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11
I am much indebted to him for the details of the
new works and the summary of the rainfall which is
given at the end of the Report.
DISPOSAL OF HOUSE REFUSE.
House refuse is collected weekly. 1730 loads were
removed during the year. The garbage destructor
erected at the works in 1912 has proved of such good
service that the Council have had another constructed
on similar lines to the first. This will allow of practically
all the garbage contained in the house refuse being
disposed of, thus reducing the material which was
usually a breeding ground for flies and other insects
under the old tipping arrangement.
In this connection I would like to repeat how very
important it is, especially during the summer months,
for householders to burn as much as possible of the waste
consisting of green stuff, potatoe peelings, tea leaves,
and other odds and ends of kitchen refuse in the kitchen
range. This can be done to a very large extent if the
damp material is allowed to dry and then mixed with
cinders or coal dust. This procedure does away with
much dangerous material which quickly decomposes if
left about and forms favourable breeding places for flies,
which constitute a very serious danger to health by
carrying infective germs from place to place wherever
they settle.
The coming Summer may very possibly bring serious
outbreaks of infectious diseases of the graver kinds in
many districts, the contagion being brought from those
countries in which the war is being carried on.
Everything possible should be done in every district
to correct all conditions which are likely to favour the
development and spread of infection. Especial care is
necessary in clearing away all collections of refuse and
manure both in the neighbourhood of dwelling-houses
and stables, &c., and also those old collections of refuse
and general rubbish and filth which are scattered about
on unenclosed spaces and plots of land. Unsanitary and
over-crowded houses should have special attention, and
a step in the right direction would be the distribution of
handbills to every house in the district urging the occupiers
to do everything possible to keep their premises in
good sanitary condition during the coming Summer