The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 1941. BOROUGH WATER SUPPLY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20572, 4 June 1941, Page 4

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 1941. BOROUGH WATER SUPPLY

The decision of the Borough Council to retain the services of Mr. Furkert to report on the water supply problem is entirely commendable, and will be welcomed by a public which has become heartily tired of the manner in which the question has been shelved year after year. The appointment of a consultant is, of course, only a preliminary step, but at least it does promise something definite. It must be a matter of satisfaction to the new Mayor, as it will be to the public, that he was able to face his first meeting of the council with a concrete proposal for dealing with what is, unquestionably, the major municipal issue. This looks like getting things done. It is a matter for even greater satisfaction, perhaps, that a man of such eminence in his profession as Mr. Furkert is prepared to make his services available to the council. There is probably no man in the Dominion more qualified to deal with this thorny problem or more competent to give advice. There should be no question of his opinion being acceptable both to the council and to the ratepayers, whose final approval will be required. It remains to be seen, of course, whether Mr. Furkert is prepared to endorse either of the schemes to be submitted to him, but if he does there should be no hesitation in acting upon his advice.

The council has been wise in restricting the scope of Mr. Furkert’s investigations. There was something to be said, perhaps, for allowing him wider ground over which to range, and this may yet be necessary, but in the meantime the wiser course appears to be to''confine him to those schemes which remain uncondemned after a process of elimination extending over a long period of years. Broadly speaking, the various plans for the supplementation of the water supply are divided into two groups, the one consisting of pumping and filtration of water from low levels and the other gravitation schemes. After a long period of costly experiment, the former seems to have been ruled out both on account of technical difficulties and the antagonism of the public to accepting water from polluted sources. A number of possible sources for a gravitation supply have been considered from time to time, but with the exception of those adjacent to the present headworks none seem? to have survived expert investigation. In these circumstances there is much to commend the decision to ask Mr. Furkert to concentrate his attention on what seem to he the most promising projects. If by any mischance both of these should be ruled out. it will he time enough then to ask Mr. Furkert to look further afield. It needs to be emphasised that the securing of a report on the water supply will only be a first/.step in tackling the problem—indeed, if reports were all that were needed the problem would long since have been solved many times over—but a report from an engineer of such standing as Mr. Furkert should carry the question nearer finality than ever before. Assuming a favourable report, it is not at all certain that it will be possible to proceed with the work under present-day war-time conditions. It will be possible, however, for the council to prepare its plans, to secure the sanction of the ratepayers, and to have everything ready for embarking upon the work as soon as opportunity permits. If the council is able to achieve" even this much during its term of office it will have gone a long way towards justifying itself in the eves of the public. It must be realised, of course, that any undertaking of this

sort will involve heavy capital outlay with a consequent increase in rates, but the public will not begrudge the cost it it, is once convinced that a practical solution of the water problem is in sight. The fact that the expenditure must be faced, however, should be a warning to the council of the need for the utmost economy and efficiency in its general administration. Another point to which early consideration must be given, if the gravitation scheme is supported by Mr. Furkert, is the impending cost of renewing the existing pipe-line. For the past 20 years or more successive councils have been informing the public that the pipe-line would require to be renewed but not one of them has done a thing about it. The time is fast approaching when the issue must be faced. A loan for new capital works is justifiable, but there can be little excuse for raising a fresh loan to replace worn-out services, particularly when, as in this case, the original loan has not been repaid. The cost of renewing the pipe-line should be a charge against revenue and past councils, well aware of the liability, have been negligent in not establishing a special renewal fund. The present council, despite the heavy commitments bequeathed to it, might well consider facing this problem too. It would be sound finance to strike a special rate and to use the proceeds for establishing a fund for this specific purpose. In a period of years a substantial sum would be set aside and some contribution, at least, made towards the heavy expenditure which must be faced in (he not-far-distant future. The council has made a prompt start, and a good one, and its future actions will be watched with sympathetic interest by the public.