WATER ARGUMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 259, 2 November 1933, Page 15

WATER ARGUMENT.

MAYOR AND COUNCIL.

TAKAPUNA'S BEST COURSE.

DECISION TO WAIT.

During argument lasting two hours ahd a half, and full of lively cross-talk, the Mayor of Takapuna, Mr. J. Guiniven, strongly supported the Auckland City Council's Waitakerc sourcc Tor water for tlie North Shore boioughs. A special meeting of the Takapuna Borough Council considered the report of the recent conference of the interested parties, and its recommendation that a commission should be appointed to investigate the three schemes for supply apart from Lake Pupuke. The offer of supply from Waitakere would be open to Takapuna for only a few days more, according to the Mayor of Auckland, Mr. G. W. Hutchison. There was, therefore, some urgency about an agreement as to the source which Takapuna favoured. Mr. Guiniven explained at some length the handicaps with which a commission would be faced. The data 011 the Wairau scheme was unreliable, and the commission would have to take observations over the catchment area for three years in order to arrive at a valuable opinion. In any case, all the commission could recommend, if it favoured that scheme, would be a big dam, which would be a tremendous burden 011 the ratepayers. Whatever use Wairau might be, the Lake Pupuke supply would have to be kept. The borough would therefore continue to bear the loss of £1;>00 a year 111 rates from lakeside property. Moreover, the commission itself, he thought, would bo an entirely unwarranted expense. "In Black and White."

Mr. Guiniven remarked that Mr. Hutchison had told Mr. Mills he thought that if Devonport joined in, a pipeline could be laid through Takapuna to supply both these boroughs as well as Birkenhead." Mr. Rolio: Why does not the Mayor of Auckland give this information direct to usi We want something in black and white—not through the medium of Mr. Mills. Mr. Waddell: I thing Mr. Mills wants to get us into the scheme, because he wants water more cheaply than at 1/2, and by getting us in he can do that. Mr. Rollo: It would be very foolish for us to rush into this, or any other scheme. "We argue and argue about this water supply question," said Mr. Waddcll, "and yet no concrete information is brought down abotit the cost of water to our borough." He considered that they should get definite estimates of the cost of the water from the Waikato, delivered into their mains. The Mayor had elaborated on the disadvantages of the Wairau scheme for some time, when Mr. Galbraith drew attention to the purpose of the meeting. "You Have No Mandate." Mr. Rollo: We've been listening to one and a quarter hours of talk, and have not done anything. The position must bo finalised in the near future. People on the North Shore want the position settled. The Mayor: I don't think we have a mandate from the people to commit them to the cost of a commission.

Mr. Rollo: And von have no mandate to commit them to the City Council scheme. Mrs. A. Blomfield: I am in favour of waiting to see what Parliament is going to do in regard to the bill for the Waikato schemc. In reply to Mr. Rollo's repeated question as to what he thought the commission would cost the borough, the Mayor insisted that it would cost "hundreds of pounds." Mr. Rollo favoured tho commission, and deprecated the Mayor's statement that he (the Mayor) would be prepared to act independently of the council. I The Mayor: I said nothing of the sort. Mr. Rolio: You said that you could get tho ratepayers to vote for the Waitakere scheme, and the council would not j matter. | The Mayor: If I can get a vote from! the ratepayers I don't need to refer it I to tho council. Ninety-nine per cent of ! the ratepayers will agree with me. Mr. Waddel): You're going to pistol us into getting the city water, because you say the ratepayers will vote for that scheme ? Tho Mayor: If Takapuna stands out from Northcote and Birkenhead we'll be left behind.

Waiting For Parliament. Considerable argument ensued as to tho rights and wrongs of the visit to Wellington of Mr. Mills, in an endeavour to secure the right to enter into a twenty-one years' contract. In the middle of a detailed comment on Mr. Mills' position, the Mayor invoked the Deity In the hope that his disclosures be not made public. Mr. Rollo again deplored the aimlessness of tho discussion, and moved: "That this council is not in favour, in the meantime, of setting up a Royal commission in connection with the investigation of the future North Shore water supply until Parliament finally disposes of tho proposed Waikato Water Supply Bill." This was carried unanimously, and a copy is to be forwarded to the North Shore Water Board.