A PROVINCIAL WATER BOARD.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 205, 30 August 1926, Page 6

A PROVINCIAL WATER BOARD.

The action, of the Auckland City Council in leaving consideration of the Auckland Provincial Water Board Bill to , the dying houre of Parliament savours of unfair tactics. The Bill has advanced a considerable distance, but instead of presenting the city case while the measure was in the committee stages, the matter is now to be brought up for discussion at a time when any show of opposition means that the measure may be jettisoned by a Government bent on completing tiie session. The City Council, in any case, appeal to have little standing in the matter.

The purpose of the Bill is to constitute a number of local bodies into a district known as the Auckland Provincial Water District. The district would then elect a board on somewhat

similar principles to the Auckland Electric Power Board. This board would have the power to obtain a supply of pure water for the use of the district and for any other areas desir-

ous of a supply. The Auckland City Council refused to nave anything to do with the scheme. They would not only not come in, but were not prepared to discuss it, or to receive a deputation to consider the whole question. There seems no good reason, therefore, why the city should now seek to delay a measure in which they themselves are not included, and which they have already refused to discuss.

The Bill includes a number of local bodies who have no relation whatever to the Auckland City water supply, and these Jocal bodies desire to make inquiries into the best meuiod of obtaining an adequate and pure water suppiv. The Bill proposes to give them ; this 'opportunity. The ratepayers of I the local bodies included in the Bill 'control the situation, inasmuch as loan moneys can not be raised without their sanction, and if further safeguard were J needed it is afforded by reason of the ' fact that even after the local bodies have ! given their sanction, the loan moneys cannot be raised without the approval 'of the board to be constituted under the recent Act dealing with local bodies , loans.

The Auckland City Council suggest that the measure- bhotild be delnywl I pending the sitting of the Public 'Health Commission, but it is pointed out that should the commission come to the decision that the* present water supply is not adequate for the pre-ent 'and future needs of the Auckland j suburban aron. then thi= Bill, or sum? I analogous measure, will bp forthwith j required, and any delay mnv seriously aggravate the difficulties of wator supply to sevcr.nl local bodies. If, nn the other hand, the decide? thnt thn Auckland City Council water supply is satisfactory, it i= still open tn the local bodies included in the Bill, and not con-orn<vl with tltr> Auckland City water supply, to tnkp the nty'pspnry =tpp>= for nVrihiing a ?iitisfn< tr>r-y supply.