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people. I may also mention that the municipality possess but two nightsoil
carts, one of which is broken, and consequently not available.
13. On the banks of the creek there are a few latrines which are available
for the people living in that quarter of the town, but they are so far from the
houses that the people will not go to them, so that they are, practically useless;
besides, they have been erected far above the low-water line of the beach, and
if they were much used they would prove a nuisance, as the excreta would be
exposed for several hours every day, until the tide came and carried it away.
14. Such nightsoil as the municipality have been able to remove from
the town with their one cart, has, until the last few days, been taken to the jail
gardens, where it has been treated with dry earth, and subsequently utilized
for agricultural purposes. But now it appears there is no demand for it; so I
have advised that trenches be dug outside and to leeward of the town, in which
it can be deposited, sprinkled over with disinfectant powder, and afterwards
covered in with earth.
15. The drainage of the town is most defective and totally inadequate
to the requirements. Each street has a gutter on either side; many of these
coalesce and empty into two larger drains, which are intended to carry the
surface sullage into the creek ; others find their own way either into a large
nullah which crosses the town, or go independently in the direction of the creek.
The street gutters are not paved at the bottom, so that refuse water or other
fluid finding its way into them soaks into the soil. I very much doubt if even
the larger drains have any flooring but earth; but this I know, that none of the
gutters or drains carry their contents into the creek, for they all terminate in open
earth trenches, a long distance above the low-water mark, and in many instances
considerably above the high-water line; the consequence being, that here along
the beach we have gigantic cesspools filled with a seething and bubbling mass
of semi-fluid filth, constantly emitting sulphuretted hydrogen and ammonia.
16. Nearly all the street gutters are covered with large stones; on raising
these either a quantity of black or green semi-liquid filth, emitting a vile smell,
is found, or the water-way is completely choked up with solid dirt. How the
rain water is to be carried off from the surface during the monsoon, I am at a
loss to imagine.
17. I am aware that there are difficulties, both physical and financial, in
the way of having a perfect drainage system in Tanna. As the town lies low
there is not naturally much fall to facilitate the outrun, even supposing that
the drains contained nothing but water. Then I am informed that the funds
of the municipality are low. But these are questions which I must leave to be
discussed between that body and their engineer. I merely look at the matter
from a sanitary point of view; and I would urge that, at least, some efforts
should be made to remedy the disgraceful state of the drainage of Tanna as it
now stands.
18. The water-supply of Tanna is nearly on a par with its drainage. It
is deficient in quantity, and, looking to the sources from which it is derived, I
should say its quality must be bad. I believe, however, that the Assistant Col
-lector has forwarded several samples to the Chemical Analyser to Government
for examination.
19. The drinking water is obtained either from surface dipping wells or
open tanks. The wells are, for the most part, situated in the compound of the
houses, or in confined places between groups of huts. Too often it is the case
that drains from the houses and privies pass quite close to the wells; and it is but
natural to infer that soakage must take place (remembering that the drains are
not floored) and the water in consequence be polluted. At the present time the
wells are nearly empty, indeed quite so in the day-time, water being only obtain-