HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 594, 24 August 1909, Page 3

HUTT AND PETONE NEWS.

Our Special Reporter)

HUTT V*' %W COTTACE HOSPITAL. PETONE'S POINT OF VIEW. The Mayor of Petone, Mr. J. W. M'Ewan, last evening made a statement to his borough council on the question of the suggested Cottage Hospital for Hutt Valley. He said that neithei Petono nor flutt Borough Counoil had any power to combine for providing such an institution. But what was proposed, and what was going to happen, was this. The District Hospital Board, which was separate from the body which controlled the management of the general hospital at Wellington, had power to erect ho* pitals at various points within the hospital district. They had elected a hospital at Otaki, i and had a sanatorium there They had given him their assurance that in the next financial year when the estimates w;ere under consideration they would provide for a sum- for building a cottage hospital for tho Hutt Valley. He raised the question twejve months ago, arid he had been keeping the matter steadily m view all the time. The fact that the general v hospital at Wellington requned additional wards compelled the board (so the chanman said) to go slow" m the matter of asking local bodies for additional contributions for a hospital for Hutt, but next year (so he assured him) Hutt Valley would certainly get a- cottage hospital The question as to where it shall be placed would, he believed, prove a burning one, because the board had acquired a ten-acre block in Hutt as a site for that hospital, and a great many people thought it a very unsuitable place That question would be raised so soon as the present financial year was; closing. HOW MUCH WATER? Has Petone enough water supply for flushing purposes? This question, which has hitherto been in some doubt, was dealt with at the Petone Council meeting last evening in a report of the borough engineer, Mr. W. H. Cook. In introducing the report, the Mayor ; Mr. J W. M'Ewan, said that probably within six months the council might be called upon to consider the question of a big sewerage scheme. In the course of his report;- tho engineer expressed the opinion that the water would be .sufficient for the ordinary needs of the borough for many years to come. A ,flush of two or three gallons was generally considered ample. In going into details of figures, the engineer said that the quantity of water usually allowed per head was between 25 and 30 gallons per day, with an extra 10 gallons in the case of a manufacturing town. Duiing the last drought he found that the total quantity available was equal to nearly 3i gallons per head per day. He also found that during the evenings the people used half a gallon per head per hour moio than they used during the daytime This led him to the conclusion that if they could stop the use of water in.gardens the bupply would go further. In any case, even at 'the driest time of year, there was evidently no danger of a dearth of water for many years to come. The experiments were conducted during the month of February. ' The Mayor said that in the preceding December the Gear Company had used 876,000 gallons of wdter. "He was satisfied that the water supply was ample for tho coming sewerage scheme. ' ' HUTT BOROUGH FINANCES Inj a financial report, presented to last night's meeting of the Hutt Boiough Council, the balance to August 20, 1909, was given as follows. —District fund account— General account, debit, £9585 lis 3d., gas general account, debit,' £544,10s 3d., library account, debit, £47 10s 2d , total debits, £10,177 lis. 8d Trust account, credit, £1224 lis. Bd.; contractors' deposit account, credit, £30; mteicst account, credit, £222 10s. 6d., total credits, £1477 2s 2d, amount of, overdraft, £8700 9s. 6d , bank balance, £8482 15s. 6d.:> outstanding cheques, £217 14s , total, £8/00 9s 6d. Loan accounts— £52,000 loan account, drainage portion, credit, £3727 7s. lid ; Everest's Creek, portion,credit, £100. The water-supply and street-iinprot'ements portion has been 1 expended. Gas loan—Ou fixed deposit, £500; current account, £290 ss. 2d ; total, £790 53 2d. 'The £500 wasvrenened on fixed deposit for twelve months. ' /jottings , Two cases of sen l let fever at Lower Hutt have bepn reperted by Dr Hecter. At 'last night's meeting" of tho Hutt Borough Council, an application for the payment of £325, the council's ccntribution towaids the construction of the Hutt Pipe and Traffic Bridg'e, was received from the Wellington City Council The amount was passed, for payment. The presentation of £he certificates for the past three years to the successful members of the Hutt Fire Brigade took place last night, the Mayor (Mr. E P. Bunny) performing the function Those receiving tho certificates were: Messis. B. Fleet, T. W. Slynn, E. Strand, E. Hobman, H. Baldwin, S Strand, Collett, G. Bradley, and G. A. M'Uvride. Mr. Fleet secured 138 points out of a possible 144. A committee, consisting of tho Mayor, and Councillors Anson and Baldwin, was set up to deal with applications for the vacant junior clerkship One applicant was a Petone lady, and another was a Wellington lady, Mr v A. M'Kee was appointed to the .vacancy. Tho Rev Father Lane's application for renewal of the license of the Lower Hutt Catholic Church was approved by the Borough Council last evening. A tender for £494 15s, by Mr. W. Harwood, for the erectioniof a caretaker's tage on Petono Recreation Ground, was accepted last evening by the Petono Borough Council. •