A Matter of Finance.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 86, 13 April 1926, Page 5

A Matter of Finance.

Mr. C. p. Bennett, a- member of tbe I City Council, who was invited to speak. that before he joined the council! he was sceptical, but after going fully! into the matter, he realised that it was j a matter of finance. The foundations of j the V\ aitakere scheme woro laid over 20 years ago and it had sine-? been j progressively developed. When they ; had to look further afield for a water | supply they would cio so. Within 44 miles of Auckland there was the; Mangatang; stream, capable of supply- ! ing nine and a half millions to 13 j million gallons daily, and the Maunga- • t a whir; stream, capable of supplying 20 million gallons daily. One advantage of j the pre.-fnt scheme would be throe pipe- ; liuos. whereas the Tatipo scheme, as proposed, would depend upon a single . pipe line. On the actual cost of pipe lines already laid it would seem that j the Taupo line would cost anything up : to £200 per chain, and it was hard to ! say what the cost would be if the line ■ bad to be duplicated to supply more : than the 15.000.000 gallons proposed. In asking for this loan authority the city I was oniy takin? another step in a i scheme thoroughly tested and proved. > The city engineer. Mr. W. E. Bu?h. I was also invitod to speak. He pointed : out that tbe present scheme would moot the city requirements until I!*.".S. They: were at present supplying a population of approximately 135.000. of which only J 90.000 were in the city area. The state- ! ment that the 13,0000.000 gallons from i Tatipo would last for all time was! obviously not correct, for when thej demand exceeded that figure it would j probably require the expenditure of i another f2.500.000 to moo- th? r.eed. The city expenditure of a little over. £2.000,000. including that already! expended to brin? in 28.000.000 gallons' daily from the Waitakeres. would pro- | vide for the estimated needs for the i i.ext 32 years. The council had never 1 refused to supply any suburban local ! be»ly with water. I After further discussion the meeting j carried a resolution, moved by the chair- ! man. to oppose the £400.000 loan pro- ! posal. j