GREATER AUCKLAND.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 133, 28 February 1908, Page 4

GREATER AUCKLAND.

DRAWING .NEARER. A COSTLY DRAINAGE SCHEME: ' (DY TIiLEGEAPn—SPBCIAL CORRESPONDENT.) ' :; Auckland, February 27. : A Greater Auckland would seem to liavo been brought nearer , by the, resolutions carried at last night's .confercnco of. local .bodies. There was .an . unexpected. lack of decided opposition to tho proposal. Speaking on the issue'beforo the'conference, 1 joint drainage and amalgamation, tho-Mayor, Mr. A. M. Myers, said that .statistics published that morning showed' a ; serious position. In the case .'of the; the greater'proportion of the ' cases of' typhoid fever had occurred

in that area which, unfortuiiatoljy hiid not yet boon drained: ;Ho quoted statistics to show that in London .a drainage'schcmo had mc_ant a saving'of 50,000 lives n year. Of courso, this. question had boon engaging attention for a long timo, but they know now exactly where thoy were. The moiioy' aspect was certainly a very important one. Ho had no. doubt it was somewhat alarming to tho suburban bodies, biit,; of course; the work would take a very 'considerable time. It would probably, take two years and a half for the construction of tho main outfall sewer and tank's and tunnel, and, therefore, in basing their calculations, tho ■local .bodies - must -remember it would bo a vory Considerable time before tho wholo of the large amounts would bo required. Ho had .no, doubt that it would probably take fifteen years before tho : whole system—the carrying out of tho scheme, together with reticulation of the various, districtswas completed. _ As far as lie could judge, the three principal. objections to amalgamation were: fear of increase of'rates, fear that the. new districts might be neglected, and disapproval of some of the actions of the present City Council. Of course, tho suburbs would have to i pay for drainage .whether they joined tho'city or hot. Tho Mayor went: on to; point out/ that districts , joining the city would clcct representatives, and 'that; five'or six-"members'of the present City, Councilhad their homes':in-the' suburbs. The ■niaiiii'quest-ion 'or Jd. on the rates; but whether: there, was not reasonable ground to expect, that the affairs would Jm'biore efficiently 1 and economically attended to by one body.- . . Much stress was laid .upon the health aspect, and among . the'.'charts exhibited was one which. showed that; prior to the 'installation of the Wellington' drainage scheme, typhoid cases admitted to Wellington Hospital , totlalled 193 in 1892, and dropped to 27 in 1902. A; question_ in regard to tho coming city mayoral election was asked at the conference by Mr. O. Nicholson, Mayor of Mount Eden.

In speaking .on ..tho Greater- Auckland ques : tion, ho asked the Mayor of the city (Air! Myors) whether, lii the event' of. an ainalgamution schcmo being inaugurated, ho (Mr. Myers) would bo willing to continue to &ivo his services as Mayor, as this was n question that liad a great bearing on the subject. Mr. .Myers said that ho had' been looking forward to retirement this yoar, hut if ho could assist in bringing about this gicat l'ofomt by ' a- furthor term of 'sorvico, ho might be 'prepared to reconsider tho question. Ho could not, however, give an

answer at present, as,lie would requiro two or three weeks to consider it.