WATER FOR UPPER HUTT

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 51, 5 March 1929, Page 15

WATER FOR UPPER HUTT

A LOAN REFUSED

ANOTHER APPLICATION MADE

The Upper" Hutt Borough Council some; weeks ago wrote to the Local Government Loans Board asking to have its application for sanction to raise a waterworks loan o£ £20,800 reconsidered by the board.

At the meeting of the council last night the board's reply was considered. The boa*d said that the Act under which it was constituted. provided that in the event of the board not sanctioning the application of a local body to borrow money no further application should be-made within, twelve months unless in the meantime there had occurred a material change of circumstances affecting the loan proposals. The facts in the case of Upper Hutt did not indicate • any such change as fa* as the extension of the waterworks was concerned, and the board therefore was unable to reconsider the application. The board also stated that unless there was any immediate necessity 'for the extension of smaller schemes for individual local authorities the: development of a major scheme under the Wellington City and.Suburban Water Supply Board should be awaited. Begarding the borough of Upper Hutt, reports last summer (an exceedingly dry one) showed that ample water was available from the present head works, and that by restricting the use of water in the.summer months the present system, would provide all the water necessary for some time for domestic purposes, and for the proposed sewerage Works. If the council desired to substitute in parts of the borough larger mains for the small ones at present used the board stated that it would further consider the matter, but under the existing circumstances the extension of the iheadworks seemed unnecessary. • .

! In reply to the board's letter, the Town Clerk wrote to tho chairman of the Loans Board requesting leave to submit again the proposals for the improvement of the borough water supply headworks, the substitution of larger mains for the existing ls-inch mains, and the reticulation of certain streets in the borough which are at present without mains. The Town Clerk pointed out that the position had lately altered materially. Three new services had been connected,' and' took heavy additional toll' of the supply. There was only a 50,000-gallon tank at the headworks as a reserve, which had proved just sufficient to meet last summer's requirements. The new ordinary services had reduced the margin of safety, and ratepayers were growing 'uneasy. Provision must be made to remove the danger that might arise at present in case of fire by promoting a regular supply.

Application was again made to the board for its sanction to raise a water supply headworks loan of £6800, and a water reticulation loan of £10,000. Application for the fire brigade loan of/£3500 was held over pending the board's 1 decision on the other loans.

The Town Clerk's letter to the Loans Board was approved by the council, the Mayor (Mr. P. Bobertson) stating that the chairman of the Water Board had intimated that that body would not object to the carrying out of the Upper Hutfc proposals.