BOROUGH LOAN PROPOSALS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2405, 21 January 1909, Page 6

BOROUGH LOAN PROPOSALS

THE DRAINAGE SCHEME.

OPINIONS OP MEDICAL MEN

“It is beyond question that ' the health of the place must benefit if the drainage scheme is adopted by the ratepayers and must deteriorate in some effective drainage, scheme is' not ■adouted,said Dr. J. W. Williams to a “Times” representative yester dav when asked for his opinion upon the scheme for sewering the Borough that is now before the ‘ratepayers. “Gisborne has been- blessed with a sandy sub-soil,” continued the doctor, “land as, in the past, the town lias not been overcrowded, the absorbent nature of that soil kept it fairlv free from epidemics, bat now the centra: portion—that is, the areas proposed to lie sewered—are getting- close!) built upon, a sewage system has become an •absolutely necessary. Sewage and household slops deposited in backyards and vacant allotments must have .an injurious effect upon . the health of the people living round about. The waste water is bound to cause disease and a drainage scheme becomes a radical necessity. If the ratepayers don’t go in for drainage the time will surely come when they wish they did, for nothing is so certain to cause a bad outbreak ,of enteric fever as bad sanitation. It is only about eight years ago that the town had a bad outbreak, and a large number of young people were carried off by it. A deputation waited upon the Borough Council and promised every support if a proper drainage scheme could be carried out. but the epidemic was subdued and the interest flagged. .It is evident to any thinking person that the town must go in for sewage, and the ratepayers will, I am certain, find the benefits and comforts of an effective scheme well worth the cost. Mr. Mestaycr’s scheme is, to ray mind, the most practicable. Septic tanks cannot lie allowed all over the place, and a system that will carry the sewage far out to sea is by far the best. Still, I am speaking as a medical man only now. and I say that the ratepayers should not neglect this op portunity to get drainage. The one mistake has been to dump the other loan proposals before the ratepayers at the same time, and to overshadow iu a great measure the importance o! drainage, and to frighten the pro-perty-holders with the talk about increasing the rates. To have the central portion of the town sewered will be well- worth -those who are to reap the benefit -consenting to pay anoi hells 3d in the £., and I hope that the drainage proposals at least, will be carried.”

“What do I think as -a medical man of laying down a sewage system in the town?” said Dr. Schumacher, in reply to the reporter’s question. Well, T think that if Gisborne is properly sewered and drained it will be bad for the doctors and undertakers, but a good tiling for the health of the people. Drainage is necessary, absolutely necessary in every town. That tact is recognised the world, over.” said the doctor emphatically, “and if the people won't consent to pav a little for the advantages of a good system the day will come when they will regret it. To any ordinary mind it must lie evident that it is a bad thine to throw slop water into onen drains and back-yards, for though the water quickly dries up the germi-i still remain, and, warmed by the sun, are ever ready to cause pestilence. Once such a pestilence breaks out it will be hard to quell, for the cause would be so widely distributed and so deep in the soil. Prevention is better than cure, anc! to show the dangers of germ-saturated soil I might tell you that people have been.known to contract typhoid through camping on old camping grounds where refuse had been thrown about. In such eases of the soil is impregnated with the disease, and it is quickly spread. I cannot speak of the- merits of the scheme itself.”’ concluded the doctor, “but I know the advantages of effective drainage, and if the town is sewered the residents would soon see the advantages also.” “It would be nothing but a penny wise and pound foolish policy for the. rateuayers to reject the drainage proposals. for the town will never be placed in a safe sanitary condition and the back-yards cleaned up until the drainage system is laid down,” said Dr. C. F. Scott, when the reporter asked him to express an opinion on the need of drainage for Gisborne. “All the household water is now tipped into the back-yards,” he continued. “The people dig a big hole in the sand to absorb it and are, at tho same time, digging their own graves. Draining is absolutely necessary if the town is to be freed from the risk of epidemics. Every medical ■ man knows the advantage of drainage. T have spent a large amount of money on drainage at my house, and although I won't receive any benefit from the present proposal, I shall certainly vote for it. Medical men,” continued the doctor, “'should be able 10 influence the votes of the people in a matter like this. They 'know of the sickness and thev have.,a good idea of the cause, and one chief cause of so much sickness in Gisborne is want of drainage. The people now have a irood scheme put before them, and ■-1 hope.it will be carried. I shall vote for it and I hope every ratepayer will.

.“A*, a general point for consideration.” said Dr. Carlyle , Wilson, “there is no doubt Gisborne needs some better sanitary system, for the present method of dealing with nightsoil is primitive and deplorable, and from .a health point of view one-is almost necessary. The present system most be stopped ; it is dangerous to the health of the town. House flies, which are a common source of infection, carry germs from one place to another, and the system in use at present is one. of laziness and dirtiness, badly carried out. The ratepayers most recognise that whatever drainage system is undertaken it will be expensive, for the thorough is fint and is divided linto three parts'. Still, a start is to be made with the more congested part of the town and once that is done other portions could be connected up. If” the ratepayers think the scheme now before them worth flic money they should adopt it, as it is badly needed; and will be of lasting benefit. If the proposal is. not carried, then it will be the duty of the Council to improve the present system hy making people build regulation conveniences '.that can either be steamed of disinfected. Bad sanitation carries epidemics: every medical naan knows’ that, and tvphoid. and enteric patients carry in r fection dong’ after they arc up and

about. , The decoying .vegetable matter in the water from the kitchen, ojie batli slops, and other waste water :i\ould be carried away from houses, arid. the only way to do this is by Irainage. I thoroughly believe,” :said the ■ doctor, “that tho health of the town would be improved by an up-to-date do linage system, and I hone that the proposals wall be carried.”

