BOROUGH COUNCIL

Hokitika Guardian, 18 June 1940, Page 6

BOROUGH COUNCIL

MONDAY, JUNE 17. The monthly meeting of the Hokitika Borough Council was held at 3 p.in. Present—Mr . G. A. Perry (Mayor), Cfs. J. Fox, W. A. Stopforth,. D. P. Stuart, C. Caliari, G. Meinz’ and A*. B/. Elcock. Ail apology was made for Cr, Freitas. The' minutes were confirmed, ' and correspondence outward approved; .INWARD CORRESPONDENCE. From Chairman, Westland Provincial’ Council, N.Z. Centennial, 1940, advising- that it was largely due to the untiring’ effort and ability of the Secretary and’ organiser of the Westland Provincial Council that the Westland Province was so successfully represented at the Centennial Exhibition, and also that the various activities of the Council had imposed a large amount of work on the Section for which he received no remuneration, ahd‘it is suggested to collect from the local bodies : and hand a cheque to the Secretary for the great work that he has done. On a population basis, the Hokitika Borpugh Council’s proportion would be £7.—Received and agreed to.

From Secretary. Westland Hospital Board, notifying that it is the intention of that, Board to make application to the Local Government Loans Board for sanction to borrow the sum of £2OOO for the purpose of alterations and additions to the heating system at the Westland Hospital, and that any objection to the proposed loan must he received by the Board within five weeks from June 12. 1940. Alternatively, if the loan is declined, the amount of £2OOO will have to be allocated over the various contributing local bodies in the current year’s levy; —Received; no objection. From Dept, of Internal Affairs, forwarding copy of publication, “Parks and Reserves,” a policy for local bodies.—Received. ~ From Hon. Sec., Westland Provin•ial Centennial Council, stating that it is desired to wind up the Centenniel Account, and as there are a number of copies of “Old Westland’’ on hand, local bodies are take a quantity at £l/16/- a dozed.—Received; six dozen to be taken. From J District Engineer, Public Works Department, Greymouth, • stating that the Defence Department has asked for a street light at the intersection of Camp and Wharf Streqts, so that the necessary requirements of the Defence Department will he met.; —Received ; to be acceded to. : From Under-Secretary, Department of Internal Affairs, Hokitika, asking Council to nominate a representative on the Hokitika Fire Board as a successor to Mr William Charles Braddon who has resigned, and as the time prescribed by Section 19 of the Fire Brigades Act, 1926,, has elapsed, the name of the gentleman who will lienominated will be submitted to -His Excellency'the Governor-General in Council for consideration.-e-Received; Tr J. J’ Mclntosh was nominated: for the position. From N.Z. Refrigerating Co. Ltd., advising that the following quantities of meat were delivered into the Hokitika Abattoir Area during the month if May, 1940, xiz: 21 sheep.—Received.

From M. B. James, application for permission to instal a septic tank on VI,R. 474, Sewell Street.—Received and agreed to.

From Dept, of Agriculture, forwarding extracts from the Meat Regulations, 1940, which came into force on June 1, 1940, in regard to inspection fees.—Received;

From Public Works Department (through the Westland County Council) advising that the Westland County Council will be responsible for the maintenance of the Hokitika Aerodrome from June 17 1940.—Received. From Chief Surveyor Hokitika, advising that upon the request from small local bodies in many parts of New Zealand, the Land and Survey Department has decided to undertake, where requested, the necessary surveys for town planning purposes, and provide the technical assistance to enable the preparation of a complete scheme, and that it is intended to restrict these surveys to Boroughs and town districts (generally under 3000 in population) not having the requisite Engineering or surveying staff available to undertake the work. The approximate estimate of the cost of survey of the average town district, area 2 s q. miles (population 1100) including aerial survey, is £l5O. This cost will, be payable by the local body concerned and will naturally vary considerably, depending upon the particular circumstances in the Borough and surrounding areas. The cost of preparing the basic plan and other maps will he charged to the Land and Survey Department.—Received.

From Hon. Sec., Westland Emergency Precautions Organisation t forwarding copies of Emergency Precaution Scheme for the County of Westland and interior Boroughs which has been approved by the Department of Internal Affairg with the comment that from a perusal of th e scheme it is

apparent that it ’ has been prepared with eonsidcrgble. wife and ,forethought and the persons responsible are to ue commended for their efforts, and that in event of an emergency occurring, it‘ is .considered that the district will have an organisation which is able to cope adequately with the situation. — Received.

■ From Clerk of Awards, Wellington, citing the Council as a party to .the Industrial Dispute between the N.Z. Road Transport and Motor and Horse Drivers’ Industrial Association of Workers and the Bay of Islands iCounty Council.—Received.

