ONSLOW BOROUGH

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 91, 17 April 1917, Page 10

ONSLOW BOROUGH

MAYORAL ELECTION

ADDRESS BY MR. CRUMP.

The Mayor of Onslow (Mr. C. C. Crump) addressed a meeting at' Ngaio last night on behalf of his candidature for re-election. Mr. 'Geo. Darvall was in the chair. After referring to some matters of minor importance, Mr. Crump said that the greatest work the council had to deal with last term was the passing of Mr. Fulton's report on the water service for Ngaio and Khandallab.. That scheme was very much opposed by the gentlemen returned at the last election against it. Their best and most drastic methods to kill the scheme had, however, resulted in failure. If they could have shown that the scheme was not an efficient one, or that the Engineer did not know anything about it, or that he had made a mistake in this case, nobody would have been better pleased than ■ those councillors and himself who believed in it. They were open to conviction, if reason could be shown. Nothing had been advanced to shake their faith, nor was any attempt made to find a better scheme. Their opponents were too eager to knock it on the head, and it did not matter a straw how, so long as it came about. The zeal of the opposition was overflowing; they knew more about that scheme than the,four engineers (members of the Institution of Engineers), three previous councils (thirty men), and also the last council except themselves. Their zeal was great' Mr. Fulton was no novice as an engineer. He had had charge of other water schemes, and far greater undertakings than anything that Onslow ' would require. •If there was any risk 1 of failure in this scheme, it could not be in the pipes or reticulation (which was the most costly part of the undertaking). That part of the scheme would be just the same whether they got the water from the catchment area or the main pipes that carry the Wainui water to Wellington. The catchment area was 145 acres. Each inch of rainfall on that area equalled 3,289,687 gallons. Deduct from that 4-10ths for evaporation and percolation, and it left 1,983,812 gallons. Two thousand people, using 25 gallons each per day, would require 18,250,000 gallons a year. The available water from ten inches of rainfall ..on the catchment area would give them 19,738,120 gallons. During the last three years the rainfall had been respectively 33.85 in, 33'.38in, and 43.53 in. A fall of 33.38 inches would have given over three times what they required (after deducting 4-10tha), equal to 65,885,844 gallons—enough water for 7000 persons at 25 gallons per day each and 2,010,884 gallons to spare. The present catchment area was the roofs of the houses—not more than 400 — average each roof, 40ft by 50ft (which was a big average), and they got an average of 223 square yards; 440 times that equalled 88,000 square yards, or about 18Jr acres, and that did for them at present, except when they got a long dry spell, and during the rainy season, when the tanks were full and as much water ran away as was collected. If they desired a clean, healthy state of affairs, and some security against epidemics and fires, they must have a water supply. They should also have drainage. "Some object," he said, "because it will raise their rates, some object be; cause they have provided more storage, and some have got pipes and rams in the catchment stream, and the majority of these people alluded to think they aie aUright themselves—they have not sufficient regard ,for the welfare of the borough. I would not like to stand in the shoes of the leaders /of this opposiI tion—l could not bear to have it on my , conscience that I had so drastically opposed that which is so necessary The' man who opposes this scheme knowingly I is doing his best to spoil the district 1 for years to come. Outsiders who read 1 the newspapers during the discussion on Mr. Fulton's report said, that, according 1 to the opposition, Onslow is the only borough in New Zealand that they know i of that has no possible hope of ever having a water supply, and that the disi trict must be unique as far as New Zealand is concerned. Ths opposition , says the water scheme ia no good. Why do they not tell us there is no rainfall, i for that is just what'it amounts to? On i 19th March the following appeared in . the Evening Post: ' Wanted to sell, fiveroomed house; no reasonable offer re- , fused. ■ Apply Empty Tanks.' You have 1 houses in Ngaio and Khandallah that have been burnt down How many of them get rebuilt again, and what is the reason?- You know Would -water and drainage depreciate any property even if it was going to be four times as costly ■as the proposed scheme?" He added that there was no intention of going on with the ischemo until after the war. He would like to see the drainage 'scheme dealt .with as soon as possible; he thought it was just as important as the ■ water scheme.