BOROUGH LOAN PROPOSALS

Grey River Argus, 4 June 1937, Page 2

BOROUGH LOAN PROPOSALS

SEWERAGE AND GAS Extension Plans At th e Borough Council meeting Inst evening the Engineer, Mr A. J. Fairmaid, presented a report as follows: Two previous reports have dealt with sewerage extension in the freehold town south and in Blaketown and Preston Road. The first, undated, was presented to the Council on November 5. 1936, the second, dated April 8, 1937, was presented on that date. The last two. paragraphs of the latter stated that modifiations with a view to reduction of cost were under consideration. The principal modification in view was the investigation of a second' route for the main outfall sewer aeioss the tidal lagoon from the intersection of Bucclengh and Cowper Streets to th e intersection of Preston Road and Swift Street as an alternative to the route from the intersection of Franklin and Cowper' Streets to Preston Road near the intersection of Lake Street. Recently, th e Public Works Department has drawn up a scheme for the enlargement of the Karoro aerodrome, the proposal being to dredge material from the bed of the tidal lagoon in the area across which it was proposed to investigate a second main outfall route. Such being the case it. is unnecessary to consider that second route as the depth of the lagoon will be increased to a considerable extent, and other modifications were contingent upon the feasibility of that second route. Perusal of the estimate has, however, revealed an error in summarising and the estimate contained in tho latter report mustbe amended, the' result being an increase of £1243 in the estimated cost of the scheme. The amended summarised estimate is as follows: —

Main Outfall Sewer: Cowper Street to Reid Street, across Karoro Lake £10.301; Reid St. to outfall at Grey River £8834 12s (id— Total £19,135 12? 6d. Main Intercepting Sewer: Cowper St., Marlborough St. to Franklin St. £2396 16s 6d. Marsden Road Main Sewer and Branches £12,502 19s lOd; Cowper Stto Sinnott Road branches to above £8523 10s 2d; total £21,026 10s. T> aroa Road Main Sewer and Branches: Cowper St. to Joye. c estate sub-division £4649 17s 4d; branches to above £2567 10s sd; total £7217 7s fid. Blaketown and Preston Road Areas: Gravity branches to main sewer £2592 2s; Lake Street pumping area £5707 19s; Coakley St. pumping area £3220 17s; total £11.520 18s. House connections to boundary: South end 400 at £10; Blaketown, etc. 350 at £10; total £7500. Contingencies 10 per cent. £6879 14s 6d; engineering and supervision 5 per cent £3440 0s 9d. Grand total £79,177. In addition t 0 the sewerage proposals there has been under investigation a means of obviating th e flooding which occasionally occult? 1 in the vicinity of the intersection of Tainui and 'Guinness Streets and lower levels towards the tidal lagoon. This flooding has been occasioned by the inadequacy of the storm water system in the lower levels of the borough. In times of heavy rainfall the four feet diameter sewer, which passes down Tainui Street, from the vicinity of the intersection of Turumaha and Tainui Streets to the intersection of Tainui Street and Petrie Avenue, has brought down a larger volume of water than the sewers from the last mentioned point could cope with, the result being that storm water in considerable volume has discharged from the manhole on the Tainui St. sewer on the northern side of the railway crossing and from nearby sewer inlets, and the flooding has given rise to considerable damage in the ground floors of adjacent properties. This can be obviated by the construction of a storm water relief sewer from the upper end of the four feet Tainui Street sewer at Turumaha St. along Turumaha Stto Sawyer’s Creek above the bridge. Thus, the storm water flow from the area of Alexander St. and south from Puketahi St., to 'the Town Belt north, with hill country draining to the locality referred to, will be diverted to Sawyer’s Creek and relieve the flow to the lower levels in the business area. The estimated cost of th e . 25 chains of 36 inch diameter storm water sewer laid complete is £3lBO.

Financial Assistance for Connections to Sewers. Dated April 22. 1937, a report on the nightsoil service was presented to the Finance Committee of the Council on that date. This referred paricularly to thp area- of the Borough already sewered ' but the same observations will apply to the area which is to be sewered. After the whole area is sewered the objective will be to have the nightsoil service eliminated as soon as possible to attain which end in a reasonable time it. will be necessary for the Council to be in a position to assist many property owners financially. In th e freehold town south, in all but a few cases, each property is already provided with a suitable drain but. beyond the area at present sewered, patent closets are not fitted. Allowing for further building up to the time when the full sewerage system will b e available it is estimated that, including the area at present sewered, there will b e 400 premises to be fitted with patent closets and that, of the owners of thes e properties, one-third would take advantage of financial assistance offered. At £l5 per patent closet fitted the cost would amount to £1995, say £2OOO. In Blaketown and Preston Road when the sewerage system is available, it is esti" mated that there will be 350 properties requiring connections. At present, in this area, no household drainage systems come to the street line and the estimated average cost of providing such systems complete with patent closet is £35. On th e basis of 200 applicants for financial assistance, the amount required would be £7OOO, bringing the total amount required to afford financial assistance to £9OOO. Gas Reticulation of Blaketown. Dated January 29, 1936. a report on the gas reticulation of Blaketown was presented to th e Finance Committee of lhe Council on that date. This report put lhe cost down at £393.1. but, since there have been considerable increases in the cost of both materials

