The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-11-27 00:00:00

flotts ant) tints.
SANITARY RULE.

'Twas a happy day for engineers, surveyors, and
c-intractors, when the famous watchword id a paternal
Government that parody upon the refrain of
cle-iastes —was announced. "Sanitns sanitation,
°main sanitas," sounded remarkably well, and tickled '
that class to whom journalists are obliged to unbend,
that important class who will li-ten to nothing but
what is put before them as a joke. But 'twits the
dreariest of jokes that resulted from the audacious
par sly. The "health of healths, everything health,"
has scarcely got into English yet, or the absurdity that
ran through it would have been seen and laughed at
long before now. And, as to the results, they have
been as queer and as contradictory as the most in•
veterata pessimist could have believed in. Everybody
in big towns was to have pure air and good water,
while the -tuff that polluted was to be spread out on
hungry land, and to bring in national wealth as pay-
went for the trouble of being increasedly pure. But
how are the mighty fallen! After trial, sewage
I irrigation is stated not to be distinctly Fofitable, and,
I more confusing still, we have read it stated by a great
engineer that discharges from certain mittens axe not
necessarily injurious to health. since men who work at
the outfalls often enjoy long life. And the principal
results seem to be—lst. That the refuse f towns has
been collected into fluid masses, and discharged any-
where, wherever it was convenient, and that which
was supposed to be unwholesome in detail is healthy
in mass the second result seems to be only the
lengthening of the ngmes if certain public bodies, so
that, whereas Weymouth and Portland foimerly were
satisfied with having their" Local Boards," these
bodies are now raised to the dignity of "Urban
Sanitary Authority," and while Boards of Guardians
have the additional title of being "Rural Sanitary
Authority," another and more complex body
has appeared in the form of the " l'ort Sanitary
Authority," the members of which are only
too happy if they can put off indefinitely the
main object for which they were created, namely.
the bringing down upon unlucky coast districts
the expenses of illnesses that come by sea. So that
while towns are hurrying their refuse out to sea, and
hoping that thereby they are cleansing themselves,
from the sea again they are invaded, awl fresh re-
sponsibility and expense are incurred. The Local
Government Board seems alone to rejoice in the
simplicity of its name, and in its power of g werning,
while it Is almost impossible to see that it helps in the
great sanitary struggle. Its recommendations and
instructions are by some systematically ignored, and
these districts appear to be every way more fortunate
than those who weakly and submissively strive to
obey orders, while the Board itself gives little or no
instruction as to tthat is to be done, or, if it does
vouchsafe any such, the work is next to impracticable
on account id its disproportionate expense. Under
all these circumstances it would be well if the Local
Government Board, and those who attached such great
importance to its work, were to acknowledge their
failure, cease their meddling and muddling. re-consider
their parody, and take for their motto the original
dirge—
"lranian ranitatuni, omnia ranitas."

MR. HAWKESLEY AND THE PARR.

