THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE DRAINAGE BOARD

Evening Star, Issue 11943, 20 July 1903, Page 4

THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE DRAINAGE BOARD

AN AMICABLE SETTLEMENT REACHED. The conference between the City Council and the Drainage Board, to which reference has already been made, was held in the Town Hall this afternoon. The Mayor (Mr T. Scott) was in the chair, and there were also present Crs Carroll, Hally, Lawrence, Christie, and Tapper, Messrs G. L. Denniston, J. Hazlett, Dr Coughtrey, J. Hancock (members of the Drainage Board), the city engineer (Mr J. Rogers) and the Drainage Board engineer, Mr Goodman, the town clerk (Mr T. Fairbairn), the act-ing-secretary of the Drainage Board (Mr Esther), and one or two others. The Mayor said that the meeting was called at the request of the Drainage Board for a conference, ~ so probably the best course would be for the representatives of the Board to state the matters they thought there should be a conference for. He would therefore ask the Board's deputychairman to state the points on which there seemed to be disagreement, and the meeting could then go into the whole matter.

Dr Coughtrey said that before entering upon the business of the conference he would like to mention that he had never been consulted as to whether the Press should be present. He had no objection to the presence of the reporters; at the same time, he thought that as an act of courtesy the Board's representatives should have been informed.

The Mayor: Did you not get a note to that effect?

Dr Coughtrey replied that he did not. The Mayor said it was a mistake in the message. He gave instructions that that was to be mentioned.

Dr Coughtrey said that he would go to the root of the matter at once. When the Board failed to obtain an interview with the mayor last week they telegraphed to the Minister of Public Works at Wellington. The Board's representatives had informed the mayor that they would have to do so. The telegram ran thus: "We have done our best to secure an interview with Mayor of Dunedin during this week, and each time he has absolutely declined to afford us an interview before next week, notwithstanding we have gone out of our way to oblige him in every way as to time. Most important to ratepayers of both bodies that Order-in-Council should not be issued pending conference. City Council, notwithstanding our requests, still proceeding to lay tram tracks in such a way as to endanger and render useless important public sewers.—Esther, Acting-secretary." The Mayor: Have you the authority of your Board for sending that? Dr Coughtrey: The authority of the chairman and myself. We were authorised to deal with the matter. Mr Hazlctt: There is not the slightest °S? £ e wtmld have had the authority. Dr Coughtrey said that he-could best state the pomt the Board wished to make by reading the following letter from their engineer to the chairman, for it put the matter m a nutshell : —«July 20, 1903. I he Chairman Drainage Board Sir—l have the honor to supply you with the 'following statement of the reasons why I have urged the necessity for having the Board b position with respect to the tramways clearly and definitely defined. The first reason is on behalf of the city portion of the ratepayers of this district The operations of the Drainage Board are calculated to greatly relieve the city expenditure, not only by taking over a very heavy part of the municipal functions, but also from the fact that the Board are authorised to pay interest on a large portion of the old city borrowings which the citv in the past devoted to drainage works. This latter on account of such drains as the Board may be able to utilise. The main difference between the scheme which the Board have adopted and the schemes otherwise advocated was that in the Board's scheme provision is made for the payment of such interest on about- £40,000, the greater part of which was intended to be paid to the city In the next place the Board's scheme would not require the alterations to the house connections of private property-owners of the individual ratepayers which would be involved if the existing sewers should be abandoned. These two. considerations make the difference to the ratepayers in the city part of the district, of, at the lowest estimate, tens of thousands of pounds. But large though this sum may be, it does not represent the oDly or the gravest reason why the Board should take decided action m the matter. Thoifact remains that manv of the existing drains are in a state of decay, and whether they are taken over bv the Board or whether they are left on the hands of the city or other authorities, they still remain as the cause of very heavy future expenditure by this Board on the one hand or loss to the community on the other. Perhaps the best instance of the loss which will accrue from the ignormS, of , the existing drains is given us by the tramways which are being conat the present moment. Unless the drains beneath these tramways are strengthened the result will be that In places the permanent way will ultimately collapss, with the result of the loss, perhaps, of life, but certainly of considerable tramway rev-mue by the disorganisation of the traffic. Further, as these tramways are now being laid, they are calculated to do the utmost damage to the old sewers, and to cause the greatest possible expenditure for connecting the houses -in the streets through which the tramways pass, with such new sewers as may be required, many of which will have to be connected by working underneath the tramway track, and breaking through th 6 metal and concrete which form the permanent way of that track. Already the operations of the tramways, by reason of running the steam roller alone over the ground, have caused fracture of a serious nature in at least three place on important sewers. As you are aware, I have from the firs* attempted to get an understanding with the City authorities and the tramway engineer in connection with these matters. Much money could have been saved to both bodies, and can even now be saved, by proper co-operative action." The whole of the Board's contention could be met in this way—if the Council recognised the Board as the local authority under the second schedule of the Tramways Act, 1894, the whole thing would be dealt with at once. All that the Board asked for was to be recognised in that way in the Order-in-Council. The Board asked the Council to consent to the following clause being added to the Order-in-Council: —" 13a. The Dunedin Drainage and Sewerage Board, constituted by the Dunedin District Drainage and Sewerage Board Act, 1900, shall be deemed to be the local authority within the meaning of section 20 in the second schedule of the Tramways Act, 1894, and shall have and exercise all the powers conferred by that section on the local authority." The Mayor: You don't want to put the Drainage Board in the place of the City Council? because that is virtually what that clause would do. Dr Coughtrey: Oh, certainly not The Mayor said that he was rather astonished at that request, because both Act and Amendment Act put the Board in that place. Dr Coughtrey: Well, then, how is it that the City Council have ignored us in the past? The Mayor: I am not aware that we have done so. The Act only requires us to give notice when we have interfered with any sewers, and I am not aware of our having interfered with any. > Dr Coughtrey: Then if yon recognise that we are the authority under this Act it will settle the whole thing. What objection have you to this clause? The Mayor: None, exeept that it is in the Act itself. Dr Coughtrey said that the whole difficulty would be met if this clause was inserted in the Order-in-Council Or Tapper: Has this request been made before and refused? Tho Mayor: No. Cr Tapper: Then what is the trouble about? Dr Coughtrey said that the importance of it was that in the interests of the ratepayers they thought it essential that this should be done. The Mayor: "I think we are competent to look after the -interests of the ratepayers." He then went on to say that in January the City Council wrote asking for