and labour. Based on an increase m cost of materials of 15 per cent, and an increase in labour costs of 20 per eent. the estimated cost uf the work is now £4723. Total Estimates. The total of the estimates for the whole of the items herein outlined is therefore as follows:- —- Sewerage, freehold town south and Blaketown: £79,117. Storm 1 water relief sewer, Turumaha Street: £3lBO. Financial assistance to property owners: £9OOO. -Gas reticulation of Blaketown and Preston Road: £4723. Total: £96,020. Labour Costs. In the above estimates the various costs may be placed under sepaiate headings as follows: — Sewerage, freehold town south, Blaketown and Preston Road: Labour £42.274; pipes £21,379; trench timber £1875; sundries £10,149; supervision £3400; total £79,117. Storm water relief sewer, lurumaha Street; Labour £1269; pipes £1694; sundries £217; total £3lBO. Gas reticulation of Blaketown and Preston Road: Labour £1867; pipes £2624; sundries £232; total £4723. I'inancial assistance £9000; total £96,020. The labour costs total £45.410. Towards meeting the labour costs the Employment Division of the Labour Department might be approached. It is not ant.ieiipated that the Department would entertain a proposal to subsidise the labour costs of the gas reticulation proposals, the Gas Department being :: profit earning concern, but towards the cost of the other works, on which the estimated labour cost is £43,543 it is probabl e that a subsidy of 45s per man per week would be forthcoming. Weekly earnings for labourers at the borough standard amount to 91s 8d and on this basis the expected subsidy would amount to £21,375, which would bring down the total cost of the .sewerage proposals to £65,645 and which would go far towards bringing down the total cost to a figure comparable with costs prior to recent increases. The total amount then to be met by way of a loan would be reduced to £>74,645. say £74,500. Rafting. To meet th e annual charges on such a loan the original borough area only would be rated, the rate being levied upon the unimproved value. At 31st March, 1936. the nett unimproved rateable valu c of thy original area was £290,113. The rate of interest at present fixed by the Local Government Loans Board is 31 per cent, pci annum and, assuming that invested sinking funds would earn a like rate of interest compounded, to liquidate the debt in 35 years would call for an annual deposit of 11 per cent, making the total annual charge £5 for each £lOO of debt liability. The total annual charge would then, on £74,500, amount to £3725 and the rate to be levied would be 3.3897 pence in the £ on nett unimproved rateable value allowing for th, statutory 10 per cent, increase in the total amount to be levied. Works Report. The Works Committee made recommendations as follows: — That in th e event of the Perotti Estate Trustees agreeing to set aside, as a reserve, that area of land at the western end of Bridge Street, bounded on the southern side by that street and on the other side by the bend in -Sawyer’s Creek, the Council agree to th - deletion from the requirements as to e nccessary work prior to the dedication of the street of the concrete kerbing and channelling along the frontage of the land in question; that the 4-iiich cast iron water mains in stock be used to make the following additions to the water reitcula-tion system, in the order shown, namely:— (a) Devon and Tindale Streets (m hand); (b) Packer’s Quay; (c) Marsden Road to connect up Kilgour Es-

tat., sub-division; (d) Bryon Street -from Nelson Street southwards; that Merrick Sreet between Presiton Road and Reid Street be formed and metalled; that a street light be fixed in Bright Street on the pole outside the Cobden Engineering Company’s premisos The Mayor (Mr W- Meldrum) said thalt, before going on with the raising of the loan, they would have to approach the Employment Promotion Depaiitment to ascertain if they could get the> subsidy. -Or. J- B- KenJt suggested writing „o the Employment Promotion Depaitment for the subsidy. Or- A- IL Me Kane suggested that the whole report should go before the Minister, th e Council pointing out to him that otherl work being carried out in the district was diminishing, and more work of a. capital natuie would be required for the men. The Mayor said that the Engineer estimated that B w . ould takc 100 ,ueU two years to do this workCi- McKano suggested .meeting the local Employment- Officer and t llon voin" to the Minister. The Council he suggested, should discuss the matter ofl the employment, with him. Cr. Kent .supported this proposalThey might get a larger) subsidy than otherwise- . r Cr- G- R- Harker suggested inviting the Public Works Department Engineer to attend the special meeting, as he might be able to give them some advice as to the .men who would be available as a result of varuou s jobs being finalised. It was decided that the matter ot an application for a subsidy be he ld over until the Council had me,.- the ilocal Employment Officer and the Pub lie Works Department Engineer with I a view to discussing the who c mA [ter of -employ in ent, the spocia nieo ’ Ing- Ito be arranged at the.earHes t , date possible- -