Water Supply.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 157, 15 July 1901, Page 3

Water Supply.

(To tho Editor of tho Times.) Kin, —In the South two engineers, like tho two women of old, are quarrelling over tho parentage of a water scheme, and no doubt it will take a Solomon to settle their claims ; but, alas, hero wo have no Solomon to aettlo tho many-parentod Waihirorc bantling. If I wero callod in as judge I would award Mr Boylan the baby in its early purity, but now I feel sure Mr Boylan would not roceivo it back from its foster father in its prosent mutilated and deformed condition. To my mind Mr Boylan’s report was an ablo and well considered report, so far as could bo learnt from a abort visit made soon aftor a considerable rainfall. Tho Council should take a calm rotrospect of the situation, and learn a lesson from tho Harbor Board failure. This is tho time to have tho opinion of some authority as a consulting engineer, and not follow the example of tho Harbor Board, who called in the doctors to sit on a coroner's inquest when the patient was dead. One hundred thousand pounds is not a light burden to ask the Gisborrio ratepayers to bear, especially should the work turn out a failure. Tho cry of ability and professional reputation at stake, has been board in every engineering failure in the colony ; the cry of men who would not stake a five pound note of their own money on tho reputation of any man, but arc- quito willing on hearsay reputation to stake fifty or sixty thousand pounds of public money without putting such reputation to a crucial test. Tho Harbor Board had tho same cry when they went to law- with Mr O’Connor. They said they had the advice of the best lawyer in the colony, when a little of what Mr Whinray calls common sense would have shown them they had not a leg to stand upon. Take time, ye City Bathers, and consider your (position should tho ratepayers reject your public works .scheme, and call upon you in Parliamentary fashion to resign" to mako room for others. —I am. etc., A. Y. Ross.

P.H. —Mr Brett's offer is an exceedingly good one, which tho Council should accept, with the following stipulation, viz. :—(1) That the pressure of water at tho ground be not less than 25 lb square inch ; (2) that no hill intervene between tlio well and tho town ; (3) that the supply bo from not more than three boxes, and not more than ono chain apart. This will in no way interfere with tho Wuihirero scheme, which can come in ns supplemental for lire purposes. Mr Brett oilers more than double the quantity of water that will ever bn got from Waihireio for one-tenth the cost. —I am, etc., A.Y.11.