LOWER NIHOTUPU

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 139, 14 June 1943, Page 5

LOWER NIHOTUPU

CITY WATER SCHEME

MINISTERS STRESS URGENCY

Ministers' declarations at the close of the Auckland water supply conference late on Saturday afternoon indicated that a requisition will be made by the Board of Health for the Auckland City Council to proceed with the Lower Nihotupu scheme. The chairman, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Parry, said that the three Ministers present would present their recommendations to the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, together with a full report of all the discussions and relevant data. Decision would then be made. However, both the Minister of Health, Mr. Nordmeyer, and the Minister of Works, Mr. Semple, declared their intention of recommending in favour of a requisition, as already agreed to by the Board of Health. They based their decisions on the necessity for urgency in augmenting the supply of water for Auckland.

The Mayor of Auckland, Mr. Allum, agreed that there should be further investigation into all schemes before a decision was made regarding the future supply of Auckland, and agreed, too, that Mr. Semple should submit the estimates for each of the proposed schemes to checking by Public Works engineers—possibly by Mr. Wood, retired Public Works chief engineer. Mr. Nordmeyer said that the Board of Health, if it had heard the objectors, would still have resolved to issue the requisition. It would hav& been bound to do so.

Firstly, there was no guarantee that steel for a Waikato scheme could be made available; secondly, it had not been proved that such a scheme could be completed at the cost estimated by the local bodies. Thirdly, the local bodies' estimate that water could be supplied at a cost of 6.56 d a thousand gallons depended on borrowing for a term of 35 years, whereas he was informed that the Local Government Loans Board fixed a term of 20 or even 15 years for works of the kind proposed. Fourthly, the financial estimates took it for granted that the full available supply from the scheme would be sold at the outset. This could not be fully supported. Mr. Semple stated that the Government would do everything possible to help the council in getting water quickly. It would be given priority for all materials. Mr. Allum: Thank you. We will call on you.