GAS AND WATER

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 81, 7 April 1931, Page 10

GAS AND WATER

UP TO KOROKORO

SUPPLIES READY SOON

THE WORK IN HAND

For many years a Cinderella, Petone'» upland suburb of Korokoro is gradually coming into its own. The recent widening of the one hilly road leading up to it has focused public attention, on the district and conferred a great benefit on its residents, and they are now having two more conveniences offered them iv the shape of gas and water supplies. The two reticulations are being carried out together, and, should be completed by the end of this mouth. The gas main to feed the district 13 being brought from the Hutt road, across the railway overbridge, and up Korokoro road to where it joins Singer's road. Approximately one mile of 4-inch main will be used to reach this point, and thereafter the main will form into a 3iu pipe along each road, joining again at the meeting of tho roads further up. This loop of pipe 13 about a. mile in length. Four-inch and 3-inch pipes arc noj. at present necessary, but they are being laid to provide amply for the future development that is confidently expected. Forty houses of tho sixty-seven in the district havo bo far agreed to use the gas, and tho support accorded by t'icm will decide whether the service is extended over the rest of the district. If they are good customers, the Petone and Lower Hutt Gas Lighting Board will be encouraged to go further. Korokoro people will have only themselves to blame if the scheme is not successful, for tha council is giving them every facility, The purchase of gas cookers by instalments, for instance, is a benefit available to anybody in the board's area, but Korokoro people will be allowed t» pay their installation costs by instalments as well. THE .WATER SYSTEM. To provide water a more elaborate' reticulation is being carried out by; the Petone Borough Council. As was pointed out by the council's consulting, engineers, Messrs. Vickerman and Lancaster, in their report on the subject some weeks ago, the main difficulties are the diverse elevations of the houses, ranging from about 85ft to 595 ft above sea level, and the scattered arrangement of the houses, necessitating long lengths of main. Another difficulty arises concerning the storage of the water. It has been decided to take the* water from the settling tank behind the "Woollen Mills and to pump it up tr reservoirs at higher level, because tho settling tank is too low to supply Korokoro by gravity. One high level reservoir would at first sight seem to be all that is required, but this is not so, as a reservoir at a considerable height would create an unreasonably; groat pressure in the pipes to. house 3 at the lower levels. To avoid this two reservoirs are +0 be built, one near; the junction of Maungaraki and Moana' roads, 700 ft above sea level, to supply; tho upper houses, and one at a lower; Lovrl, from which tho lower houses will draw ilicir supply. This lower reser* voir will be built on a rock eminence in tho domain, not far from the Korokoro School, and about 480 ft above tha; sea. Each tank will be built of reinforced concrete in circular form. Thirty! feet in diameter and 12ft high, each, tank will hold 50,000 gallons, and if this proves to be too little when tha district starts to grow it will be pos* sible to duplicate the tanks. To lift the water from the settling tank into the new lower reservoir an electric pump, delivering 200 gallons a minute, will be used, and a pump of similar capacity will fill the higher reservoir. This will be one of the pumps formerly used at the Tennyson street pumping station, and adapted for its new purpose. Ninety chains of 6in main and 110 chains of 4in will be used to convey the water around the district and house services to the street boundary will be supplied by the usual Jin pipes. A large proportion of■ the 4in pipe to be used is what was lifted from tha Petone streets during the recent re-re-ticulation, its only fault being that it was too small in diameter. But for Korokoro, this main, like the gas main, will be more than big enough to supply the present demand. The wate*, reticulation will cover the area supplied with gas and go another halfmile up the Maungaraki road. It is fortunate that the two services are being installed simultaneously, as much is being saved by co-operation between the board and the council. For instance, the same trench will be used for the two mains for a distance of about a mile. MEETING; THE COST. Both reticulations are being done under the provisions of No. 5 Unemployment Scheme, under which the local bodies do not incur any costs for labour, but have to pay for supervision: and skilled work. But for the opera-' tion of this scheme the gas reticulation certainly could ; not be done, for the cost of materials, which are being provided for out of revenue, is almost £1000, and any extra cost would make the burden too heavy. The water reticulation is being paid for by a special unemployment loan, of £3500, which the council intends to raise to pay for the plant required. It was originally intended to use th« £21,000 which has not yet been raise* out of the £61,000 water loan of 1929y but as the special sanction for this could not be got speedily from Parliament under present circumstances, and as the money would have to be borrow-, ed afresh in any case, it was thought better to raise it by way of special loan, for which no sanction, is necessary. • . , Twenty-five three-day-a-weefe men, and thirty two-day men are at present employed by both local bodies, and next week sixty or seventy men who will have finished road work will be taken on until the suspension of No. 5 scheme at the end of the week. —, N Special legislation will be promoted this session to bring Korokoro under, the full borough rating, in accordance with the wish contained in a recent petition signed by the majority of the residents. "With the coming of the high-pressuro water supply Korokoro people may reasonably expect a rebate in fire insurance premiums, and they will also look to the Petone Fire Board to make some provision jfor the extinction of fires in the district.