 'Ijiafc thoro ifi noi; half onough liufdnoßHi for (ihom in Olu'ifltohuroh. Oomparod with what it was two or throo yoars ago, llioro ia no doubt that tiio health of tho city ban improved in a vory remarkable dogrco, And this is principally owing to tho fact that Ohristehurch ia ondowodby nature \vith an abundant supply of tho puroat wator, For a vwy trilling Bum, ovorj h.oiiHoho.ddr- can obtain, cloho to hw door a novor coaning utroam of mtro living wator. Wo doubt if thoro in ahothor town in tho world ho woll supplied with thin /lrafc roquiaito of health and comfort. -~"So far as tho wator aupplv ia oonoornod, tho Borough Oounoil, as conservators of tho public health, havo an oasy tank boforo thom, "With this groat natural ally at hand, thoro ia no rqnaon why Ohriafcohuroh should not bo essentially tho moat healthy city in Now Zealand. "With an abundant 'supply of running wator capablo of being usdd ' for cleaning purpoaos in bvoiy direction, a vory simplo and comparatively moxponaivo system of

e-urfaco drftiyg^;ifi)lAtl}fti; ;sill bo roquirod for.: ,^rj^'^p'!ic6^i' , 'il[t , '^Qt'dcr to koop tho oity 'qioari' and I .^hQloaomp. Uiidop ,^1 jo ; no w, A.cjti' th o Oqiinpil has power tol-lfocftow Mdu<iy foi' .'spoeial works. "Wo^Jip^o thoy will oxoreiso thia powor in border /to;qarry . out ft syatom of "/goiierdi "Buri'acd; .' drainage With (VU QWtplfl "flttbply ■' <?£ running wator from a.fcbtiiaii T w§llfl continually passing along tho ohannols, thoro CrtU bo no reason why nil tho slops and liquid manure from ovory house blioulH not bo allowed to pa«» away in the aurfaco drains, Tho proportion of pure water would bo largo onough to .obviate any offence, proVidod tho drain, woro kopt froo from obstruction. Butsiioh a stop would have to bo aocompaniod with a stricter inepoction of 1\U1H(U1008 thnn haa hithorto boon cuetomary, At piuwiit, ti largo proportion of tholiquid rofuao of the town finds its way into oosspools whioh aro in many casos in eloso contiguity 'to houses, .Exporionce haa shown that this practice is full of daugor, and that it is nothing loss than a broadcast sowing of tho soods of foyor. The Borough iCounoil can stop tliis custom, and ought to do so at onco, Evory houso should bo viflitod, in ordor to asoortain carefully what beoomog of tho liqtitid rofußo bolonging to it, and all ehould bo compolJod to load thoir house drains into tho stroot. Tho stroot drains Hhould bo continually flushed with running water, in ordor to avoid offonoo. At tho samo timo, it would bo aa woll to exorcise a etriotor inspootion ovor tho accumulation of manuro and dust heaps. By compelling houselioldoro to havo thoso removed at ahortor intervals, much bonoflt would Accrue to tho health of tho Town. I Tho cost of a complete systotn of surfaco drainago would not, wo imagino, bo vory considorablo, as it would necessarily bo oonflnod at first Jjo'tho moro contral parts of the city. And wo should' think that thero aro fow inhabitants, who would object to pay a modorato speoial rato for an object of such paramount importance to 'tho publio health, Before tho dißoovory of artesian wells such a system of drainago as that now pre pOHOd would have boon impossible, as, without running water, surface drains would havo boon an intolerable nuisance Now, tho plan is porfootly foasiblo, and wo hope tho Borough Council wiil uot henitate to adopt and carry it out,