WATER BY-LAW TO BE ENFORCED.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 20 December 1932, Page 3

WATER BY-LAW TO BE ENFORCED.

PROSECUTION IN CASES OF WASTE/

PRESSURE FALLS TO LOWESjT ON

RECORD.

Lengthy discussion took place at last night V meeting of the Borough Council upon the condition of the town water supply. It was decided that, the by-law against waste through hoses be strictly enforced and that, after public nptice is given, offenders be prosecuted, / EFFECT'ON GAS WORKS.

Cr. Parker, chairman" of the gas works committee, said he was sorry to have to complain about the water pressure at the gasworks. It was only 43 lbs. at 7.3o"that evening and 42 lbsat the Council Chamber. This was not sufficient to operate the Pelton wheel that drove the exhauster and consequently there was a serious loss of gas which went up the chimney because the exhauster could not draw to its' full capacity. The position was caiis-

ing the Manager and staff the greatest anxiety. If this condition could / not be altered the alternative was to get a larger Pelton wheel, which would cost £2O. « The Town Clerk: The present pressure, 42 lbs., is the lowest we have 3vex seen it. , Cr, Roe:; To© many hoses. Cr Parker: If we got a larger Pelton we could do with a lower pressure. Cr. Harveyv Could you not get an electric motor. 'Cr- Parker: The annual cost for . poweb would be too high. V The Mayor;-The wheel you have now is all fight except at this tinie of the ■year,. • ' " Cr. Coleman: Would not the £2O be better -spent at the head-race —the source of . the trouble? We are only getting a few inches of water in the bottom of the tunnel. " The Mayor: The seat of the trouble is the draw-off. Cr. Coleman: If the settling tanks are kept full, you will get the pressure. Cr. Harvey said the draw-off in the town was too great for the size of v the main. It was not the settling tanks that caused the trouble, Cr. Parker -considered that if the pressure 'could be guaranteed to come back to 60 to '<6s lbs, by taking certain notion the gasworks might get through the summer. Cr. Harvey ~asked whether it would . not be better to put in the new wheel, and allow the ratepayers —who paid fairly high rates for the water—tocontinue to "use it, provided there was, no waste. Even if they put in an

electric motor the cost for three moiiths would not be very great.

Cr, Parker; Forty-three pounds is no good as fire pressure. ’Cr. Harvey said , taps were running day and night in certain parts of the town, which was not reasonable. ■ Cr. Parker: The sense of the ratepayers as a whole would be good enough to turn off the hoses immediately the fire siren sounded. LARGER wITER WHEEL TO BE ■ INSTALLED. Cr. Parker stated that £l5O was put on the estimates for the water • gas plant, but only about £IOO was spent. They could take £§o of that money for the two-foot Pelton wheel and so free the gaswprks of the present (nervewracking conditions. The Council agreed to the purchase of the Pelton wheel at a cost of £2O. WASTE OF WATER. The Town Clerk said there were continual complaints from people on the higher levels about the low pressure. Observations by Borough officers- on cue evening showed that there were 19 hoses running and actually wasting water. There was tremendous waste going on. In past years the Council had advertised its intention to prosecute those responsible for such waste, but as no action was taken, the notice was without effect. Throughout that day the pressure had never been more than 50 lbs and bad dropped to 42. lbs., the lowest on record. i v Inspector Guinan said he and the waterworks overseer had been on the higher level at Heatherlea that afternoon and were surprised at the good head of water available there.

The Overseer inspected the .gauge in the Council office and reported that the pressure had risen to 97 lbs., it then being 10.30 p.m. ■ ■ Or. Bishop said the question raised by the Town Clerk should b© decided; If they had a by-law the Council should enforce it, otherwise it would hq brought into contempt. Offenders should be prosecuted no matter who they might be. The Mayor said Cr, Bishop would get an opportunity to move when the waterworks report was read.

The Waterworks Overseer’s report was then taken, Mr Williams reporting as follows: —“The waterworks are generally in good order, except at the intake, where something definite will have to be done before next winter. The new stem has been put in and is satisfactory. (One 'shute was found to be broken (. and has been brought /in for repairs. The tanks were cleaned out last Sunday and/ should be alrigM now. for the next three months. The l installation of the two one-inch services for the school have now been installed. A fair number of leaks have received attention during the month. The pressure recently has been very poor owing ap-

parently to the excessive use of hoses during the afternoons and evenings.” •Cr. Bishop moved, “That the by-law against waste of water <be enforced and that, be given that offenders would be prosecuted. ’ * These people knew, they were breaking the bylaw and if the pressure was not kept up a serious position might arise in the case of fire. What would happen if there was a fire in the town with the pressure at 42 lbs., and perhaps a wind blowing. Cr. tParker seconded the motion proforma. It had been reported, that unfair use was beiqg made of the water and that some ratepayers were getting many, times the amount they were entitled to. He asked what action the Mayor was going to take in the matter. The Mayor: What do you mean? •Qr. Parker:, Some people are using many times the water they are due to use. , That is unfair and inequitable. What action are you, as Mayor, going to take, to put those things right? The Mayor: I am not going to take any action. Cr. Parker:, Are you going to allow the inequality to go on? ; The Mayor: As Mayor of the town it is no| duty to go round and inspect places. Cr. Parker; I am asking for your lead here to-night. The Mayor said he certainly was not going to use a hose where he should not. . The Mayor then called for a second-er-to the motion, Cr. Treen doing so. Cr. Parker protested that he had already seconded *the motion pro forma, whereupon the Mayor remarked that it was now properly seconded. . Cr. Parker: You are quibbling. The Mayor: That is a inatter of opinion. The motion was then put, and carried without dissent. .