From Cr. John Lawrence Turner, tendering his resignation (dated June 14) as a member of the Hokitika Borough Council.—Received; Mr T. W. Duff was appointed to the vacancy, being the next highest on" the poll at the .last Borough election on the motion of the Mayor, seconded by Cr. Stuart.

Cr. Fox moved that a letter of appreciation for His valued .services to tlie Council 1 be forwarded to Mr Turner.—Seconded by the Mayor and carried. ,

The Beautifying Association requested the gradings from the streets for filling the entrance of the swimming liaths.—Request granted ; tlie overseer to supervise the work and select the locations.

From 1/ L. Ross,, drawing attention to the very unsatisfactory condition of tlie footpath on the east side of Fitzherbert Street, between Weld Street and Gibson Quay through surface water which cannot get away, and also that the road between the metal and tlie footpath is soft and requires metallling.—Received, and referred to the overseer for attention.

From Secretary, St. John Ambulance Brigade, asking for the use of the Town Hall on Tuesday evenings from 7.30 to 9 p.lll. for classes in first aid;—Received and approved. WATER WORKS REPORT. Cr- Parry (Chairman) reported as follows: In consequence of remarks and charges made against the efficiency of tlie pumping plant, I made investigations,, on your behalf, for immediate rectification. In the course of ’examination the following information was obtained and is mentioned hereunder with remarks thereon, for future reference.,

Complaints— 1: That the shortage of water supply to tlie town was due to inadequacy of the. pumping plant; 2; The water supplied contained iron rust, and for a short period seemed brackish.

In respect to the first complaint, it it as well to mention that each of the two pumps, installed has a capacity under normal working conditions equal to tlie requirements of a population of 5000 people. At time of shortage it was therefore apparent that either very considerable draw off from the mains beyond’'normal consumption was taking place, or that the pumps were failing iii their guaranteed rated capacity, or that the ..wells were receding in quantity of supply to- the pumps. It is n,ow known that the Mental Hospital and a manufacturing company were making exceptionally heavy withdrawals from the mains at the time -of ! complaint. However, the dual capacity of the pumps, if in good order, and the reservoir at normal level, should have' compensated for the extra demand.

The combined' output of the plant is 24,000 gallons per hour at 300‘foot head, quite a substantial 'amount for. a town the' size of Hokitika. Nevertheless it must be remembered the plant layhut was expressly installed with a view to obtaining the maximum economy from the lowest power cost at flat rate, reasonable with the undertaking. Any abnormal demands as above mentioned requires extra attention and service by’ the attendant before commission, especially if it is to be in use for any length of time, and the lake line out of repair. However, I wish to point out the pumping station is not a mere standby plant; hut capable of long continuous running of ample sufficiency, and without the assistance of the auxiliary lake supply. Such statement ‘is based on world-wide records of population consumption. Should more than normal supply, above- indicated, be required, the present economical flat rate of power supply would bo subject to adjustment at an increased rate, which when taking the circumstances into account, would riot compensate without increased revenue for the extra supply above normal rating, and service.

Cause of Water shortage. Examination of the plant disclosed the following:— Air leaks in several places on the suction side of Ihe pumps were discovered. The admission of air has a very marked effect on the pump capacity in as much that it takes very (little air in the intake side to stop the puni'ps discharging altogether. This defect causes a number of following troubles, all helping to impair the efficiency of the plant. Fior example, it causes surging in the pump itself with resultant increased vibration, which in turn causes undue wear of the g’.ands and other parts to destruction. The motor will still revolve the pump, whether discharging or otherwise, and in the absence of constant attention, as it is, the danger is twofold. I can say, definitely, air troubles have caused the difficulty experienced by attendants when endeavouring to start and maintain both pumps working in dual capacity. The .above defect was, in my opinion,

the major reason of failure to maintain supply, and caused the shortage. . Explanation of defective air leaks need hot be disclosed in this report, sufficient to say the imperfections have been repaired and overcome, arid further preventh'e measures adopted.

From the readings taken by me under test,, the possibility of the well water receding, when in, use, either by blocking of shingle in the periofations of 1 the well pipe, or by fluctuations of tidal 'levels, is somewhat, apparent. Should the water sink below'the top perforations, air will most likely be admitted through pump suction, and troubles already mentioned will result. Flor verification of the above I have given instructions to sink a small test pipe adjacent to the wells. '■ Respecting the second complaint of presence of iron rust in the water—this is caused mainly by change of water (chemically different) liquidating the r.ust already deposited in the old service pipes for house connections, coupled with 'slight effervescence and oxygenation of the water due to air leaks in the suction side of the pump system. 1 lam inclined to believe there is a slight trace of iron oxide in the water, admitted during very low tidal periods. This,, of course, is perfectly harmless. The water is also slightly hard. Regarding brackishness, it can he shown when the shortage was acute, the reservoir was practically empty for periods, and opportunity was taken to cleanse it. The excessive drainage to the supply at so low a level of the reservoir coupled with cvea rising operations, are in my opinion, the cause of this temporary complaint, and therefore cannot be attributed to water directly supplied from the pumping plant. In conclusion, 1 wish to mention I have had several minor improvements added to the plant, enahling greater facility for operation, and prevention of failure; the subject of this report. Received: a special' vote of thanks was passed to Cr. Parry for his full report.

