WATER AND DRAINAGE.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 159, 17 July 1901, Page 3

WATER AND DRAINAGE.

THE ADJOURNED MEETING,

An adjourned meeting of the Borough Council in Committee was held last night to further consider the subject of water and drainage. There were present : The Mayor (Mr Townley), and Crs Harding, Bright, Morrison, Jones, Bysnar, Hepburn, Whinray, and Miller. The subject of drainage was taken first. The Mayor thought the better course would be to arrive at a limit (say £60,000 or £70,000), submit that to Mr Mestayer, and see if he could fit it in. Cr Bright : That comes back to the question as to what rate .ve can borrow at ?

The Mayor said that the price would be 3 per cent, and a half per cent, sinking fund. Cr Miller : We must find out first if we can get it at that. The Mayor said that others had got it, and why could not they ? Delay might I mean that interest would go up. Cr Miller said he believed they would find a report as to Masterton was a printer's error. The Mayor said they might take a 34 per cent, basis—say £75,000, to pay off the existing loan as well. Cr Bright said that the interest on that would be £2625. It was stated that tho rateable value was £33,100. The Mayor said that a portion would be a service rate, returning about £BOO a year.

Cr Bright : Still the people would have to pay it. The £75,000 would bo equal to about Is 7d in the pound. Tha Mayor said that from that there would bo the service rate. Cr Hepburn : You could not reckon on two-thirds getting it. The Town Clerk said that ho was reckoning 5 out of 8 taking it. The Mayor : Place it at £4OO. That brought the amount down to Is 4d in the pound. The Mayor : Say Is 6d. The Town Clerk : There would bo maintenance. Cr Bright said that there would be some deductions in other ways, but there would be the tax of sorviee rates ; it would not all be on the same people, but it would bo a tax all the same. The Mayor estimated that they could do with a Is 7d special rate and Is 6d general rate, giving them £75,000 and wiping out the present debt. Cr Morrison considered the thing could he greatly modified, as also did the Mayor and Crs Hepburn and Whinray. Cr Harding : Then there is the saving on insurance. Cr Bright said that if the septic system would not work as they thought, they could not think of draining into the

rivers. Cr Harding said that if the nightsoit were not dealt with, the river was the propor place for all ordinary slop water. Cr Morrison suggested they might have a still more modified scheme and spend more on removal of nightsoil. Cr Hepburn said the town should be dealt with up to Roebuck road. No harm could conic from putting ordinary drainage into tho river. Cr Bysnar said that would be all right if there were not mud banks. Ho strongly opposed entertaining tho question of running sewerage into the rivers. Cr Hepburn said he lived on the banks of the river, and worked within fifteen yards of it all tho year round, and ho never saw any of the objectionable deposits spoken of; the hanks were cleaned twice a day by tho tide. Cr Whinray said, anyway it was not salubrious. Cr Harding : No tidal river is. Cr Lysnar said Mr Mestayer himself had condemned tho septic tank system ; he would llko a question to ho asked in regard to it from tho Health Department. Cr Whinray put in a plea for artosian water; if gold fish and carp could live in it, it should be good water. If they could get that water, tho limited expense would enable them to go in for drainago with a less burden on them. Cr Lysnar also asked that the artesian scheme should be considered. Tho Mayor said that they only had Mr M o.'.layer's scheme before them at prosent. Ho for ono would oppose spending £SOOO, in addition to what they had already spent, on artesian water. Cr Miller said ho agreed with the Mayor, but ho thought that in due course they should deal with Mr Brett's scheme, and not allow the impression that they had been guilty of want of courtesy. Cr Lysnar said he did not think thcro had been any want of courtesy ; but he thought they should take Mr Brett’s scheme first. Thoy were going too fast. Cr Miller : No, we are going too slow—dead slow 1 Cr Harding said they had Cr Bright’s motion to deal with. Cr Morrison said Mr Mestayer really gave them three alternative proposals, and they could themselves choose. He estimated that they could get the water and drainage on the present plans modified, for a sevenponco rate extra, 2s 7d in tho pound. Cr Miller : I want an export opinion ; I am not taking any Councillor's opinion. Cr Lysnar thought they should first obtain Mr Mestayer’s opinion ns to whether the modification could he made. Cr Jones said thoy should go on a £65,000 basis. Cr Harding: And get nothing for it. Cr Jones contended they could. The drainage could be taken in sections, with Wainui as the ultimate destination. They might have a reservoir for 20,000,000 gallons, always having in view the object of extending, keeping the mains at the full size. When they got the water in full play they could extend the Shone drainage scheme. He believed thoy could get all they wanted for £50,000, sufficient to suit for many years to come, and that would not be too great a burden, as the full scheme would. Cr Whinray said that ho thought Cr Bright's motion included a reference that Mr Brett’s scheme be afterwards cor sidered. Cr Miller: It seems we always get fairly going when up pops Mr Brett. Cr Whinray persisted in his support of Mr Brett's scheme, being supported by Mr Lysnar. Cr Miller said that iu Napier the maintenance cost £1642 per year. The Mayor said that pumping would be absolutely necessary. In Napier they had eleven wells. Cr Whinray was confident that science would come to their aid, aud he instanced a proposal that- had recently been made for a turbine wheel. Cr Jones said that if the Freezing Companies could purify the waste fluid the same could he done by the Council. Cr Lysnar: They do not purify ; they ! havn HlfratiorCr Jones: It amounts to the SuuiS thing. Cr Lysnar : No; it is very different. Cr Jones said that it was practically tho same thing ; otherwise the stuff should not be allowed to go into the river. A general discussion ensued as to what course should be taken on Mestayer’s scheme. Cr Miller thought they should at once ask as to how much they could get from the Government, and the price. The Mayor moved that the limit be put at £75,000 at 34 per cent. Cr Jones proposed an amendment that tho limit be £50,000. Cr Harding- objected to the point- of 84 per cent, hanging up the question. Cr Bright: Reduce the amount pro rata.

Cr Miller said no other body in the colony was getting as much as .£75,000 at so low a price. The Mayor altered the amount so as not to exceed 4 per cent, The amendment by Cr Jones limiting the expenditure to £60,000 (£50,000 for works) was lost. The motion was then put that Mr Mest-ayer be requested to reduce his scheme for water land drainage so as not to exceed £65,000. The motion was carried, Cr Whinray voting in the negative. The Mayor: One 'against. Cr Harding said that Cr Lysnar had come round. Cr Jones said that he was opposd to the amount. ' It was agreed, on the motion of Cr Harding, to enquire from the Government as to the rate money could be borrowed at, and oa Ct Miller’s suggestion,, it was

agreed to write to the Masterton Borough Council asking information as to whether that Council was obtaining money at 3 per cent, as had been stated. On the suggestion of Cr Jones it was agreed to ask whether the water supply scheme could be got within £25,000. The following questions are also to be forwarded :

1. Would Mr Mestayer inform the Council of the cost of establishing a separate septic tank at- each ejector station, both initial and annual.

2. Would said ejector station outlets be so situated as to allow of discharge into the rivers by natural gravitation. 3. If not, would Mr Mestayer recomment the establishment of pumping stations to discharge liquid from septic tanks, what pumps would be required, an I what would be the initial and the annual cost ? 4. Would it he possible to store liquid in septic tanks until low water, so as to allow of its discharge by gravitation '? 5. Is it understood that in the event of the Council adopting the smaller scheme of drainage the work entered into will be of use for the larger system proposed should it be deemed advisable to extend operations at a later date ? Also to ascertain from the Health Department, Wellington, whether it would be detrimental to allow house drainage to go into tidal rivers or creeks.