HUTT VALLEY NEWS

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 92, 13 January 1932, Page 5

HUTT VALLEY NEWS

EASTBOURNE WATER Work Starts To-day TURNING FIRST SOD The first definite step in the Eastbourne water and drainage scheme will be made this morning at 9.30 o’clock, by the turning of the first sod in connection with the work. The ceremony will be performed by the Mayor of Eastbourne (Mr. S. F. Fisher), near the Rona Bay wharf. It is the mayor’s intention also to make a statement concerning the details of the scheme. A fuller explanation, including the annual cost and other details, will be mado to a meeting of ratepayers next week by Mr. Fisher: The scheme is intended to comply with the several requisitions issued by the Health Department to the Eastbourne Borough Council, calling on it to install water and drainage. Similar requisitions were issued to the Hutt County Council, calling on it also to install water and drainage in Day’s Bay. It was hoped that the Hutt County would join in with Eastbourne, and secure its supply of water by purchase from Eastbourne, which in. turn is purchasing the water from the Lower Hutt Borough Council at fourpence a thousand gallons. Day’s Bay ratepayers, headed by Mr. D. R. Hoggard (chairman of the Hutt County Council), Mr. M. F. Luckie, and Mr. A. W. Press, would not agree to the terms, to which would be added the cost of using larger pipes to take the sewerage of both Eastbourne and Day’s Bay. It would be necessary to empty the Day’s Bay sewerage through the Eastbourne mains, as the Health Department will not consent to its being emptied into the harbour at Day’s Bay. The refusal of Day’s Bay to come into the Eastbourne scheme rather complicated the position, as the permission of the Hutt County was necessary for the Eastbourne water mains to run along the road through Lowry Bay and Day’s Bay. The Lower Hutt borough engineer (Mr; A. G. Bush), who has charge of the whole of the engineering work, had planned to take the water pipes along the inside of the road/ The Hutt County opposed this, saying that it wanted to take its own mains along the inside of the road as soon as Day’s Bay decided to install its own water and drainage scheme. The county offered Eastbourne- the outside of the road to take the pipes along. Engineers differed on the practicability of taking pipes along the outside of the road. One view was that it was practicable, and the other, and dominating view, was that it was not. Decision on the point has yet to be made. As the scheme is the result of Health Department requisitions, and the Government has given its approval, there will be no need for a poll of ratepayers to be taken. Payment of the work is secured by debentures, which have readily been taken up. The work at Eastbourne does not interfere with, or affect, the work which is to be done by the Lower Hutt Borough Council. That wofik involves the laying of the rising main from the three artesian wells which have been sunk near Seaview Road to the reservoir, which is to be built on the hill near Howard Point. Easements for the land on which the reservoir is to be built are to be obtained from the Hutt County Council. In connection with the drain-laying and the installation of the water system, there are 5i miles of roads in Eastbourne. The area is 1383 acres, the population 2050 people, while the number of assessments on the valuation roll is 828. Not all of the sections have been built upon. The Unemployment Board has consented to the drain-laying work coming under schemes on which, unemployed relief men may be put. .There is an arrangement whereby Eastbourne, Lower Hutt and Petone men will be employed in proportion to the number of married unemployed men existing in those several boroughs. RATES COLLECTED . Hutt Local Bodies The rates collected by the various local bodies as at December 31, showed a _ big drop last year compared with the previous rea O r f the £5979/1/11 levied by the Hutt River Board for 1931-32, only £1936/9/8 jhad been collected by December 31. 1931. I For the same period in 1930, of the £6358/5/9 levied, £2463/10/8 was collected. - At December 31. 1930, £15,841/8/5 was collected by the Petone Borough Council, of the total rates levied of £28,814/3/8. For last year the rates levied totalled £31,541/19/3, and at December 31, 1931, £13,794/11/10 had been collected. LAWN TENNIS' Games Between Clubs ® The inter-club tennis activities for this year will be recommenced on Saturday next, when the third grade matches originally drawn as the seventh series will be played. During Anniversarj’ Day weekend the Jenkins Cup matches for combined doubles will be played in senior, junior and third grades, and on January 30 the third jseries of the luter-club tournament in all grades will take place. The following is the draw for next Saturday’s games:— Third grade: Eastern v. Waiwetu, at Waiwetu; Central v. Knox, at Central; Trentham v. St. James, at Trentham; St. Augustine’s v. Tayray, at St. Augustine’s. The fourth grade match, Central v. Petone West, will also be played next Saturday. TARRING MAIN HIGHWAYS A letter was received by the Petone and Lower Hutt Gas Lighting Board from the Minister of Mines, Hon. D. Jones, stating that recent tests of samples showed that the tar manufactured by the board did not come up to the standard approved for use on the maintenance and construction of main highways. The standard was required to comply with the British engineering standard specifications.The secretary, Mr. W. F. Sturman, said machinery was at present on the way to New Zealand which is guaranteed to make the tar to the required standard. The Minister’s letter was in reply to one from the board requesting that as the board used mostly New Zealand coal in its works, the board’s tar should be used as much as possible oil main highways.

GAS LIGHTING BOARD Works Manager’s Report Reporting to the Petone and Lower Hutt Gas Lighting Board at its meeting last night, the works manager (Mr. C. Shaw) stated that for December 745 tons of coal were carbonised In the manufacture of 9.726,000 cubic feet of gas, a decrease of 361,000 cubic feet compared with December, 1930. The average make of gas a ton of coal was 13,055 cubic feet. There were in stock on January 1, 1932, 516 tons 6cwt 2qrs. of coal. During December 117 tons 13cwt. 2qrs. of coke were sold, leaving 151 tons in stock on January 1, 1932. In December 8829 gallons of tar were sold, including 5900 gallons to the Petone Borough Council, and 2376 gallons to the Lower Hutt Borough Council. There were left In stock on January 1. 1932, 14,201 "gallons. The distribution officer (Mr. O. Sllbery) reported for December that 12 new services had been installed (seven in Petone, five in Lower Hutt), and 12 cookers (four in Petone, eight in Lower Hutt). During December Priest’s Avenue area, Korokoro, gave trouble. On investigation it was found that the three-lnch main in Priest’s Avenue was fed by a H-inch galvanised pipe from the Hutt Road across the railway line. It would require 3} chains of three-inch main to link up the Avenue with the four-inch main supplying Korokoro. The connections on the western side of the bld bridge at Lower Hutt have given a lot of trouble. In November an effort was made to remedy the trouble with a new joint, but without satisfactory result. Other alterations are to be made. LOWER HUTT BUILDING Big Decrease in Figures Building id Lower Hutt showed a great decrease for the year ended December 31, 1931, compared with the previous twelve months. Last year permits were issued to the value of £86,089, compared with £356,538 for 1930. The monthly figures for 1931 are as follow:—January, £16,852; February, £10,578; March, £7335; April, £2750; May, £4050; June, £12,895; July, £2875; August, £12,995; September. £6117; October, £3172; November, £6005; December, £465.