THE DRAINAGE COMMISSION.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12828, 12 June 1907, Page 8

THE DRAINAGE COMMISSION.

c, RURAL v SEWAGE AREA. M. W. ... .Short, Commissioner appointed to enquire into the dispute between the local bodies in the rural area ami the Drainage Hoard, continued his in vest initio ns yesterday. Till. CITY COUNCILS* CLAIM. 'Mr T. W. .Stringer, X.C, who apnea rod for the local bodies in the rural iiiea. .«id lie understood from Mr Wiiding that ho was not prepared to hand in hi_ .statemont ot defence of tho City Council. Mr Wilding had, however, handed him a dralt copy of the document, and bo would like time to pi-ru_ ■.' it. It tho Commissioner would ji-l;ouni the ennuiry for half an hour lie\v.uld coin* i- v. ith Mr Wilding and th.. City authorities, and that con : 1.-rcii'-n would probably ic.ult in an _!_i{« .nciit being come" to on tome of the i...ues; and, it so, that would materially hhorton tho proceedings. The ...mmi-.iom-i- as-ented, «md the Com m:*-ion adjourned lor half an hour. Uu retiming, .Mr .Stringer *aid ho iindorst-iod th <.___.'ity Cmim-il "s statement of defence iiiiiounted to this:— Ihe Council ;_;ivi« tlie rural area credit for th.- .unoiint which the rural area claime:!. namely, i-oinc U5.,000: and they then [U (weeded to go behind the allocation of Mr .Napier Hell, and to debit the rural areas with the cost of various work., and the_e clmrges not only <ibliter.-it*-d the cr»':lit of X'.'S..(X)O, but brought the ruiv! ana in debit by .onto (Laughter.) The City Council suggested some 1110tlif1c.ition in Ihe method of election. When the Council's statement was put in, giving detail* of the debit., against the rural <.ue:i, ho would meet tiieni. The Commissioner understood that Mr .Stringer might want to call rebutting evidence alter the Council's statement of defence was put in. Mr .Stringer: Ye_, if necessary. Of course tho rural area would object to tho Council going lxdiind tlve allocation of Mr Napier Bell. Tho Commissioner: You assume now tlmt the burden of proof has been shitted to tho Council Mr Stringer: Yes, with regard to tho iternt making up the Council's claim, amounting to some .COO.OOl) or £70,000. Mr Wildinii .aid the City Council h'.d taken the claim of J_37',000, but they proposed to show that there were certain omissions which would reduce that claim very materially. Then tho City set tip—and that would be tho affirmative claim, tho onus of which the Council accepted—the Council set up that certain works had been executed partly iv the city and partly, in the rural area, tho whole cost of which had been debited to the _ sewage area; and in equity tho Council said that a considerable proportion of that cost should have been t'.bjtcd—nnd ought now to be debited- ti>~the rural area. As to their going behind Mr Napier Bell's allocation, he might point out that the other sido had already gono back a long way. Mr Strinrrer: AYo do not s;o behind the allocation of Mr Napier Bell. We accept that. , Mr Wilding: But you go back over thirty years. Mr Stringer: Wo do not impeach Mr Napier Bell's allocation by ono penny. Mr Joynt, X.C, regretted that the Council had not furnished its statement of defence. The Commissioner agreed that It would have lieon ).ct.er if the Council had sent in its statement of defence. It was agreed to go on with the enquiry, on the understanding that tho Council furnished its statement of defenco later in tho day. Mr Stringer, in support of his contention that it might be necessary to call rebutting evidence, said the Council in its counter-claim mentioned a certain drain wheih cost __18,000. Tlio Council contended that tho rural area ought to have been charged with a portion of that expenditure. THE RURAL AREA'S CASE.

