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Evening Star, Issue 17327, 15 April 1920, Page 4

Tee City Council aro to bo congratulated on coming Water and out into the open at Words. last and discussing in

their public chamber the all-important water question. They did so to the best of their ability, and the result was very disappointing. AA’o are not impugning the debating ability of our City Fathers. The trouble was that, they had nothing to go on. Thenknowledge of the subject is evidently negligible. Cr M'Donald asked why our article on Leith-AYaitati had not been answered; and Cr Green, on behalf of the Water Committee, replied “ AVo have hot had an opportunity.” Cr M'Dbnald then asked why the committee had not answered our earlier articles, and Cr AYilson filled the breach by announcing the policy of the ostrich; “AVe don’t take notice of them.” Yet Cr Wilson took this much notice of them that he went out of his way to make a splenetic attack on “ ex-public officers who had fallen in his estimation considerably in connecting themselves with a pressman atd practically betraying tbe confidence of the citizens: in the way they had done.”

Cr AVilson’s words aro unfortunate. It is the City Council who have betrayed the confidence of tho citizens. They invited the ratepayers to sign practically a blank cheque for a Leo Stream scheme on the plea that existing supplies were insufficient. AA’e were not satisfied on the latter point. AA’e knew something of the nature of the catchment areas. A bundle of reports by various engineers, dating from 1873 onwards, was available to us, as also to City councillors; but we read and studied them. They indicated that abundance of water should be available, and as far back as February we asked the corporation for more information. No answer was made. As Cr AATlson says, it is the “council’s policy to “ take no notice of them,” But sheaves of information came from correspondents who take healthful rambles in Dunedin’s environs during thejr leisure time, and consequently know our catchment areas “'blindfold.” Might we suggest to councillors that tho example is worth following ? More time spent in the open, even at the sacrifice of some spent under the Tov.<n Hall clock, would prove educative.

Thus there would be less risk of such an experience as befell one councillor, who complained last night that he set out to see for himself whether our criticism of part of the Leith-Waitati system was correct, but he could not find the broken pipe line. Nevertheless, it’ is there. The Donedry, disclocated eathenware pipe line, well over a mile long, has not been spirited away. Nor has it been repaired; for years of neglect cannot be remedied in five days. It lies over the saddle, up the hill to the left from the road at about a point where farm buildings begin. _ AA r .e invito citizens to take advantage of the fine weather and go and see for themselves. A valued correspondent has offered to provide guidance for Cr Bradley if he still requires it. It appears, however, from Cr Green’s racy remarks at the close of the discussion that the Mayor, Cr Bradley, and Cr Green “tramped the Leith A r alley to-day for about three hours to enable us to answer that scurrilous thing that appeared in the ‘Evening Star’ last night, and if tho Lord spares me you will find an answer to it to-morrow.” AA 7 o shall welcome an answer, but would mildly suggest that tramping about the Leith A'alley for three hours would not give oven three councillors much light on works on the other side of the watershed, for those to which we are both referring are situated in the AA r aitati Valley.

We understand, however, that a party of 'councillors, personally conducted by the City Engineer, did succeed in locating the intake at the head of Silverstroam race. The excursion place on the Sunday following the appearance of our article pointing out, inter alia, the escape of water from a vent at the base of the dam which ought to have flowed into the race. We have been informed that it took 15 seconds to fill Mr M'Curdie’s hat from the vent on the Sunday. On the Thursday, when our visit was paid, a bath could have been filled in 15 seconds by the flow from the vent. In the interim either a patrolman or a beneficent Providence has intervened. Thus do councillors gain first-hand information. Another visit ,we paid to portion of the race only yesterday suggested, from the discolored state of the water and the amount of floating grass and weed, that belated attention is being paid to it. Incidentally, we may mention that a gentleman once prominent in sluicing in - Otago informed us that he would have been bankrupt had he kept his mining races in such a state' as that into which

Silverstream raco has lapsed. But perhaps, as Gr Green gracefully said of ourselves, ho also was “without a particle of knowledge of what ho was talking about.” And here' we would liko to put Cr Green right about' Leo Stream water rights. Ho says the council possess them for domestic purposes. So the council will—when they pay for them. Long experience everywhere has shown that trouble ,ouly ensues unless the water supply authorities possess their catchment area absolutely. In this case it is over 90 square miles of grazing country, including Traquhair and other runs. Last night’s discussion showed that several councillors still hanker after Lee Stream. The three-to-one vote of the ratepayers against it evidently goes for nought. Are councillors there to flout the public or to serve them?

We are glad that the council decided to secure reports from two local engineers on the whole water question, but if (as Cr Green is reported by onr morning contemporary to have said) “ they should have a report that would satisfy the ratepayers,” then we are afraid that the council will need to go outside the ranks of tiro engineering profession, and secure the services of a first-class writer of romantic fiction.