a conference (letter ben read)-, "feat that conference had never been held. He knew of nothing since to prevent it. If there had been such a conference the whole difficulty would hare been overcome. Some of the letters that had passed between the Board's engineer and the Council were not of a conciliatory character; indeed, they were sometimes quite the reverse. The City Council had been accused of making connections with existing sewers. The fact was that.-at'this' request of the Board connections were made by Corporation officials, and he did not think that they had any letter of objection to that. There were various other letters that were hardly consistent with a conciliatory spirit. He then read several letters that had passed between the electrical engineer and the engineer of the Board. Subsequently (that day or on Saturday) a letter had come from the drainage engineer expressing a wish to meet Mr Goodman. He thought that should have come before.—(Hear, i hear.) He absolutely denied that any ventilator in Castle street had been closed up by the Council, as alleged. Indirectly they heard that the Board took exception to the trams going over the High street sewer, and that the drainage engineer said it would be necessary to relocate the tramway. He evidently did not know that the Government had absolutely declined to allow the permanent way anywhere hut in the centre of the street. Then, the sewer had stood the twelve tons weight of the steam roller tame aria* again, and with the additional strengthening of the SOIb rails and their bed he could not see how the ten-ton cars would weaken the sewer. It seemed to him a dog-in-the-manger policy, not on the part of the Board, but of someone connected with it ? r C ° n B htre y kuo" he did not propose to follow the mayor into any of the side issues he had raised. If the City Council had now or at any future time a grievance the Board would give respectful consideration to any representation that might be made. The kernel of to-day's conference was, as he understood it, that the Council said they were quite willing to recognise the Brainage Board as the local authority under the 1894 Tramways Act The Mayor": Quite. Dr Coughtrey: And you have no objection to us having this inserted in the Order-m-Conncfl ?

The Mayor replied that that must bo a question for the city solicitors. The Order-in-Council had been sent to Wellington for signature and the addition meant reprinting and delay of perhaps nine months. Mr Hazlett remarked that if the mayor had met the deputation last week all the delay could hare been avoided. Cr Tapper said that last week was not the first time a conference was asked for. He asked for one, through the dty engineer, in May or June. It was childish and paltry to wire to Wellington to stop the Order-in-Council. Every objection to the Council's action was costing the citizens money. He could assure the Drainage Board that the Council were anxious to getto work.

Or Christie thought it would be well to put aside all difficulties and let fie two engineers meet and consider the various points they wished to decide upon, and so get the matter settled. He asked for a statement from the Board's engineer as to what he proposed to do inj regard to the Howe street sewer, and to let them know if the tramway construction affected it. Dr Coughtrey said that when the Board were put in the position they asked for they would be pleased to give the information required.

Cr Carroll thought there was a want of sensible consideration about the whole thing, and hoped that this would be the end of it If there was anything that the drainage engineer wanted the Council would be willing to give it to them. The care of Dr Coughtrey for the interests of the ratepayers was reciprocated by the Council. The Mayor said that anyone authorised by the Board was at liberty at any time to get information about plans or documents.

Cr Lawrence asked the Board's delegates tt» say exactly what their requests meant Did they mean that the Council would have to alter their sewers, and was it intended to interfere with the tram line? Cr Christie: Why cannot the doctor explain what the Board's intentions are with regard to the High street sewer and the tram there? Is there anything to hide? Dr Coughtrey: We have nothing to hide. The cardinal point of the principle which we contend for—and which we understand you to is that we are the local authority, and that you recognise us as such. We ask for nothing more than that. Wo ask it to prevent litigation or friction between the two bodies. The answer to Cr Christie's question is to be found in ihe letter which the mayor has read, and which I say is a side issue. Cr Tapper: If we consent to this will you wire to Wellington withdrawing all objection?

Dr Coughtrey: Certainly. Cr Tapper: Then, Mr Mayor, I think you should telephone to Mr Chapman and ask him the bearing of it The Mayor: I will do so immediately after the meeting. Dr Coughtrey: We only want the powers of a Drainage and Sewerage Board. Mr Hazlett said he thought it would bo wise for each body to appoint a sub-com-mittee to confer and settle all these matters, so that a thorough understanding might be arrived at without so much correspondence. Mr Denniston agreed with this, and thought it would be well for the engineers to meet in conference.

Dr Coughtrey thanked the mayor for calling the conference, and the parties separated on good terms, tho conference closing at 3.15.