CITY COUNCIL- WATER SUPPLY.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIX, Issue 4848, 11 March 1873, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL- WATER SUPPLY.

\s adjoin aed speci.il meeting of the (!ity Council w.im liolil last evemmj at 9 o'clock at Canada Huildiugs for tho purpose of fuitlicr cmmdcimg the watci -supply question. LVrscnt : Ilia Woislup tho Alayoi (in tho chau), Councillors Dargavillc, Isaacs, Cosginvo, Williams, ami Hohbq Tho meeting had bcpn adjourned from the 28th Kebruaiy, w lion tho following resolution, by Councillor D.irgavillc, was under consideration: — "That, should the ratepayers deeido in favour of a watoi -supply, in tho opinion of thi'i Council tho Nihotupu st homo is the best souice ; and that the Mayor bo requested on somo futuic d.iy to tako a tote of tho ratepayers either for or against tho scheme, which is estimated to cost £100,000."— Councillor Cosgrave thought that the moot* ing had bettei bo adjourned, owing to tho minill attendance. — Couucilloi D.ugavillc said they should cither postpone tho consideration of the question for 12 mouths or dispose of it at once. — Councillor Isaacs said he, had moved tho adjournment of tho last meeting in the hopo that Councillors would givo the matter some attention, and bo in a position to deal with t)to //oration finally. However, as certain Couneilloiq had not attended, ho would suggest that they should invito the engineers who had piopountled schemes to meet them, and decide i\t once? o)i tl'o in alter. That was the only piactical way of pioceoding 'I ho public and tho Council would then be lit t!»e itoaacation of allmfoiination, and there would bo no ground for complaints or insinuations as to the action of Councillors. It was impossible for thorn to avrivo at Jwy decision fioin tlio innumerable schemes they had before them, many of winch wcro (|iute unintolligiblo to him. Tho qurstio/i should be .settled at once. — Councillor Cosgravo thought no practical good could result from tho piesont mooting. He suggested that they should lgnoie public opinion, and immediately build a reservoir on tho land belonging to tho city in Kyber Pass Road, and older the mains fiom home. Thoy need not go into the money maikct to bonow £100,000, aird after they had got evorvthing in readiness could ascertain from Low'and Motion and from Messrs. flecombo how and at what cost the lcservoiv could be lillcd, and then raise the money. If the plan ha proposed wcie adopted tho public would have no cause to complain of jobbery. JIo did not think it would cost more than £50,000 to secure a pctmaucut water supply. —Tho A/ayor t>aid it wan not sui prising that the meoting wa<5 not largely attended, aa somo Councillors had at the la^t meeting indicated their intention not; to attend oveuings. Consuloiing tho length o? tnuro that tho question had bocu standing n tiding delay would not niattei, and he had thought that they hal better adjourn tho meeting until after tho Governor's departure Ho was huipnsed at tho remaiks of Councillor Cosgrave, who, V/hJIo ho paid they should ignoie public opinion, staled that it Ins suggestion ■vvoio adopted tho public could not complain of jobbery. He d< prccated the piaotice of talking about "jobbery." Insinuations wcie constantly being thrown out, but it scorned that no one had been ablo to make any definite charge or statement as to Councillor being actuated by interested motives. - Councillor Uaigavfllo tboi'ght they could not obtain any nifoi mation from tiio c-^i-neeis morothan they could dowvo from their schemes which they h;vl beforo them. With regard to Councillor Cosgrave's suggestion, lio would bo iu favour, when the timo came, of letting the work by coutiact ; and if tho tenders were ahovo a certain sum to be approved of by tho public, they should not bo accepted. With regaid to the proposal of tho Mayor for mi adjcwuuneufc, he himself was goiugaway tho day affcor the departure of tho i ( Jovernor. Another thing ho wished lo notice was that, while tho question was in abejanei', dc-ngnmg men would bo watching their movements, and would tako advantage of tho inclination they would obtain thiough tho consideration of the question being prolonged. He icpcated that they should deal with tho matter at once. — Tho Mayo*- remarked that the Council had power to take land in tho Hubuihs of the city, and submit the question of compensation to arbitration.