FOREMAN’S REPORT. The Foreman reported on the following works carried out during the month of May, 1940: — -. v. . During the first fortnight of the month, I was engaged with: four men, in repairing the watermain between, Kanieri Forks and the Lake (the supply from the penstock being cut off owing to t-lie company affecting repairs to the tunnel). In several places pipes had to be replaced and as the supply reaching the reservoir was only about 100 gallons a minute the pumps had, to be used to maintain a sufficient supply to the town'. Further repairs to the Lake line will be necessary wdien the penstock water again becomes available.

Sixty feet of six inch concrete pipes were put in, across Gibson Quay at Mrs Preston’s Bakery and the rest of the month being! spent on We'.'d Street extension, forming and- gravelling the road towards Hoffman Street where we, put in 30 feet o’f3ft. concrete -pipes across the watercourse running into the State houses’ sections and a drain was cut around the pumping station, draining the surface -water into the east .boundary drain, . ... Mr Cropp was engaged in maintenance work about town, the following work being carried,out: — Drains: The following drains were cleaned oiit —Stafford Street, between Jollie and’ Hoffman Streets; Brittan Street, between Weld and Stafford Streets; Hampden Street, between and Sewell Streets;,and the.watertable iit Fitzherbert Street, between Weld, Street and . the Quay. . The wooden drain in Fitzherbert Street, between W e ld Street and Gibson’s collapsed and • a length, of 24ft. was retimbered,. A surface drain was installed from t)ie- section next ,tp Howat’s butchery into the wacertable ini Weld Street. .■ „

Streets and Footpaths: Six days were spent mixing asphalt, repairing streets and footpaths in the following places—Re cell Street, Weld Street, Hamilton Street, Sewell Street and Hampden Street. Footpaths were cleaned —Stafford St. footpath on the north side from Jollie to Hoffman Streets; Roileson Street footpath, between Sale and Stafford Streets was gravelled for three chains; Weld Street footpath, from, Sale to Rolleston Streets, on the south side, gravelled three chains, and three chains southward in Sale Street.from Weld Street; Brittan Street footpaths between Weld and Stafford Streets wore chipped on both sides and spoil carted to Swimming Baths; and growth cleared in Spencer Street between Fitzherbert and Sewell Streets. Alterations were made at the Public Pound, the fence being removed back and the gate put on. the west side. Water : A new service was put in to Mr Allan’s in Hampden Street, and Mr Murtha in Sewell Street. Sendees were renewed at the following residences: —Mr R. Davis, Stafford St.; Mr Richards, Rolleston St.; Mr Turner, Sewell St.; Mr James, Sewell St.; Mr P. Chyle, Tudor St.; Mr Breeze, Hampden St.; Mu. Sampson, Bealey St.; Mr Atkinson, Stafford St.; Mr Roberts, Fitzherbert St.. , Repaired services at Mr T. Seddon’s, Weld Street, and Mrs Edwards’, Sewell Street. New washers put on the taps at Cass Square pavilion and boiler house. The Public Works grader was ,on grading several of the streets and intersections for three days during the month. The average depth of water in the reservoir for the month was 4ft, 9in. — Received. REPORTS^ The Treasurer reported receipts at £‘3oo/18/2, payments £643/7/9, debit :

balance £1535 /0 / 7. —fteceived.

Accounts amounting to £1220/8/4 wore passed for payment. .. ~ From Manager of Abattoirs, reporting there were slaughtered during May: 52 cows, 42 heifers, 60 bullocks, 318 sheep, 186 lambs, 55, pigs, 28 cows. Condemned: Two cows. Fees for month, £IOB/8/6 (same period last year, £B9/2/o). Received. The Town Clerk’s report in connection with exemptions of ReyeH Street under tire Town was received and adopted. The Reserve Committee’s report was received and agreed to. It was resolved to have painting work at the abattoir cottage and sexton’s cottage carried out. A request from the Library Committee for an increased grant of £IOO to £285, to enable the library to. take advantage of the Country Libraries Scheme was referred to a committee consisting of the Mayor, Crs. E ox, Eleock, Stopfortli, and Stuart, to report to next meeting. ■ It.was resolved’'to accede to a request from the Public Works Department to | place 60 yards of gravel on the new road in Jollie Street.

It was resolved to renew the sanitary contract for a further 12 months at the same price of £670.

The Works Committee report on an inspection of the town was received and the ' recommendations made were approved.