Can we get our money's worth out of Mr. Hawke'.
ley ? After ten months' waiting, we have a report on
the Park only, telling us things that are new, and
things that are true, and among the latter is supposed
to he that two eight or ten horse engines, and a
20,000 ft. tank, with other little hut expensive
additions, will be an effectual remedy for the Park.
The establishment of deep subsoil drainage, capable of
lowering the water level to Mt. below the lowest street
Is to he an "effectual remedy." Such a d iet elm I should
hardly have thought necessary tr wait ten months for
but, if Mr. Hawkesley has been studying how to let
us off more easily, I am thankful to him for ten
months' delay. One would think that he was writing
about the whole of Nlelerornhe Regis, when he nays it
is built on a bed of "permeable shingle ;" the Park, I
thought, had A very considerable thickmes of stiff clay
as its surface. It strikes me that if Mr. ilawkesley
goes down "five feet below the level of the lowest
street in the Park," it will be then that he will come
upon the "bed oof permeable shingle," so full of water,
awl having such free communication with back and
front waters, that his two duplicate 10-horse engines
will have an all-plentiful supply of water to pump.
However. Mr. Flawkedey having consulted with that
very eminent engineer, Sir John, whose important
works in the Park have had such a tlecioleol
effect, must he supposed to know all about
it. I had thought that Sir John had writ-
ten—" The only remedy for the Park is raising
the level of the land ;" lout memory is almost olouloteol
when one ventures to recal the many remarkable
statement., given " witheut the slightest hesitatioon "
by eminent engineers. The whole lesson otf the con-
sultations with Mr. Hawkesley, Sir John Coode, Mr.
Harrison, and Mr. Hawkesley again, anol with any
other engineer*, surveyors, and amateurs, who have
had tad.' a ith the drainage, anol particularly that of the
Park—is that we have been left in a worse mess at
every step. lam fain to sympathise with that jury-
man who besought the Judge that the learned
advocates might not 'wallowed to addresethem, because
when thy understood a case, the lawyers only mixed
it up so that they couldn't make top er tail oof it. Of
high class engineers as profeessional advisers, we have
had more than enough ; but if there is a grain of
distinctness in the whole, I incline to that clear state-
ment of Sir John—" The true remedy for the evils of
the Park is to raise the level oof the land." If the
Local Board (I beg pardon—the Urban Sanitary
Authority) will imitate the firmness and reticence of
the Local Government Board, aud It slat on the raising
of the land's surface, while they steadily act on the
principle that the Park is private property, (the
streets not being dedicated to the public), they may
keep their responsibilities within manageable bounds.
It seems odd to imposee that the Sanitary Authority
is bound to drain every place which it has allowed to
be built low ; for if that were no, how will it manage
about the Itfary-street cellars, which have been 1
annually flooded for many years past' The owners
of these cellars knew that the responsibility of going
to low rested and rests with them, and I am at a lofts
too understand why the cellar-like stables and other
places in the Park should not be regarded in the same
way. If the Sanitary Authority is to pump out the
Park, I shall certainly expect to see an' eight or ten-
horse power engine (duplicate)" devoted to clear the
cellars of St. Mary and Bond street. The last suggestion
of Mr. Hawkesley seems, however, only simple justice
he the residents of Eden—viz, "Fourth, the con-
struction of a catchwater drain to intercept and
vorevent the surface water of Radipole from flowing
Into the Park olistriet, and to convey it into the fresh-
water lake." This could, surely, be constructed at
once, and when the relief by its means has been given,
more justly shall ratepayers, of the town generally,
stand out against any unjust burdens with which they
may be threatened, for the benefit only of the
undedicated Park. Whether the streets can now be
altered is a subject on which Mr. Hawkesley holds a
"strong and distinct opinion." We should all like to
know if they can he altered, and the Park made a
reasonable sort of place, on which houses can be built
at a proper level; but lam afraid to counsel that Mr.
Hawk esley be asked: we might have to wait too long.
Can we not ask Mr. Morgan, our own surveyor?

'Twonld be a fine thing, and help the Lusiness of
the town wonderfully, if Aldermen and Councillors
would consent to be lined for breaches of the standing
orders. Thoug,h fart Thursday's was a shorter meet-
ing than usual, and the standing orders had just
sounded in their ears, two or three of the members
troke the understanding at once. A five-shilling fine
for order-breaking aldermen, and half-a-crown for
recusant councillors, would make up a nice little fund,
to be spent perhaps at a feast where parties could
wash away their Connell-chamber differences, and
agree that they all desired the good of the town. If
they are sincere in desiring order, they won't object
to fines for making statements at "question" times,
for interrupting a speaker, and for nsing when they
have efoken before. But the decision on the fines
must not be attempted in Council, but be referred to a
committee of "Fine canes reserved."

Mentioning committees reminds me that the real
work of the Corporation is done in committee, and
those desirous of municipal honour don't know the
labour to which they expose themselves. Our
gratitnele is due to committee-men, much more than to
the talkers in open Council.