— Councillor Wilhuni thought thoy should by tho cx|»cn. dituro of about £30,000 or £40,000 got a water supply BiiHiciout for tho next live ye.n h, when it would bo timo to think of going into a large schomo. Ho thought tho boi in^ earned on by tho llaiboiir P»L>a)il would ii">ult in seeming a auflicient supply for tho harbour. Ho was not in favour of considering tho subject at a small meeting. JIo thought they might obtain Homo very useful And valuable in£ormotion from tho cuginceis, as suggested by Councillor Isaacs.— Councillor Cosgiavo said tho pcoplo wcro avcrao to any aohemo involving tho bon owing of large sums of money. Jlcicpeattid bia opinion that thoy Hhoul 1 first get the mains and everything in leathness when thoy could, then, get an overdraft at tho Jiiiilc— Couucilloi Isaacs asked who was going to bo ic^ponsible for tho expenditure ineuri oil in that case 1 If Seccombe and Co. would undcitako to keep the roseivoir (supplied, and givo a sutlkicut supply to tho city, they could not d-> better than como to tin airangement with them. Facts in connection with that plan might bo ascertained lioforo next mooting. Ho moved that tho meeting adjourn until Kuday next, and that all tho surveyon who hail loported on the vaiious schemes ho invited to uttend. — Councillor Williams seconded.— Councillor D.irg.ivillo waa opposed to Councillor Isaaen's proposition. Mr. JJiogdon's cugi«cet4 would of coiirao support tho special plea of Mr. Jiull in favour of tho Western Hpiin^B, and the other engineers could only lepeat what thoy stated in ttlCir report''. — Councillor Cosyr.ivo would alao opposio tho icsolution.— Councillor HobhB said it was really pitiful to notice the amount of lgnoianoo displayed on this subject, both by homo Councillors and the public. It would bo tho height of folly, and would show their incapacity to sit there an repicscntalivi-s of the city, if they adopted the motion of Councillor Isaacs. With rogard to Councillor Cosgvav e's mt^gesUon, hediduotbcUovo m iucuinug liability without having Homo data to go by and fitst fixing tlic source. He was m favour o£ lotting tl>e work )>y tender, llo believed it would be one of tho nvmt prodtablo things over undei - t iiken, and tho question of whether it should bo done by a piivato company or by tho Council wuu an important element in tho consideration of tho uubjoct ; but, as ho believed the public wcro not now in favour of A water schemo, he would oppose one for tho present. Ho spoko in favour of a gravitation schemo. If water could bo brought in fioin Waitakoio for £100,000 bo would bo in favour of such a scheme. — Councillor Daigavillo said Councillor Hobbs's view of tho question w.i 1 ! a very sonsiblo ono. H» {Couneilh))' l>ai/Mvillo) had been ono of tho3o who had contemplated forming a private eomp.my forthu putpoao of iU|.plying tho city with water, und he had rotircd from that undertaking when ho found that public opinion was in favour of the Council undertaking the woik. llo had nt tlmfc time gono into calculations, and, taking into uonmdoiatiou tho rise in tho puce of iion, h> estimated the cost of a water supply at about £100,000. Ho then urged arguments agftiimt pumping achomea in general, and that of tho Western Sptingsiu patticular, criticising^fr. Hell's loport iu detail. Mr. Boll appeared to have prejudged the caie with regard to tho

WisNiij Springs, nud placed c % oi^tiling ,it an uuioaiMi.iliIy low estimate, while in Iim r.'poit on the Nihotupu acheme he had estimated e\erythuig at a very high rate. Mr. Hell estimated the <iMui.il i spurring expenses in connection with tho Western Spring scheme at A'i, <!(•(>, which capitalised would amount to C8(),0()(). Uo {Mr Dirgavillo) estimated them al Cfi.UUO, and lllought that they were a. f.vta\ objection to t\io Ro\u:inc. — Tho Ma>or thought that Mr. Pcppeioorno's ro|iortflliouKl not lie inuoicd. That goutlcman hn<l wntten a gie.il deal on tho suhjret, and leportud gratuitously, while other cu<{iueeis Jiad been l>aid. lie (Mr. J'oppcrcorne) estniaatcil the annual lccurriug expenses in connection with tho Western Springs at £2,700.— Councillor Cosgravc said their chief object shouhl bo to piouuic puro water. — Tho Mayor said tho analysis of the water fromNihotupu «as not <? itist'ictory. — Councillor Isaaca a.vnl tlio rctn.uk of Councillor Dargavillo that the 011/,'iiifers weie in error was another reason why they should meet them. — Councillor Cusgravc moved an an amoudmont that tho mooting adjourn until Friday. — Councillor Daigaullc '•econded.— The amendment was cirned. — The meeting then adjourned.