A PLEA FOR THE SEWERAGE OF THE CAPE 

 PENINSULA. 



Bv Thomas William Staixthorpe, A.]\LLC.E. 



A few weeks ago, when I had the honour to receive an 

 invitation to contribute a paper to this Section, I felt some 

 ■difficulty in selecting a subject. The Society, in terms of its 

 title, exists primarily for the Advancement of Science, and so 

 a paper to be read at this! Congress might reasonablv be 

 expected to record some definite Advance — some small addi- 

 tion to the foreshore of knowledge reclaimed from the ocean 

 of the unknown. But the lines of my life-work have, for the 

 most part, been cast otherwise, and chiefly in the direction of 

 the practical application of ascertained knowledge and experi- 

 ence to the needs of everyday life. On reflection, however, I 

 felt certain that the scope and interests of the Society might 

 safely be taken to cover the domain I have referred to, and 

 I therefore decided on venturing to take up a little of your 

 time on this occasion with a matter which affects the daily life 

 and health — and I may add the pockets — of a considerable sec- 

 tion of the local public, viz., the sanitary removal service and 

 sewerage system of the Cape Peninsula. 



In the first place I may state that the urban portion of the 

 Peninsula is governed by no less than ten Municipalities, viz. : 

 Sea Point, Cape Town, Woodstock, Maitland, Mowbray, 

 Rondebosch. Claremont, Wynbe.Tg, Kalk Bay, and Simons- 

 town. The remaining, or rtiral portion of the Peninsula, is 

 now under the jurisdiction of the newly-constituted Rural 

 Council for the Cape Division. 



The present poptilation of the Municipalities is approximately 

 estimated as follows: — Sea Point, 9,656; Cape Town, 66,500: 

 Woodstock, 29,000; Mowbray, 8,500; Claremont, 14,972; 

 Maitland, 6,500; Rondebosch. 6,000; Wynberg, 19,000; Kalk 

 Bay, 2,800; Simonstown, 4,627. 



The present population of the rural area embraced within 

 the Cape Peninsula is stated to be approximately 29,000. 



It will thus be seen that the present Municipal population 

 of the Peninsula is 167,555, including the coloured. 



Why it takes the united wisdom of ten public bodies with ten 

 separate staffs with their separate Town Halls, Town Clerks. 

 Town Engineers and rating authorities for such a small popu- 

 lation, has always been a source of w^onder and mystery to me, 

 and does not speak well for the w"isdom of the long-suffering 

 ratepayers. 



I refer to this point at the outset because I am confident 

 that had the Peninsula been governed by one strong unified 

 authority. Board of Works or Council, the present backward 

 and deplorable insanitary condition of a large portion of its 

 area would long ago have been attended to and improved. 

 I am also convinced that large sums of money have been need- 

 lessly spent and frittered away, which might have been saved, 

 for want of sound practical advice and experience, by some 

 •of these Lilliputian Municipalities. At the same time I must 

 give my meed of praise to those Municipalities who have 



