THAT WATER!

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 10, 12 January 1940, Page 6

THAT WATER!

DEVONPORT ACTS.

TAKAPUNA " INVASION."

** rAIUIH PtfMP » MUTKSI.

"Th«*re m at feast a section of Devonport resident* who feel strongly on the question of the existing Lake Pupuke water supply. They don't like it, and last night about 500 of them gathered both inside and outside the Masonic tf&ll, Devonport, to express their protest. They expressed it in an enthusiastic welcome to the Mayor of Takapuna, Mt\ J. Guiniven, and members of the Takapuna Borough Council, who, as the chairman, Mr. E. Aldridge, said, had "crossed the border" to lead the attack, and in a number of resolutions which were passed unanimously.

The resolutions were, briefly (1) that fche North Shore Water Board be urged to am the powers recently conferred Upon it to clear the watershed area of aU possible causes of contamination; (4) that the offer of the Auckland City Council to supply water to the North Shore suburbs from the Waitakere system l»o accepted; (3) that the Government be urged to repeal Section 65 of the Health Act, 1920, which exempted Lake Pupuke from the control of the Health Department; and (4) that the attention of the Government be called to the question and that it be urged to take action to see that the residents of Devonport be provided with a supply of clear, pure water. Mote Reminders. Decorating the chairman s table were several bottles and jars Of greenish* coloured liquid in which floated various animal and vegetable specimens of unpleasant appearance. Those containers and their contents w.ere the focal points of the evening's discussions. It was stated that the contents had been drawn from hydrants in Takapuna and Devonport a short time before the meeting, and that they represented the present condition of i-ake Pupuke water.

They were pointed to by Mr. Ahlridge when 'lm stated that Pupuke water "smelt like a gas attack and tasted like an antiquated oyster.* They Were referred to by Mr. Guiliiven When he declared that such a eUpply wae "a social crime." He had examined eome of that water that evening under a microscope. ( '\ou Would be very wiee to boil any you use after what I've geen this evening." C» H. M. Wills also pointed the finger of accusation at those bottles when he referred to the condition of the water* of the lake about the edges and what a close observer would Bee there. "If he could stand the stench he would eee that it Wae alive with mosquito and la vac, tadpolee and all forms of life." Opposition Bottle*. Op|HJßitiou bottles were also produced bv one member of the audience, who soujrlit the stage for au unofficial address. lie- dtx'lurwl that the fill examples'' did not represent a true picture of the supply, and to back hie case drew two further bottles of clear and si>arkling water from his pocket. That was Pupttke wateir, hfe declared 5 but he didtit find a believing audience

ife spoke for a period against a fua» ning fire of interjections and "countingsoui 8 and failed to find a seconder for his amendment that the question he held over for twelve months.

Mr. Duiniven said that he had eo*ne that evening not as a eittaen or as Mayor of Takapuna, but as member of the North shore Water Board. Nominated though they ware hy their respective the members of that board had a duty to the whole water supply area ott the Shore. That hoard had appointed experts as a comniissioh to report on the merits of the two schemes=-Waitakere city supply and the Wairau Stream seliehie--which were the alternate proposals for the improvement of the supply. The experts would not deal with the quality of the water t and if they reported i;i favour of city water, there was no guarantee that any-j thing would be done. The Mayor of Devonport, Mr. Meikle, who was the chairman of the board, had consistently defended the Pupuke supply and consistently advocated the Wairau scheme. Deadlock Likely. Takapuna had determined that it would not use Wairau water and Birkenhead, too, was unlikely to give Up its present city sUpplv. The result would be a deadlock. The Cost of the Wairau scheme could not be definitely determined and neither could the result of the scheme. On the other hand they knew what the City Council would charge. No loan would be necessary aud there were no capital charges. The charge would be 1/ per 1000 gallons actually used.

He pointed out that to put the Wairau scheme into operation they would have to purchase 1200 acres in the Waitemata County, construct new roading, prepare the bed, plant it, fence it, engage a patrol, build a dam and install a filtration plant. A sluice-valve would be necessary to let the dirty water pass down the stream, aud no one knew exactly how much water would be available. In addition it would be necessary to purchase the whole of the land in the lake basin. It would be a long and involved process.

"You can't wait years when you have water before you like that," he declared —and pointed to those bottles again. "We are fighting your silence," he told the audience. "We can do nothing unless you are with us. You can get what you ask. I'm out to help you, but you've got to do the work."

Mr. C. H. M. Wills declared that another two or three years would see the end of Pupuke as a water supply source. The water was already approximately 30 feet below the old lake level. There were no fresh streams running into the lake and no springs so far as was known. It was fed by rainwater. The present situation was doing much harm to the North Shore.

Wills stated that a member of the Devonport Borough Council, Mr. S. C. Green, had given notice of motion, which would, be discussed at the next council meeting, that Takapuna be cut off from the Pupuke supply. Was that a helpful attitude?

A number of speakers debated the question from the floor of the hall, several expressing opposition to th. : city supply, but there was no doubt about the weight of feeling and the motions were passed thunderously.

It was decided to organise a petition in the district demanding an improvement in the a apply.