Waterford Standard 7th January 1880
Dear Sir,
What are the Commissioners doing is a question
which naturally suggests itself to everyone who sees the filthy state of our streets
and footways on Sunday mornings. They are most disgraceful. And I am told that the commissioners’
officers are paid very fair salaries, and have not much to do only to see this
state of things, but they seem to neglect it.
The Borough Surveyor is scarcely ever seen about the streets with his
men scraping and cleaning and laying down stones, as should be done at this time
of year. And then on Saturday evenings the sanitary official should be with his
men cleaning up every part of the footways, so that the town on every Sunday
morning would look clean and respectable.
But instead of that there is nothing done and the consequences is that
on Sundays the town looks anything but tidy.
Would it not be better for the Commissioners to see to this sort of
neglect…I really think the ratepayers should call on those Commissioners to
resign who are perpetually raising squabbles at the board and hindering the
progress of public business.
Our streets are in a disgraceful state and if
a commissioner questions the Borough Surveyor he is snapped at by another
commissioner, who wants to get £8,000 to build a bridge. Begging to be excused for trespassing so
much on your valuable space, I am, Mr. Editor, your obedient servant.
A Ratepayer,
Dungarvan January 5th, 1880.