HAMILTON SANITATION.
ADDRESS BY DR. FRENGLEY. At last night's meeting of the Hamilton Borough Council, Di J. P. Frengley, District Health Officer was present by request and gave an interesting and valuable address on public health matters. Dr Frengley first explained the combined districts sanitary inspection scheme, in which he desired the co-operation of the Council. He pointed out that though any local body might appoint its own sanitary inspector, yet it was manifestly impossible for most local bodies to pay a man with the special qualifications and training for the work, and his work would overlap that of the inspectors under the Public Health Department. His proposal was that a group of local bodies should combine to pay the salary and expeuses of a properly quali6ed inspector. Young men were now trained especially for this work, just as for the career of a lawyer or a doctor, snd arrangements would probably soon be complete! for examinations under the Sanitary Institute to be held in this colony. The inspector would be appointed by the Health Department and controlled by the local bodies and the Department. He would report to the District Health Officer and to the County or Borough Council concerned. One inspector could deal with a population of 15,000, or 3u,000 where the population is scattered. He suggested that the local bodies within the counties of Waikato, Kaplan, Waipa, Piakoand Kawhia should combine for this purpose. The population of tliese combined w is, according to the 1901 | census 14,2(59, so that on an assessment of j j£ls thousand in the most closely settled parts and jEIu per thousand in the other portions, jE2OO a year would be contributed, viz., .£l5O for salary and jEoOfor travelling expenses. The Borough of Hamilton would thus be asked to find about j£3o per annum. The Cambridge Borough Council and the Pukekura Road Board had expressed their readiness to fall in with the scheme, and hj« hoped Hamilton would do likewise. The same system was working satisfactorily in other parts of the colony. For instance, the Wellington Health District was completely organ : sed in this way, there being nine inspectors at work. As a contrast to that, he had only one Inspector in the whole of the Auckland district. I'hey would realise the advantages of having as inspector, one who was specially qualified, had passed an examination for the purpose, was not a local man, and would be able to devote his whole time to the work. Passing on to speak of the nightsoil service for Hamilton, Dr. Frengley said that he had in his hand a letter stating that the whole matter of the nightsoil service was hung up because be had not chosen a site. Yet, as far back as March last, the site was approved by his predecessor, Dr. Makgill, and he knew of no vjlid reason for changing it. It was only changed as far as he knew, to suit the contractor. If the Council was not satisfied with the site at Hamilton West, it should have seen to that matter before letting the 1 contract. The question of a site was not 1 the most important one. Dr. Makgill had 1 asked them to go to Rotorua and see the model system there. The two best systems 1 in the colony were at Rotorua and Christchuich, and in eachjcase the local authority, 1 instead of letting a contract, had the work done by its own employees. Contracts were rarely satisfactory. However, as a cunUact had beeu let, they would have to ; make the best of it. lie could not approve 1 of the liamilt"n East site, because it offered so many facilities for dumping the contents of the pans into the ceek or a gully or in the scrub, which wo uld be bo much easier than ploughing it iuto the ground. The fact that the other site was nearer to houses was no objection but an advantage. To ensure that the service was properly carried out, it should be done under the public eye, and no nuisance need arise. The water used for washing the pans would be led over the grmnd in shallow zig-zag channels, which would give it natural filtration. The tanks should be thoroughly washed out and limewashed after use. Otherwise they might carry typhoid germs from one house to another. He hoped the Council would also take up the question of the collection ot rubbish and household refuse. A visit to some of the backyards was enough to show that this was necessary. Proper rubbish bins should be insisted on. He had himself designed one which was used at Christchurch. The Sanitary Inspector should decide what householders were to have bins. The rubbish would be taken away in a covered cart and properly buried, say, at the cemetery site. The rubbish tip at the back of the Council Chambers was a nuisance and should be covered with dean soil and not used further. The owner of the next section then be given notioe to do the same with his heaps of rubbish. A by-law should be passed to prohibit keeping pigs within the more densely populated parts of the town. 'l'l.ey should have what the Te Aroha people called a "pig area." He thought they might go so far as to prohibit keeping pigs anywhere within the Borough, but failing that pig-styes should be inspected. There should also be bylaws to regulate stables, which should be properly inspected. The open drains and ditches at the back of Victoria-street constituted one of the pressing sanitary questions in Hamilton at the present time. I'he nuisance was obvious,and the Council's power was quite clear, lie could only act as Health Officer if the Council failed to take any steps in the matter, and it was very hard to say when a local body was doinji absolutely nothing, so that that provision of the Public Health Act was practically useless. The Council should get the names of the landowners on whose property the nuisance exists and the names of owners and occupiers causing the nuisance and get them to agree in writing to contribute to the clearing of these ditches before the summer sets in. The Council should then put men on to do the work. The method of doing it was very important, for he felt pretty sure that the enteric bacillus was present in those channels. The bottom of the drain should be cleared and the 3ides pared, aud the material taken out should be covered with lime, token away and buried in trenches at the nightsoil depot. He understood that the Council proposed to spend X3<XX) in improving the saleyards on the present site, but he considered this site quite unsuitable. The yards could not apparently be properly cleaned, and they therefore caused a nuisance clo~-e to the main street and the railway station. Moreover the approaches on the main street caused danger in driving cattle through the busiest part of the town. He suggested moving the yards back to the rising ground behind the present site. He hoped the Council would do this when they had the power and the opportunity. From the public health standpoint, the present sitewas a nuisance, aud the nuisance must be abated. He pro- j posed to send the Council a draft of drainage by-laws which they might suitably adopt. The last subject dealt with by Dr. Frengley was the sewerage scheme. He wished to correct an impression that the Department had approved of Mr Boylan's scheme. Neither he, nor his predecessor, nor the Chief Health Officer, hid approved of it. Mr Boylan proposed to run the evilsmelling effluent of the septic tank straight into the river without filtration. He also proposed to lay a line of pipes along the river bank to conduct the sewage from the southern part of the system to the septic tank at the northern end. His own idea was that | this connection might be dispensed with an<i a separate smaller tank could be constructed for each system. The effluent not entering the river all in one place, would not be so objectionable, and the scheme could be carried out in sections the most urgent being put in hand first. Later on pipes might be laid to conduct the effluent from both tanks to filter beds. In answer to a question, Dr Frengley said the Health Department had nothing I to da with the granting or withholding of the loan. Some desultory discussion followed, and the Council resolved (1) to re-enter on the laud leased by J. Dalgliesh and Co. at No. 1 to use it as a nightsoil depot, (2) tt adopt Dr Frengley's suggestion for dealing with the open drains at the back of Victoriastreet, if the owners will guarantee expenses, and (3) to fall into line with the Cambridge Borough Couucil and Pukekura Road Board re the sanitary inspection scheme. Messrs Finlay and Cockhead were present, and after discussion wete authorised to use the site at Hamilton East temporarily as a nightsoil depot, and to begin work at once, which tbey said they were prepared to do. The hour being late, the meeting was ' adjourned till Friday, September 30th, Dr. i Frengley promising to attend again. The 1 special meeting of the drainage scheme I was postponed till that date. ] Dr. Frengley was accorded a hearty rote 1 of thanks. '
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT19040917.2.12
Bibliographic details
Waikato Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6521, 17 September 1904, Page 2
Word Count
1,569HAMILTON SANITATION. Waikato Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6521, 17 September 1904, Page 2
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Waikato Times. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.