WATER FOR PETONE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 147, 19 December 1930, Page 13

WATER FOR PETONE

SCHEME COMPLETED CEREMONIAL SWITCHING

In April last year the Potonc ralepayers, b} r an overwhelming majority, authorised the raising of a loan of £61,000 to provide a new water reticulation and to install a powerful electric pump. To-day new mains are in use throughout the borough, except in the AVilford Settlement, where the mains laid by the Government are practically now and where an excellent pressuro of water is provided because of the proximity of tho pumping station. The new pump has been installed and will deliver into the mains 1600 gallons a minute at a. pressure of S6lb to the square inch. So far the council, by ca.ro and economy, has raised only £40,000 of the amount authorised, and it has not been necessary to levy a special rate to cover interest and sinking fund charges, nor is this rate likely to he necessary. The time is not far off: when the ratepayers will reap the benefit of the scheme in the form of reduced fire insurance premiums, the reduction hoped for being between 10 and 15 per cent.

Yesterday afternoon, to celebrate the completion of the scheme, the. new pump was officially switched on by the Mayor of Petone (Mr. D. M'Kenzie).

Tho ceremony took place in the pumping station in, Tennyson street, where there was a largo attendance, among whom were Messrs. L. A. Hutton, G-. C. Edwards, and J. Iverr, all members of the Petone Fire Board, Mr. J. P. Gaynor, superintendent of tho Petono Fire Brigade, Councillors C. P. Brockelbank, J. C. Burns, V. E. Jacobson, V. A. Noble, H. A. Ryder, and 1?. W. Toomath, of the Petone Borough Council; Mr. W. F. Sturman, Town Clerk; Mr. C. L. Jackson, borough engineer; Mr, H. Vickerman, the council's consulting engineer; Mr. •J. Avenell, the contractor for the reticulation; Mr. H. S. B. Fletcher, general secretary of the Council of Fire and Accident Underwriters' Association; Mr. W. Xash, M.P. for the district; and Mr. W. G. Lodder, chairman of the Petone and Lower Hutt Gas Lighting Board. Representatives of the firms who supplied the materials for the reticulation were also pi'esent. Apologies were received from Councillors E. T. Hogg and J. W. Longman, Mr. J. B. Lancaster, consulting engineer; Sir Alexander Roberts, Mayor of Lower Hutt; a.nd Mr. E. F, Hollands, engineer-general manager of tho Hutt Valley Electric. Power Board. A PLENTIFUL SUPPLY. The Mayor said that the completion of the scheme marked a step forward in tho history .-of Petone. The council's artesian wells gave 4,187,520 gallons a day, and the present consumption for 24 hours was only 624,000 gallons. That left 3,563,520 gallons a day to spare from the artesian wells, not taking into account the gravitation supply from Koro Koro. The new electric pump colild deliver 1,725,000 gallons a day. He thought it was a most successful scheme and that the councilhad done right in severing its connection with the Water Board. If at any time the council requined water from the upper reaches of the river it could join the board again.

Mr. M'Kenzie thanked tho consulting engineers, Messi's. Viekermtin and Lancaster, for the splendid advice they had given, and he thanked also the borough engineer (Mr. C. L. Jackson) and the Works Committee of the council. The work of the contractor (Mr. J. Av-enell) and his staff was worthy of the greatest praise, for the reticulation had been satisfactorily finished in advance of contract time. To the suppliers of the materials also Mr. M'Kenzie gave thanks. ' He mentioned the enthusiasm of the Tire Brigade superintendent, Mr. .1. P. Gaynor, for the new scheme. It had been hard for the brigade to put out fires- with practically no water, but he defied Mr. Qaynor to say that they had to do that now. 'The engineer in charge of the installation of tlie pump, Mr. A. T. Slocombe, briefly explained its operation. The Mayor then closed the switch, the motor started, and the needle oft the water pressure gauge flickered up to tho 100 mark. For half a minute it stayed there, and then . the motor stopped. The power had gone off from Khandallah! But even without the pump the pressure did not drop below 751b to tho square inch, being held at that adequate figure by the gravitation of the water from the settling tank at Koro Koro. EFFECT ON INSURANCE BATES. During afternoon tea, which was provided by the council, Mr. Fletcher, on txchalf of the Fire Underwriters, congratulated the council on the passing of another milestone in the town's progress. Two years ago. he said, the council had asked the underwriters to reduce the insurance rates, and had been told that it must first provide an adequate water supply. Now that had been done and the council could be assured that the underwriters would keep faith.