ANOTHER DRY XMAS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 235, 3 October 1924, Page 10

ANOTHER DRY XMAS.

AHEAD OF AUCKLAND CITY. A IIITCH IN THE PIPE LINE. ITt-LIMIXABIES AT THE HUIA. (."—foreseen developments in connection wilh-thc pipe contract threaten to delay t lie Cringing in of the second pipe line I'ri.tui 1110 Niiiotupu reservoir to the Khyber Pass reservoir, a. work which was Jiecessitntcd by the fact that the grovvjli of Auckland has been so rapid tliat'tho people are using more water in trje twenty-four h-.tirs than can be brought in by the existing single pipe. The Deputy Mayor (Mr. George Bail■lonlMnld the City Council last night that' the penalty clauses of the contract wore living enforced. The waterworks engineer (Mr. .1. Carlaw) reported that bo honestly believed the contractors yt-ere just as anxious as the Council but that did not help the position in any way. Several of the councillors expressed dissatisfaction with the position., but as the Mayor points out, the Council was doing all it could. According to the report presented by Ibe waterworks engineer, the directors "f the Spiral and Lock Bar Steel Pipe < ompany had informed him that although the whole of the steel for the construction of the 33-inch pipes yvas lyin;r in Wellington, certain parts of the machinery had not vet been delivered from Melbourne. The directors could hold out no hope that the first delivery of pipes would take place before the beginning of November next, which would of course make it impossible to have the water available by Christmas as was originally promised. The engineer pointed out that the time for delivery expired on August 30, and tlie penalties for non-compliance began to operate on September 1. Reporting on the scheme for impounding the waters of the Huia watershed, the.city engineer (Mr. W. E. Bush), said the surveys and trial excavations had been advanced to a point that enabled the. dam site to be located definitely close to the site of the old timber dam, and further survey work yvas being done in connection with the rest of the scheme, such as metal for concrete makiifT.. pipe line to Titirangi, taking over private properties in tne area, and go on. The Council gave authority for the prosecution of preliminary yvork. includin_ the making of a tram track to the .Manukau Harbour, where a wharf will lie built, and the clearing of the main camp site.