WHO SHOULD PAY?

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19057, 20 July 1927, Page 16

WHO SHOULD PAY?

SEWER CONNEXIONS.

DECISION OF DRAINAGE BOARD

A decision that the Christchurch Drainage Board was unable to pay for the laying of the pipe lines connecting sewer-pipes on property owners* land with the main sewer line was made at last night's meeting. . The Spreydon Burgesses' • Association wrote stating that at the last meeting of the Association a deputation was received from the North Linwood Burgesses' Association in reference to the laying of sewers from the main to the fence-line. After hearing the deputation and discussing the proposal the Association had resolved: "That we urge the Drainage Board to obtain power to take a poll to provide the cost of laying the pipes from the main sewer to the lence-

The letter further expressed the hope that something would be done in the direction desired, so that the above motion would be given effect to. The chairman (Mr H. J. Otley) said that tho letter opened an enormous question. If the Board undertook to pay for pipe-laying it would be forced also to compensate those owners who had already had pipes laid and paid the cost themselves. It would take half a million pounds to cover the entire expenditure that would be incurred. There was nothing in tho terms of the loan providing for the Board to do this work. ~ • , Mr J. W. Beanland: I don't think we should do any more. ... Mr H. G. Livingstone asked whether the Board had considered the case of property owners where the pipes had to be carried more than 33 feet. The chairman: We deal with those as we coma to them. Mr Beanland suggested .that the reply to the Association should be that the terms of the loan did not allow this cost to be met by the Board. Mr Livingstone said there were many difficulties that would not allow the Board to.do the work. It had been argued that if the Board laid the pipes the streets would not be torn up to such an extent, but this would not be overcome if the Board took over the work. It would be absurd to leave pipes laid up to empty sections, and to have the money lying idle for years. The chairman: And we would not know where to lay the pipes to the fence-line on empty sections. Mr Beanland said the Council was pushing ahead the. loan of £75,000 to do the work, and in the meantime was pressing people to connect up, where sewers were laid.

Mr Livingstone said that in any case most people would prefer to pay this cost at once, and not to pay for it in an added rate for many years. It was decided to write in reply to the Association that the Board was faced with so many difficulties in its way that it would be unable to undertake the laying of the sewer connexions. Suggestion From Minister. A letter on the subject from the Minister for Internal Affairs (Mr Bollard) stated that request had been made by the Waimain County Council, asking that certain of the powers of Borough Councils contained in part 22, Municipal Corporations Act, 19(20, be conferred on that Council. The authority to confer those powers was con-! tained 1 in section 182, Counties Act, 1920. It waß understood that one of the reasons for desiring those powers was to enable the County Council to connect premises situated in the County, and in the Board's district, with the main drains constructed by the Board, Before he considered the matter further, continued the Minister, he was placing it before the Board, as it appeared to him that as the Board was constituted for the purpose of dealing with drainage and sewerage matters in its district, it should more properly control matters such as that contemplated by the Waimairi Council. He was aware that the Board had promoted several Local Acts giving it extensive powers in matters of drainage and sewerage, and it seemed to him that it would be a more economical proposition if the Board conducted the whole, of the operations, including the connecting of premises with the main system, and financing owners for the purpose. Therefore, he would appreciate advice as to whether the Board was prepared to undertake the work of making the connexions and financing owners, from whom the cost would be recovered by agreement. The letter was referred to the. Finance Committee for a report.