The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 1908. DRAINAGE MATIERS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2195, 20 May 1908, Page 2

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 1908. DRAINAGE MATIERS.

Somewhat tardily the uorongh Council appears to have arrived at the position as set forth in these columns for some months past, namely that the Mestayer scheme of sewerage is too ambitious in scopo, and too extravagant for a community such as ours. It is now generally recognised that an appeal to the ratepayers on the matter would be simply to invito a prompt rejection of the proposal, and under these circumstances it is surely needless waste of money taking the matter to the poll. This, however, is no reason why the thorough drainage and sanitation of tho town should not still bo investigated, and despite all that has been said by the advocates of tho Shone system, we are fully convinced that a satisfactory system for Gisborne’s requirements will be found to bo obtainable at a price within the means of the community. Because so eminent an engineer as Air. Alestayer has declared that tho Shone system is the best suited to our needs it does not follow that the last word has been said upon tho subject. Engineers., liko doctors and other professional gentlemen, frequently differ, and tho Borough would not bo •well advised to drop all ideas of drainage, simply because the only scheme before it was too expensive. Under the circumstances the newlyelected Mayor was fully justified in bringing forward his motion that a report be obtained from Mr. Jekyll, the Palmerston North engineer, who has successfully designed a septic tank system of sewerage for that town. Air. Lysnar made his opposition to the Shone system one of the strongest planks in his platform when contesting the Mayoralty, and Giis fact probably Avon him a very large proportion of .the votes he secured, lie also advocated a system on similar lines to that- which had proved successful in Palmerston North, and it could reasonably be claimed, therefore, that there is a good deal to be said for the Mayor’s wish that a report should bo secured from Air. Jekyll. A good deal of nonsense was talked concerning tho alleged qualifications of various engineers. Air. Lysnar on the one hand spoke disparagingly of the abilities of several gentlemen \vhos6 standing in the enginccring world is sufficient answer to any such criticisms, whilst on the other hand Cr. Sheridan and others objected to Air. Jekyll, chiefly because certain mystic terms were not appended to his name. If, following upon tho example of the Harbor Board, the Council dooms it wise to obtain further opinions on tho subject of drainage, it is just ns likely to get a reliable report from Mr. Jekyll as from any of the other names mentioned. The Alayor’s motion on this head was ultimately carried, but the method in which he succeeded in having his desire carried into effect was scarcely tlio most tactful, and we would remind His Worship that resolutions carried at the point of tho bayonet are not as a rule particularly successful in their operation.