698 TOWN SANITATION. 
sanitary work. Other duties as those of Town Surveyor, Inspector 
of weights and measures, of lights on vehicles, of widths of tires, 
of public conveyances, of lodging-houses, of storage of kerosene, 
the registration of dogs, etc., are laid upon them. Efficiency 
under such circumstances cannot be secured. 
Port Pirie. 
Port Pirie is situated about 150 miles north of Adelaide and 
50 miles south of Port Augusta. It les ona small estuary of 
Germein Bay, itself a part of Spencer’s Gulf. The population is 
well over 1000, aitd from its business connection with the Barrier 
silver mines, is rapidly on the increase. The site is only a few 
feet above high-water level; it is consequently defective in 
natural drainage. The buildings are nearly all of recent erection, 
and fairly substantial. Its water supply is good ; originally it 
was supplied from an expensively-constructed reservoir at Nels- 
haby, some miles off; but latterly it has formed a connection 
with the splendid Beetaloo Water Supply. Scavenging is carried 
out effectively, and the disposal of refuse is strictly regulated. 
No means are adopted by which foul water can be satisfactorily 
disposed of. The primitive cesspit is well-nigh superseded by 
the earth-closet, quite two-thirds of the residents using the latter. 
The scavenging contractor attends to the pans. The regulations 
bearing upon slaughter-houses, trades, lodging-houses, &e., are 
fairly enforced. The sanitary staff consists of a medical health 
officer and an inspector. 
What must be regarded as a retrograde step was taken by this 
corporation a short time ago. It indicates decisively how the 
worthier interest of the public health is set aside by such local 
bodies when confronted with the chances of material progress. 
The Amended Health Act of 1882 admits of the creation of 
manufacturing districts, the object being to free certain manu- 
factories from the strict application of the Health Act of 1873 
in several respects. These districts are proclaimed at the instance 
of the Government on petition of the residents and the local 
governing body. In this instance a petition was presented, 
asking two things in addition to that of the formation of a manu- 
facturing district. The first was that the clause in the Health 
Act providing that corporations or local health boards shall have 
power to order the removal of waste and foul water, and the 
second, that clause 45, providing for a simple and inexpensive 
legal process for securing compliance with the previously-men- 
tioned clause, should not apply to this manufacturing district. 
The Central Board of Health, in the future interests of Port 
Pirie, strongly remonstrated against granting these two con- 
cessions. The prospect of having smelting and other works 
established prevailed against every other consideration, not 