George Duncan MacFarlane, Mayor of New Brighton, was then called. Ho said that New Brighton seme threo years ago was constituted a separate drainage district. The reason for that was the dissatisfaction in New Brighton with the small expenditure maue by the Drainage Board in tho borough. Since the change had boon made tho rates had fallen from 8d to 2d in the £. Ho thought detailed statements of accounts should be furnished Ivy tho Drainage Board to the contributing bodies. Ho understood from Mr Wright that the investigation of accounts 6how.d that New Brighton was entitled to a refund of £1096. He was disappointed to hear that. Ho thought tho refund would have been larger. He favoured the mayoiK* of local boroughs and chairmen of road boards within the drainage area lieing members of the Drainage Board. He considered tho chainage system of charging on the Avon river was not fair. To Mr Russell: If New Brighton got it*, proper refund from the Drainage Board, New Brighton would bo prepared to carry on its own drainage works in the future. William Valentino Siddall, town clerk of Woolston borough, said he was formerly nn accountant. He did not consider the Drainage Board's system of keeping its accounts was satisfactory. The accounts ought to show upon wlint works and for what purpose the money was spent in each district. The contributions from the various districts should be based on tho benefits they received from tho drainage system. Mr Stringer: Assuming our accounts are correct, the over-payments made by the Woolston district amount to ._il.no. I suppose the necessary works in Woolston would soon swallow that sum ? Mr Siddall: Yes, and considerably more. William Hartshorn, clerk of the Spreydon Road Board, said that in 1 Sf>4 ho instituted a suit against the Drainage Board in connection with rates levied on the Woolston Borough. The Court decided that the rural areas were liable to rates for tho purpose of providing interest nnd sinking fund 0:1 the drainage loan. On the original loan df £200.000. only £79 had 'been expended in Sproydon. Spreydon had contributed C 12..0 to the Drainatre Hoard. Since the expenditure of the original loan certain works had been done, but Spreydon had been specially rated for them. Charles h'o.ler, town clerk cf New Brighton. ....id Now Brighton eon Id not be served by the present sewage system. He did net know tint a single penny of tho loin of £_~ ( .o._oo had been spent in tho borough. During tho last six years the Hoard had spent not more than .£."?() or t'-'O in the borough, while the dis'.ritt had pciiil about £2040 to the Draiii'igo Board. George Witty, M.H.U., said he re-.-cgiii ..ed the injustice that hud been done to the rural Tea. In his opinion tho amount overpaid—calculated to be £32. 1)00— should bo refunded .0 the rural area. Tliat money should be raised by means of a loan, the loan to be obtained without a poll. If a poll wero taken, of course the residents in the sewage urea would not vote for it. Interest should be allowed on the amount overpaid by the rural area. To Mr Ru»>ell: lie favoured the system of the members of the Board being elected by tho people. Ho did not approve of a nominated system. Albert Miles Plulpott, tanner, St. Albans, said ho had lived thero since 1872. The Avon district was in urgent need of drainage, lhe land was very rich, but it could not be used to its proper capacity owing to lack of drainage. CITY COUNCIL'S STATEMENT OF DEFENCK. The Commissioner said ho hod reoeived tho Christchurch City Council.;

statement of defence. The Council denied that £37,533 had been inequitably contributed to tiie tunds of the Drainago Board by the rural district. An examination of the accounts showed that £1-1,245 should now stand to the credit of the sewage area. They submitted that uu equitable portion of tho expenditure incurred in drainage works u.co__ary tor the sanitation oi the City snould be charged to the rural area ben-hted thereby. They offered no objection to the proposal to eKct inemt)cra of the Drainage 1-uaid, with limit.tl authority, by members of the local aiuhoiiti.ts concerned, subject to the representation being bas<<i proportionately on tho amount, contributed by the various- districts to the funds of the Board, the Governor-in-Council to havo tho same power as ho now had in connection with the Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards. They did not obj« ct to tho cost of maintenance of storm water channels being apportioned as the claimants desired. The examination of witnesses for the rural area was continued. Dr. F. G. M. Brittin, residing at Papanui, said he was Chairman of the Papanui Progress Committee The main object of that committee was to <'et the district properly drained. A hrgo ami of tho district sufferctl owwig to want of drainage. From a public health point of view drainage was wanted in (some parts of the district. Applications to the Drainage Hoard h id, _o f-.ir. not r.Miit* ..I in much work being done. of the open <ii-.iins were a menace to health. -John BoMHiiworth, clerk ot the Avon Road lioartl. -said a large area of his dStrict requiml dniinoge. Sidney Rt.bert -Wright, clerk to the Heathooto Road lioaid. »aid that, assuming tbo amount over-paid by tno lleathcote road district to be J_lo_vi, that amount could very well be cxpenci..d ou drain_ige works required at H«.itlit.ite. W. J. Walter, a member of the Chrk-tchnrch Drainage Board for tinAvon tlistrict, said he thought Avon was €_ititk'd to a refund. Assuming that full details wero given, it might bo a good thing to forward .-.pie. of e-timatffi to alio contributing local brtd'Us. A detailed balance-sin ct aiuiwing tho amounts collected from, and expended in, eacm. district should bo forwarded to the local bodies, 'lhe Avon tiistnot cointained some valuaolc and rich land, but 'that land could not bo u_ed to its full carrying capacity owing to lack of drainage. To Mr Harper: Ho was in favour of an elected Board Edward C. J. feC'vens, M.L.0., said he wa_ familiar with tlie Ohri-tohureli District Drainage Act and the Uoam to some extent, from its' inception. As a result of various negotiations m. 1666 he took charge of a Bill in Parliament. In moving the second reading of tne Bill he stated the position of attuurs at the tinii.. Tho cbject of the Bill was to restore the sinking fund to its prepetr i"4x.ition without having recourse to the rural area. He .nought. at the time that if tho moneys wero not restored, legal piocediiigs w.mu be taker.. He saw -no l-easou to alter tho opinion that he .h-.i held. no did not think tho rural area had received fair If tho l_eg._lature authorised a loan to be raised, there woulu be no uimoulty in raising t'fie money. To Mr Wilding: Ho took the Board' figures i.iii 1888 and it appeared to him Irom tho___ figures that a givut oeai had been charged to the rural aiyas. Ueorge John timith, M.L.C, sa.u ho hatl tor many years recognised tliat the rural area had been inequitably ratc-d, aud, if it had over-paid any amount, it would be only just thai tho amount sliould be refunded. Mr Stringer said that closed tlie general ca_o for tho .rural area. The Commission adjourned till 10 o'clock this morning.