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of water becoming stagnant on them, were dealt with. The owners
were served with notices, or their attention drawn to the matter,
which resulted in the gardens being subsoil drained, and the vacant
spaces filled in with earth.
Appendix table 5 shows a summary of the nuisances abated.
House refuse
; "ollection
ind Disposal
The collection of house refuse and disposal of same by means of
burning at the refuse destructor is carried out by the Surveyor's
Department, 9141 loads being so dealt with during the year.
When the estimates for the half-year ending in March last were
submitted to the Council the amount allowed by the Surveyor for
disinfectant powder for use in dustbins and collecting carts was
disapproved, and as a result the practice which had been existant for
many years of sprinkling the bins at the time they were emptied by
the Council's men was discontinued. In the hot weather of June,
July and August, many complaints were received from house-holders
of nuisances from the receptacles. These complaints were considered
by the Council, and a Joint Committee consisting of members
of the Road and Drainage and Sanitary Committees was appointed in
August to consider and report upon "the present system of dust and
house refuse collection, and the advisability of a more frequent
collection." The matter is now under consideration.
Housing of
theWorking
Classes Act
1890.
A closing order was made with respect to Nos. 2 to 11, Thornton
Road, and 2 to 14, South Place, on the 4th of March, 1903, prohibiting
the use of these premises for the purpose of human habitation. Two
or three of the houses were demolished at that time, but it is only
quite recently the whole site was cleared.
In connection with this it is interesting to see the time that it has
taken to deal with this matter. I first gave a certificate that in my
opinion the houses were unfit for human habitation in May, 1894, and
a notice was served on the owner by order of the Local Board in the
same month, but for various reasons nothing more was done in the
matter until August, 1901, when I, together with the Sanitary Inspector,
submitted a report to the Sanitary Committee, which resulted in the
matter being taken through its different stages as required by the
Act. The site was cleared late in the year.