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yellow have been, after amendment in part, subjected to the smoke
test without discovering any leakage. It is not contended that this
method is absolutely satisfactory, but it is the best available.
The drains coloured red have been reconstructed by the men in
the employment of the Public Health Department at the expense of
the ratepayers. These drains were originally found upon examination
to be so defective as to require relaying, and as each of them
was legally a " sewer " (that is to say a combined drain for which
no plan or official sanction was discoverable) the responsibility for
the repairs and maintenance of the pipes was thrown by the owners
upon the Council.
The details of the actual expenditure of public money upon these
works, subsequently to April, 1898* (apart from the money laid out
by private owners upon combined drains), will be found clearly set
forth in Mr. Foot's reports, and the whole of the work has been
carried out under his direction.
The yearly amounts are as follows :—
£
d.
s.
1899
6½
1,150
9
1900
1,399
17
7
1901
1,125
1 9
5
1902
2,609
12
2
For this expenditure of public money (upon what are after all
private drains), we naturally expect some return in the direction of a
decrease in the general death rate, but unfortunately our anticipations
have not been realised ; perhaps this may be accounted for
by the fact that the public sewers of the Borough are not in a satisfactory
condition. No fault can be found with the main (County
Council) sewers, as these are well constructed and sufficiently large
to permit of inspection and cleansing, but the condition of many of
the smaller (pipe) sewers is bad. The matter was recently brought
before the Borough Council by a prominent member, who has a
reputation for making himself thoroughly acquainted with any
subject in which he takes an interest. This gentleman stated in
open Council that he had ascertained, by actual inspection, that a
* Note.—Previously to April. 1898, the accounts were kept in the Surveyor's
office and are included in the general sewer account.