DISCUSSIOM BY THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 204, 22 May 1908, Page 7

DISCUSSIOM BY THE COUNCIL.

Councillor Ballinger (chairman of 'tho committee), moved the; adoption of tho report. .Councillor .M'Laren, .in seconding, urged •tho ; necossity:.of tlio duplication' of the main. fisher; expressed tho opinion that the duplication, of'tho AYainui iriain was tho most'important work beforo tho Council, and'should bo undertaken immediately.. He . was; surprised to leam that tho mains woro on such a bad condition./ Had he known this, ho.would liavo moved before., Other works, Biich'sas/abattoirs, tlio wall 'at Oriental Bay, etc:'; should bo swept asido in favour of this greatrwork: Tho'-necessary tunnels through thb'ihills \ sbould 'be started at- oncc, because .so;Biuch timo. would bo occupied in- excavating .'them. : 9 . .. .

J ,Councillor M'L'aron said the cbmmitteo had closely, .questioned tho Engineer as to tho condition;.of mains,-and he had stated that tlioy. we-ro in good but tho joints wero unsatisfactory. These were, liowevcj', ■ being improved from" time to timo, and breaks wero now less frequent than fcf-merly. Councillor Shirtcliffe corroborated this • statement, but. said that' at present the city ' was ; subject to.-a .gravo . risk, owing to tho possibility, of breaks. : An carthquako might do 'untold damago by cutting off t-ho water supply. . . / Cohrm dcprecated undue alarm. Thoro .was the Karori supply to fall back on. ' Tho. Mayor said: there wa-s no causo for alarm: Ono of tlio two Karori reservoirs would-hold: a fifteen 'days' supply for tho wholo city, without taking itjto account tho watei- ooiiatuntly running in. The Wainui reservoir held twenty million gallons, whereas tho, iwjw Kwcrri would hold sixty million. The position was, therefore, much more wtiaftciory than' it h*d been, and ho thought ...that the duplication of- tho Wnimii main could wait a yoar. ■ If it wero begun a year henco, it would bo completed within tho timo limit prescribed by;_ the City Engineer Jn his previous report 611 tho subject. The report was adopted. '