The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, JANUARY 23. 1909. THE DRAINAGE RROPOSALS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2407, 23 January 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, JANUARY 23. 1909. THE DRAINAGE RROPOSALS.

It is to be hoped that there will be a large assemblage of ratepayers at the meeting to be hold at the Harrison Hall on Monday night, when the loan proposals that are to bo submitted to iho ballot later on will be under consideration. The importance of the issues can scarcely he over-estimated, for Gisborne stands at the present time in a-critical stage of its development, and a wrong step may have a very great effect upon its future. Dealing with the question of drainage; it will he seen from the sketch

map that is circulated with this issue that it is the residents of the business section of the town, who are chiefly concerned at the present .juncture. It is solely within these areas that the sewerage system, if agreed to, will in the meantime operate, and as is only reasonable the properties included therein must stand the cost of the service. Thus it comes about that if the drainage proposals are carried, the owners of property served by the scheme will he called upon to pay a rating of about 2s 7)d in the .£ for the service thus given, whilst those outside the area will pay 3d in the £ as their share of a scheme that will he available for them subsequently. The taxation mentioned, however, is liable to variation in this way, that the cost of connections will differ with each property, as the owner will pay merely the actual cost of connection to his own property. The amount will he advanced by the .Borough Council, and arrangements will bo made whereby I,lm owner will pay it back to the Council in instalments extending over five years. To scouro the' loan a rale of Is Id is to bo authorised on all .properties, but it is a mistake to assume that it will actually bo collected oil this basis. Thus a property valued at £590 may have its drainage connections Installed at a total cost of/ say, £2O, whilst those for a £3OO property may cost £3O. In that cos© tho amount necessary to that case the amount necessary to £3O connection, would possibly he at Dio rate of about 2s 6d ill the £, whereas in tho other the proportion would bo something over a shjdihg. In oilier words, each ratepayer will he charged according to tho cost of individual connection, and the rate proposed to b<r struck is merely a. cover for theHoan money that will he lent out where required by the Council. If, as is probable, a ratepayer elected To himself pay the cost of connection, he would in that case not be subject to a municipal charge under this heading so long as the work done complied with the provisions of

the Council. The position will therefore 1)0 hotter understood if we state that the cost to tho ratepayers, if the system is adopted,, will, he Is bid in the £, hut this amount does not include tho cost of connecting sewers from, tho streets to tlio houses. Every property within the area must be'so connected, and the cost, together with that of ihathp closet, sink, and other connections, will liavo to be borne directly by the owner of the .property, and ipbid for by himself outright or by. instalments to the Borough Council.

In regard to those outside the areas at present being discussed', the additional rate involved is 3d in the £.; On the face of it there seems hi tie res on why a resident ol Ivaiti or YVlistsupolio should be taxed to provide drainage for Gladstone Road, but it must be borne in mind that the payment of that 3d rate provides an outfall sewer which can he used ior sewering the whole town. Once it is constructed, any particular area can have the sewerage scheme extended to its precincts at any time that the ratepayers therein desire it and are willing to pay the additional rate necessary. There is another argument that can legitimately he used in favor of the ratepayers outside ihe special areas named voting for the loan. It is that almost the whole of the community frequently spends a good deal of its time in this area, where the business of the town is carried on, and it is therefore to the interests of all that the central district shall be maintained in. a sanitary condition.

This then being the position as it will be placed beforo the ratepayers, it is. necessary to consiucr the wisdom or otherwise of givixg effect to the proposals. As to the need ot an effective system of sanitation, there cannot be two opinions, and., if any evidence were needed on the point it is given by the testimony of local medical men who, interviewed by out reporter, ware unanimously in favor of the adoption of the Mestayer scheme. There is no question hut that, assuming the system worked perfectly, Gisborne, instead of having one of the worst reputations in the Dominion from a drainage point of view, would soon command tho envy of •many. At the same timo, the scheme will undoubtedly prove very costly to individual owners of property, and in many cases real hardship will probably ensue. Thus a five or six-roomed house renting at, say, £1 per week, and at present paying about £8 a year in rates, would, if in the sewered area, have its rates immediately raised by another £4 per annum. In addition, the owner would have to pay the cost of connecting with the main sewer and installing such conveniences as were not already in the house. The cost of these would he anywhere between £ls and £2O, according to special circumstances. It must be remembered, moreover, that the last word upon drainage would not have been spoken after this heavy expenditure had been undertaken. No provision is made in the Mestayer .scheme for storm water, so that tlie filthy insect-breeding pools which lie at back doors after every shower of rain would still remain -to spread disease, and there are some who think that the proper disposal of this is more important than the disposition of sewage. In any case, it would only he a question of a little time when this aspect of the sanitary problem will also have to be faced. After all, the whole question is one that must obviously rest with the individual ratepayer. From the borough point of view, there can he no question but that the installation of the Mestayer system would be a great boon, although the .very heavy rating which would follow -might prove a deterrent to future investment in the town. On the other hand, the health and convenience of present Gisborneites is of more consequence than tho advent of outside population, and those ratepayers who can legitimately bear- tho burden of a 50 per cent increase in their rates will probably bo consulting their own interests in voting for the loan. On tho other hand, those whose rates already press heavily will bo justified in opposing it. The present valuations in tho borough arc particularly high as compared with other parts of the Dominion,- and additional, rating on the existing basis will constitute a tax iso severe that many owners will be hard put to it to meet tlieir municipal obligations. Moreover, it does not follow that the rejection of the Mestayer system necessarily means the cessation of sanitary reform. The sealed pan system is a comparatively inexpensive, one, that could bo installed without' much difficulty, and is a method that has been found satisfactory . in many towns of much greater pretensions than Gisborno. If the ratepayers decide, as they probably will, that the Mestayer scheme is too expensive for tho town in the present stage of its development, we should like to see the Council turn its attention to an improvement of tlie present diet hods. In any ease, it is to be hoped that the whole subject will be freely discussed at' Monday’*; meeting, so that all shades of view may find expression.