Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

IMPORTANT HEALTH
PROSECUTION.
THE TIP-NUISANCE,
SPREADING TYPHOID GERMS,
At the Fremantle Polio© -Court this
morning, before Mr. James Lilly, acting
R.M., and Mr..E, Solomon, J.P., Wil
liam Robbereon, night-soil contractor for
the North Fremantle Municipal Council,
pleaded not guilty to a charge of having
tailed to comply with the following order
issued on March 22:— -''That tho Local
Board of Health of East Fremantle be
ing satisfied of the existence of a nuis
anco in Swan Location 70, namely, the
deposit of night-soil and filth, .-the pre
mises being oocupied and owned by
William Robberson, and which- ..is caus
ing a nuisance within tho district of the
Local Board cf Health, orders that Wil
liam Robberson.-be required to abate
and discontinue .tho nuisance within
three days of tho eerviao of this order
on him, and that he ooArer such night-p-oil
with sand and dirt until it becomes solid,
and immediately afterwards- cover it
with three inches of quick-lime
Mr, Mow appeared on behalf of the
East Fremantle. Municipal Council,
Mr. Beresford for the defendant, and
Mr. (i aw lor was present to watch the
caso on behalf of tho North Frenmntle
Municipal Council. Mr. Moss stated
tho .case at considerable length for the
prosecution.
H, J, Preston said that ho resided in
Riohmond, East Fremantle. He named
a number of residents living in his local
ity, and stated that typhoid had been
rampant in the family of Mr. Thorne
and that his (Avitness's) own groom had
been laid up with typhoid fever, There
Avas a very strong stench round the
neighborhood, so strong, in fact, that on
several occasions Avhen he had had visi
tors at his place they had been compelled
to leave. On the 23rd March last the
smell was very bad. It was worse in
the- hot AA'eathcr when the land breeze
was blowing. He was sure it- must
come from one of tho night-soil tips in
the neighborhood.
Mr. Beresi'ord objected to this evi
dence, on the ground that it had noth
ing to do with the disobeying of the
order.
Ernest Alnutt, a resident in Rich
mond, gave similar evidence.
Horace IT. Parker, inspector under
the East Fremantle Local Board of
Health, deposed that the North Fre
mantle night-soil was tipped on Swan
Loc, 70., which abutted on tho eastern
boundary of the Eiu:t Fremantle Muni
cipality, In consequence of complaints
Dr. Dormer and witness went to the de
defendant's tip on the 1 5th March last,
Ho knew the defendant was the occupant
of Swan location 70, and lived in a house
thereon. He there saw two trenches,
one partially filled night night-soil, It
ayss about 50l't. in length, and about
Ht. Gin. deep, and a very obnoxious
odor was earning from it. He believed
the deposit would be injurious to health.
He wns present at a meeting of the East
Fremantle' Board of Health on March
2'2, and made a verbal report of this
nuisance. Dr, Dernier was also pre
sent. In consequence- of his report
an order was made out to have tho
nuisance abated, and he personally
handed it to defendant. He again visit
ed the tip, and saw one side of the
trench heaped up and mixed with horse
manure. This was on March 28, and
the stench was as strong as before the
order was. issued. He saw the defen-
dant, who asked him what- he was doing
there. Witness told him that he was
inspecting tho property on behalf of
the Local Board of Health. The de
fendant said, 'Go off the property, you
have no business here. If you do not
go off I have my remedy, and will take
proceedings against you. He visited
the tip, and the nuisance had not been
abated. On April 11 he went to tho
tip with Dr. Dernier, and found that
some lime had been sprinkled over tho
night-soil. Tho order to mix the soil
with solid matter and to cover it with
three inches of limo had not been, com
plied with.
To Mr. Boresford: The East Fre
mantle Municipal Council tip was nearly
oppoaito tho one complained of. There
tho night-soil was at once covered up.
There was also in the neighborhood
Easton's old pit, but nothing had been,
tipped there since last August,
Dr. Dormer said ho was the health
officer for the East .Fremantle Board of
Health, Ho accompanid Mr. Parker to
tho premises occupied by defendant, and
corroborated the evidence- of the previous
witness. He was sure- that there avos
danger of typhoid from nightsoil, even
in a dry condition, because it contained
the germs of typhoid, which were liable
to be blown about, Ho did not know
where the typhoid germs had come from
that caused the late outbreak in East
Fremantle.
For the defence, Dr, Birmingham said
that on the previous day he had visited
the North Fremantle 'night-soil tip,
and had found it .very well kept. The
soil had been thoroughly mixed
with Band, and was quite dry and solid,
Tho tip had boon cleaned out and limo
had been thrown in. The heap had
bowi, buried over in his presence, and
there Avii« absolutely no smell percept
ible, There' was nothing there- that ho
, could take exception to, Another tip
in the neighborhood was a far greater
source of danger to health. - He objected
to the pit system altogether
William Robberson, the defendant, said
that ho had received the notice produc
ed, but at the time the night-soil was
ou the bank mixed with sand and horse
manure, and was quite solid. He had
placed lime on the heap on Saturday last.
No smell arose from it.
Case proceeding)
$