RUNANGA WATER SUPPLY

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 May 1931, Page 3

RUNANGA WATER SUPPLY

MEETING RATEPAYERS

A meeting of Runanga ratepayers was held in the Runanga Gymnasium . last evening to discuss ways and means of dealing with the present water shortage and to consider placing before the Government the urgent necessity of putting into operation the Coal Creek scheme to supply water to Runanga. Mr- R- McTaggart, Mayor of Runanga, who presided, said that the argent necessity for obtaining a water supply could be realised when it was known that it was costing the ratepapers £2O a week to obtain a sufficient quantity of water for cooking purposes. He outlined the original Coal Creek scheme, the cost of which was to have been £23,280 and said that representations to have the scheme put into operation had been placed before several Ministers of the Crown. When the Hon. J. G. Coates was Prime Minister "he had promised that the Government would supply half the cost of the scheme, the othey half to be paid by the ratepayers themselves, by means of a loan. Before - the scheme could be put into operation however, the Reform Government went out of office. The late Sir Joseph Ward had then been approached in the matter and while he did not carry •out Mr. Coates’ proposal, he had offered to lend the ratepayers the whole of the money necessary at 6 per cent. The Runanga Borough Council had considered this undertaking too big for such a small Borough to enter into, and the scheme had not been proceeded with. Since that time, a modified scheme, to reduce the cost by £5OOO, by driving a tunnel approximately twenty chains from the Middle Camp to Coal Creek had been devised by the Council. This scheme would lessen the length of pipe-line I required by over a mile and would eliminate the cost of transportation and of the erection of a reservoir. The Borough Council now proposed that representations should be made to the Government and to the Unemployment Board to have the water supply made, at the least>, accessible to the town, the cost of such reticulation to be borne by the ratepayers. Tr> answer to a query the Mayor stated that the location of the new tunnelling scheme was a mile and ahalf from the Dunollie railway station- . Mr. M. Malone stated that he thought that the cost of the reticulation scheme could be considerably reduced and that It would not cost more than £16,0.00. Mr. Johnson suggested that each ratepayer should put away 5/- a week to make provision for the cost of a water supply. Mr. Knight stated that the ratepayers were unanimous in their belief that an efficient water supply was necessary. The position was that the Borough had ho industries to rate, and it would be too costly for the ratepayers to undertake the cost of providing the supply. The rates were already as heavy as they could manage. After a lengthy discussion it was decided on the motion of Mr. Devine: That two of the Borough Councillors proceed to Wellington to state the position to the Government, and endeavour to have the scheme put into operation under the best terms possible. On the motion of -Mr. Morris, It was

decided that, if the delivery of water should he found necessary, a small charge should be made. I A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Merriman and his assistants for the manner in which they had supplied the ratepayers’ need for water, ) working long hours to deliver it. Mr. Finn asked whether it were true that certain Councillors had received tanks of water. Mr. McTaggart denied this and said that the Councillors only received the same amount as anyone else and what water they did receive was carted after hours, and they assisted to get it.