MR. JICKELL’S SCHEME

The .Mayor (Mr. W. D. Lysriar) returned from Wellington yesterday, and while in the south he communicated with Mr. Jickell as. to the syphon being able to carry tlie sewage across the river. Mr. Jickell wrote as follows: “Palmerston 'North, loth January, 1909. —-lie iGisborife out full sewer.— Dear Sir, —In accordance with your request re the above 1 have pleasure in affording the following ladditioiini information. I aider the heading outfall*.sower in my original report, this portion of the work both as to its use arid proposed position is clearly explained and tho levels of tho inverts •are set out on the accompanying plan as will be seen by a- reference thereto, bub in the said report the us-ual techuicail terms are made use of and may be misunderstood, therefore, -without using such terms, I will explain the course followed by the town sewage after being delivered by the various sewers to the pumping station. The .sewage having been delivered into the well is pumped therefrom direct- to the tank storage sewer, which traverses and is laid underground and around the foot of the hills from Hirini Street and tlien.ee at the rear of the .freezing works to the beach, this tank storage .sewer is nothing more nor less than a llong (1980 ft) sewer of round (cylindrical) section and largo (6ft) dihmeter, and having >a sufficient capacity (350,000 gallons) to store the sewage of a town of 20.000 inhabitants for eight hours. The level of the bottom (invert) of this storage sewer at its upper end near to the pumping stution i.s 28.00 ft, and at its lower end to the beach 27.‘00ft, thus providing an inclination of lft in 1980ft', which gives ample velocity of flow for the sewer to cleanse itself free of all solid matter. At the lower end of this storage sewer is a chamber or well containing valves for the purpose of controlling the flow of the sewage into the sea, such flow being limited to a period (4 hours), commencing one hour after the ebb tide had set in, and ceasing one hour before low water, making certain that- all matter would .be carried by the current in the bay many miles away from the town front, thus ensuring that no nuisance would be caused. Aliso it may be here stated tliVit the effect of storing the sewage for the best part of eight hours will allow of septic action being set up. thus disintegrating to a. very considerable-extent the contained solids. From the yah e chamber at the lower end of the storage sewer the sewage is carried out to sea by means of oust iron pipes and discharged well under water ’‘’mark, the point of such discharge mav be at any desired position Tit only being'a question of cost to carry it well! outside and away from the-,proposed new harbor works. The enclosed sketch will make clear regarding each other the positions of the uump well, storage sewer, and outfall sewer With regard to the method of carrying the sewage under the river from Wbataupoko to the storage sewer by means of a syphon, it may be stated that the latter term is onlv a technical one, as rcliliy no syphoning takes place, the arrangement being mads by dropping tliaii portion of the sewer under the river to such a depth as will allow of the ordinary waterborne traffic going on without interruption, the velocity of flow through sewers of this description when properly designed is such as to render them self-cleansing, although at the'same time, am pile provision is made for flushing same and also discharging direct into the river, if ever for a short time such emergency should arise. Sewers of this desorption have been in use in Rugby, Warwick, Danzic, Hamburg, ■Paris, and numerous other towns for many years past. The enclosed sketch will show the design and working of • i sewer under a stream'as proposed. —Yours faithfully, Samuel jickell, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M. Royal San. Inst.”

GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE PROMISED. "

“While speaking to a “Times” reporter yesterday, Mr. Lysnar said that while he was in Wellington he spoke to the Hon. A. W. Hogg about the loans, and suggested that the Government should guarantee the hi ms, and so secure the payment of tho sinking funds under the Local Bodies Loans ArSendment Act, passed last session. Mr. Hogg promised to favorably consider the proposal that the Government should secure the loan, but .said that there were already a number of applications for advances. Ho reminded Mr. Lysnnr that tho limit the Government icoukl guarantee was £500,000 a. year. If the* Government took up the whole loan or any portion of the loan it will mean that the ratepayers will only have to pay back one half of tho amount borrowed, so that if thp drainage proposals are carried interest will have to be paid on £65,000,. but the ratepayers will only (have to pay half that amount (£32,500) hack-to the Government; and when that has been done la-11 payment of interest ceases, and the loan is liquidated. - Mr. .Lysnar also mentioned to Mr. Hogg that at some future elate Gisborne might desire to borrow. £350,000 or £400,000 for the purpose of constructing an outer harbor, and Mr. Hogg said that if the loan was spread'over a few years the Government would probwbly advance the money.