WATER SUPPLY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18194, 3 October 1924, Page 15

WATER SUPPLY.

THE EXTENSION PROPOSALS. REPORT TO CITIZENS' ASSOCIATION. A meeting of the Citizens' Association was held last evening, Mr W. Machin presiding. The special committee appointed to examine the proposals of the City Ccr.mcil for extensions of the city water upplv, and also. Dr. Chilton's criticism of those proposals and his alternative suggestions, reported, inter alia, that the three main point? 011 vdiich the proposals mast bo examined were as follows:—(1) The purity of the water; (2) the abundance of its supply; (3) the engineering and business problems of how to make it. available for use where required in an efficient and economical manner. The citiy authorities put forward a complete scheme covering all phases of the proposed work, and of its engineering and financial problems. Dr. Chilton appeared to have left the engineering problems almost untouched. From his publications and lectures it was gathered that he proposed that deep strata wells should fce sunk, and the water pumped directly into the mains. Dr. Chilton proposed to supply, at various parts of the city as required, si;to-sta-tions similar to that at St. Albans, the water being obtained from deep strata wells flowing into a suction tank, and being pumped from thence into the mains Ijv automatic pumps. In ex- | aminincTthe proposal the committee I met with considerable difficulty, in j that Dr. Chilton was a biologist, and did not pretend to possess the knowledge necessary to elaborate his scheme from an engineering standpoint. A conference with him for the purpose of urging this necessity only resulted in their being referred to his series of articles on the water question. Those articles, however, in their opinion, entirelv failed" to decide the all-important question as to whether his proposal was a 6ound engineering proposition. The matter was referred to the city officers to deal with from an engineering standpoint, and their replies pave members a much clearer understanding of the position, ana an appreciation of why the City Engineer considered Dr. Chilton's scheme as unsound. The conclusions arrived at. were summarised as follows:—(1) The water was of equal purity; (2) the supply appeared to be amply assured; (3) the scheme, was a broad, comprehensive one, based on the needs of a big city, and making provision for future growth of population : (4) it provided a maximum supply for fire-fighting purposes ; (5) it was sound from an engineering standpoint. They therefore recommended that the Association should use ite influence to help the Council to carry its proposals through. The committee desired to express its appreciation of the assistance on many technical matters freely given by Mr H. M ChryEtall, C.E.; In moving the adoption of the report, the chairman 6aid a very considerable aniount of time and thought had (been given to the compiling of it. He cculd not help feeling that any man reading the report could not birt realise that he had all the pros and cons before him in a nutshell. People needed to investigate and go thoroughly into these questions for themselves. In stimulating the discussion, Dr. Chilton had dpiie the community a distinct serrioo.

Mr W. jHayward seconded .the motion, saying that he had always been in favour of 'Mr Dobson's suggestions in the-matter. A letter was received from Mr H. M. Chryst&ll, giving his support to the scheme, and stating'that the city should have, no hesitation in adopting, in toi6, the Council's pronosal^. The report was adopted, and the meeting went into committee. MEETING AT WOOLSTON. A public meeting was held last night in the Woolston Sehool, at which the Mayor (Mr J. A. Flesher) and Cra. Clyde Carr and A. Williams dealt with the benefits to be derived from the extension of the water supply scheme into the various parts of the city and suburbs not yet served, and urged the ratepayers to vote for the loan proposals, polls in connexion with which are to be taken on Thursday next. Mr McGregor B. Wright presided over'an attendance of between 30 and 40 ratepayers.. The speakers all spoke against Dr. Chas. Chilton's deep-well scheme, the Mayor, stating that whereas the deep well near the Tepid Baths a few yeai'3 ago gave a snpply of 300 gallons ;i minute, the supply to-day was 214 gallons a minute, a difference of 25 per cent. At Beekenham, where the City Council proposed to sink additional wells, there was no danger of the supply of water ever being reduced. A vote of thanks was subsequently accorded the speakers and the chairman. Dr. C. Ohilton, who was prominent in opposing the water supply loan in January 'last, an nounces that he- will crtve a public lecture in the Jellicoe Hall on Monday, at 8 p.m. The lecture will be> illustrated bv lantern slides, and will be open to all ratepayers without charge.