CITY WATER BILL.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 174, 25 July 1928, Page 11

CITY WATER BILL.

LOCAL BODIES OPPOSED

MEASURE TO BE FOUGHT,

PROPOSAL FOR WATER BOARD. By a unanimous vote a large gathering of rcpre-enf ati ves of local bodies outside the city area decided last night to oppose the Auckland Water .Supply Jii li. which is being submitted to Parliament by the City Council. The conference was held in the rooms of the Mount Eden Borough Council, and the Mayor of Mount Eden (Mr. E. H. Potter) presided. The chairman said that the conference had 111 ot to consider what action should be. taken by the local bodies in dealing with the bill, lie took it that the delegates had seen the letter which had been written by the City Council concerning the pn>\ i.-ions of the bill. The chairman lnielly recounted the steps which had previously been taken respecting the proposed formation of a water board for the whole of Auckland. In ■Tune, 19:24, the speaker said, the Health Department asked that a conference of local bodies be called to consider the question of water supply. The conference was called but the city was not represented. The conference resolved that a report should be obtained, and Messrs. 1 Soger* and Gray reported in March, o;i a supply from Lake Taupo, and alternatively from Arapuni, and later they reported on a temporary supply from the Lower Waikato. The proposal in regard to a supply from the Waikato was to ascertain what water could be delivered within six month's by means of a pipe line from a point just above Mercer to Bombay. Supply From Arapuni. "The developments at Arapuni," continued the Mayor, "have made it possible to obtain a satisfactory supply which would be available not only for the city and suburbs, but also for the farming communities and the many settlements on the line of route. A bill was prepared and submitted to the House. It was approved by the committee to which it was referred, but the city took active steps to oppose it, and induced a Labour member to move amendments to each clause. By this means the bill was defeated, and the Government in 1927 appointed a commission to Inquire into the question." The speaker added that the commission reported in favour of leaving the supply in the hands of the city, subject to a right for local bodies to demand arbitration on the price charged by the city for water. The present 'bill left the city as the responsible authority for the supply of water over an area from Henderson to Papatoetoe, and including portions of the Waitcmata and Manukau counties, and in the event of the city failing or refusing to supply, the matter was referred to arbitration, although it was obvious that if they had not got the water to supply the arbitrator could not make them do so. It was for this conference to decide whether it was prepared to leave such a vital question as the supply of water in the hands of one half of the population. Discouraged in the Past. "Our experience in the past," said Mr. Potter, "has not been encouraging. Last summer restrictions were imposed on the use of water before Christmas, although the previous winter was very wet. The same thing had often occurred before. There is no certainty that there will not he a shortage this next summer, and the right to arbitration on supply is useless if the city have not got the water to give. My own feeling is that there will be no satisfaction in this matter until we can have a board representative of the districts affected." Such a board, the speaker said, could arrange for a report from some independent engineer of standing on the whole question, and they should then be in a position to take steps to provide for a permanent supply. Auckland was still growing rapidly, particularly in the outer areas, and the supply of water was a matter of the utmost importance. The proposed bill did not seem to promise any adequate service, and it left the decision in the hands of a council elected by half the inhabitants of the area interested. Even the question of loans was taken out of the hands of ratepayers. It was an autocratic and arbitrary proposal which he thought they should strongly oppose. Proposal Considered Dangerous. Among the 33 delegates present there was a feeling of unanimity, and without much discussion the conference heartily endorsed a resolution moved by Mr. S. Donaldson. Mayor of Newmarket, expressing the opinion that the outside local bodies still favoured the formation of a board „to handle the water supply problem for the whole of the Auckland area and registering a decision to oppose the passage of the bill. The resolution expressed the opinion that the proposal to take out of the hands of ratepayers the raising of loans for everything connected with water supply was dangerous and unconstitutional. The opinion was also expressed that the sources of supply to which the City Council was looking would make the price of water too high. The suggestion was put forward that a report should be obtained from an independent engineer "A board elected by the ratepayers oi the whole area is the only fair method ol dealing with the problem," declared Mr Donaldson. Mr. P. Floyd (Mount Albert) seconded the motion. "We are out for a board that will control the water supply foi the Auckland district as a whole," ht declared. "We should have a voice ii the management." The chairman urged the importance ol the proposed supply from Arapuni, anc said that unlike the City Council's pro posed supply from Hunua it would pro vide water which was greatly needec all along the line. On the proposal of Mr. J. M. Melville (Mount Eden) the conference went intc committee to decide what measures ol opposition to the bill should be taken On resuming the chairman announcet that a committee of six had beei appointed with power to act to take th( steps necessary in opposing the Citj Water Supply Bill.