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23
"The common practice in villages, and even in many small
towns is to dispose of the sewage and to provide for the water supply
of each cottage, or pair of cottages, upon the premises.
In the little yard or garden attached to each tenement or pair of
tenements, two holes are dug in the porous soil; into one of these,
usually the shallower of the two, all the filthy liquids of the house are
discharged; from the other, which is sunk below the water line of the
porous stratum, the water for drinking and domestic purposes is
pumped. These two holes are not unfrequently within twelve feet of
each other, and sometimes even closer.
The contents of the filth hole or cesspool gradually soak away
through the surrounding soil and mingle with the water below. As the
contents of the water hole, or well, are pumped out, they are
immediately replenished from the surrounding disgusting mixture, and
it is not therefore very surprising to be assured that such a well does
not become dry even in Summer. Unfortunately, excrementitious
liquids, especially after they have soaked through a few feet of porous
soil, do not impair the palatability of water; and this polluted liquid
is consumed from year to year, without a suspicion of its character,
until the cesspool and well receive infected sewage, and then an
outbreak of epidemic disease compels attention to the polluted water.
Indeed our acquaintance with a very large proportion of this class of
potable waters has been made in consequence of the occurrence of
severe outbreaks of Typhoid Fever amongst the persons using them."
DISPOSAL OF REFUSE.
A.—Household Dust.
The work of removing household dust has been carried out
satisfactorily. No complaints having been received during the year.
All houses in the district are now supplied with galvanized iron dust
bins provided with covers. They are emptied weekly and the contents
taken to a tip provided for that purpose.
The rapid increase of population will in the near future necessitate
your consideration of the advisability of providing a refuse destructor,
as this is undoubtedly most "sanitary" method of disposing of dust-bin
refuse.
From the Report of the Surveyor it appears that during 1896
1,330 loads of refuse were removed at a cost of £211 6s. 6d., equal to
3s. 5d. per load. The number of houses from which dust was collected
was 1,335.
B.—Sewage Disposal.
(These particulaas are extracted from the report of H. R.
Felkin, Esq., C.E., Engineer and Surveyor to the Council).