SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1923. WATER SUPPLY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 22 September 1923, Page 6

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1923. WATER SUPPLY.

___ —- I [n writing this article we wish it to be distinctly understood that we do so with the idea of putting the position before readers as fairly and reasonably as possible. The approach of summer, if the weather be dry, will prob-' ably bring with it a weakening of the j pressure of water through the household taps, and in two-storied buildings it will be found that the water will flow very slowly through the upstairs taps, as was the experience in some . buildings in.Hawera a couple of years ago. There is an old saying that "You never miss the water till the well runs dry." The source of Hawera's water supply is in no danger of running dry, but as everybody knows the main which brings the water to the town is inadequate to meet the demands placed upon it. When the main was laid some'twenty-five years ago, the opinion of the /engineer was that a supply capable of serving a population of 10,000 people was being provided, and some of our citizens today argue that as the population served by the main is less than 10,000 there is no need for the duplication. ' But as everybody knows, conditions have changed enormously since the time when the main was laid. In all civilised countries there has been a very great increase in the use of water, and it is recorded that in America as much as 300 gallons of water per per- j son per day have been used. Doctors and scientists and health officers have, year after year, preached the need for cleanliness and a plentiful use of fresh water as a. means of staving off diseases and as a preventive of epidemics. Naturally an intelligent public has taken the advice, and the daily use of water has become far greater than it was twenty-five years ago. There must be few houses without a bath in them in Hawera at the present time. Again, health specialists have frequently urged people to eat more vegetables and that well-kept gardens have a psychological .effect upon residents and enable the people generally to enjoy better health. These things mean a much greater use of water, §nd. the engineer's opinion of twenty-five years no doubt requires considerable revision to-day. We do not think that it is too much to say that a water supply sufficient' for 10,000 people twenty-five years ago would probably be inadequate for 5000 to_ay, that is during the summer months. The engineer of .twenty-five years ago is, of course, not in any way to blame any more than" is an expert who tells the people that the present supply is inadequate for their needs. Nobody is to blame for the position which exists to-day, for it has been, brought about by the demand which all the people are making upon the supply One might refer to the causes of loss of pressure and endeavour to place scientific data and calculations before, people concerning the main, or, if the figures were available, Work out the increased consumption per head per day compared with what it was twentyfive years ago. But were this done it would not rectify the position and it would not add an ounce of pressuro to the supply. The fact is, and it is no use shutting one's eyes to it, that the first lengthy period of dry , weather will find the people of Hawera unable to use water as freely as they will desire to use it. No doubt restrictions will be applied, but until the main is duplicated the required quantity of water will not be available. The question is; Are the people of the borough prepared to wait until the trouble actually arrives, or are they

j willing to make the earliest provision ' possible to meet a situation which canI not be viewed without anxiety? To I duplicate the main will cost a large sum ' Cf ffioney, and it will mean some increase In rates, but to our Way of thinking the most serious fact is that if the trouble does arise there will be no way of augmenting the supply, for the work of duplication will take many months to carry out, and all the criticism and argument that may be i offered will be of no avail. Of course, it is a matter for the ratepayers to decide, but it is no kindness to place before them misleading arguments or endeavour to explain away the fact that the supply available through the existing main is inadequate for the requirements .of the people during a period of dry" we*v£ er- Because we realise that the position is rioS satisfactory- and because the expert opinion Of the borough engineer has been placed befof© the people setting out the facts, we feel that in the interests of the borough we should refer to the matter again, and urge that the question be submitted to the ratepayers at an early date. The Borough Council has had the matter before it for a long time past and we hope that within the next few weeks it will find it possible to place the question in order and give the ratepayers an opportunity to vote upon whether or not they will sanction the raising of a loan to duplicate the main. The matter is very important, and if nothing is done the trouble which is anticipated may stnke the borough much sooner than people imagine. We think that the majority would far rather pay more in rates than suffer ihe inconvenience of anything in the nature of a serious' shortage of water-a.t least ratepayers should have an early opportunity to express their opinion through the baMotbox.