MR WAIERHOUSE ON MUNICIPAL MISMANAGEMENT.

Wanganui Herald, Volume X, Issue 2705, 14 February 1876, Page 2

MR WAIERHOUSE ON MUNICIPAL MISMANA GEMENT.

At a meeting of ratepayers recently held in Wellington, the Hon. Mr Waterhouse presided. The following report of his speech is from the Evening Argus :— The Chairman said he had attended the meeting not for the purpose of taking a prominent part in it but because he considered it the duty of every person who had the interest of the city at heart to attend such meetings, and, lend his aid in any effort which would secure results beneficial to them all. Having heard the resolutions, he must say he perfectly agreed with what was contained in them ; at the same time there were many matters connected with the management of the affairs of the city which required attention besides those referred to in the resolutions He agreed that the Auditors were entitled to some credit for the independent stand they had taken up in their recent report, but he could not speak of them with such unmixed feelings of laudation as had been given expression to, for the simple reason that lie considered the Auditors had dons nothing more than their duty. While he praised them for what they had done, he condemned them for not having done it before — they should have done it years ago. However, the recent expression of public opinion would prevent any laxity of the kind in future. The most important matter, perhaps, to which the attention of the ratepayers should bo directed was the question of the water supply to the city. If people paid heavy rates they had a right to expect a supply of drinking water, good in quality and abundant in quantity ; but he believed he was right in stating tha L , the quality of the water supplied was such that it was injurious to health to drink it, ami then again it was deficient in quantity. There was nothing more refreshing than a glass of pure water, but I a person could not obtain the luxury, by drinking of the supply furnished from the Wellington reservoir. The water laid on to his premises was bad. His neighbours complained of tho same' thing, and they all thought it was because there was not a great quantity of water used in the street, and that therefore itremained in the pipes for too long a time. This was not so, however, for on inquiry he found that the supply in the centre of the town was equally bad in point of quality. He was perfectly convinced that the water supplied to the citizens was injurious to health, and it was a shame on the part of the Corporation that water of such a quality should be supplied. Then when he came to speak as to the quantity, in Glasgow something

like 45 gallons per head of the whole population per day was supplied, and in American cities the supply was something like 70 gallons per head per day. The ratepayers of Wellington were entitled to an equally liberal supply, but instead of this being the case they were told that to entire a sufficient supply for household purposes they must keep a supply on tho premises. It was said a deficiency was owing to the fact that there was no receiving reservoir ; that there was simply a distributing reservoir. That was a matter ho cared nothing about. An abundant water supply was a matter intimately connected with the welfare of the city of Wellington, and the ratepayers who were paying somewhat excessive rates would, he thought, agree with him that they were entitled to a supply 0" water better in quality and larger in quantity than that they were receiving at the present time. Then there was inefficient'management in other matters, drainage for instance. Was not the state of the drainage sufficient to create alarm '? There "was an Inspector of Nuisances,but from the scents that assailed one's nostrils in all parts of the town, it seemed to him that either the ofh'cor had no sense of smell, or if he had it was absolutely necessary to him by the scruff of the neck, as housewives were said to do with a dirty cat, and push his nose into a nuisance in order to show him where it was. Bad drainage 'percolated into the streets from back premises and generally the state of the town was such that it should not be tolerated in any civilized community. There was no city in New Zealand which ought to be so healthy as Wellington ; yet with the exception of Christchurcli it was the most unhealthy. It might be said the cost of improving the sanitary condition of the , city would be very great ; but the Corporation should at once proceed to get plans and estimates and if they required further borrowing powers to the extent of £30,000 — let them go to the Legislature, which would not refnso permission to borrow the sum required to improve the drainage. Of course, they could not expect the members of tho Corporation themselves to go and poke their noses into every nuisance, or interfere with general works ; their duty was to superrise and control, but the latepayers had a right to expect that the Corporation should employ efficient officers and servants to carry out the municipal works, and he could not avoid the conclusion that the Corporation was not efficiently served. The Council itself was to blame for that. He had not the pleasure of knowing the Town Clerk,and therefore had some hesitancy in speaking disparagingly of him ; but occasionally one had to speak out his opinion, and ho should fearlessly speak his. , The Town Clerk was practically the Corporation. He was the permanent executive headof the municipality. The Mayor, of course, was only appointed for a limited jieriod, and so were the other members of the Corporation ; but tho Clerk was permanent, and lie should be responsible, In all towns where the position was filled by an efficient officer everything went on smoothly and properly, but where _ the Clerk was not thoroughly efficient, things drifted into an unsatisfactory position. He referred to the auditor's report, and the fact tliat in a case in. tlie police court the other day, some appeals very unjustly fell to the ground, owing to the ratebook not having been signed, as reasons for hit belief that however deserving he might be in other respects, the Town Clerk was not altogether adapted for the position he held.