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Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 140, 16 June 1913, Page 5

["to the editor.]

Sir,—With your permission I would draw'the attention of the public to the following inaccurate and misleading statements or inferences which have appeared in connection with these schemes: — 1. That fires cannot be put out without sending a man.to Batty's Creek. The truth is this: the pumping attendants can live alongside the pumps. Immediately the alarm is given by telephone the oil engines can be started in a few minutes. There is no need to go to the tower, for the tower pipe can be shut off automatically from the pump house. Immediately a fire starts, water at the ordinary town pressure can be obtained at once from a hydrant within 50 yards of the house, and in a few minutes later the pressure can -be increased by means of the pumps. This method has been found to work well at Invercargill. 2. That typhoid increases in towns which, have been supplied with sanitary convenience.— History proves the contrary. 3. That the water m the river at the present fire station is the same for drinking purposes as that at Batty's Creek.—Ratepayers with normal vision can see that this is absurd, i ... 4. That compressed air ejectors are unsatisfactory.—The continued and increasing sale of these for 30 years proves this to be absurd. 5. That the leakage into the sewers will be enormous.—The specifications prevent this happening. 6. That steam pumping is best tor intermittent, working.— As a matter of fact intermittent working is ]ust where steam is at its worst. 7. That crude oil engines are unreliable.—"Why, then, are huge ships being fitted with them? 8. That Batty's Creek is half-way to the intake proposed for the Taylor scheme.—The map disproves this. 9 That the water at Batty's Creek is bad.—The analysis of the Dominion ! Analyst disproves this. 10. That the 12-inch mam carries only 400 gallons per minute.—ln can carry more than double this quantity for fire purposes. 11. That the pumps can only carry 300 gallons per minute for fires.—lhe specification clearly shows that they are to bo capable of pumping 800 gallons per minute. . 12. That, because a large water pipe happens to pass along a small street, it must be too large for that street.— The large pipes are to supply whole districts of the town, and, they merely happen to pass along these small : streets/ - . n , . 1V ! 13 That it is certain that wells stink at the Gasworks will not choke : up._ Other towns have proved to the contrary.x , -. . I 14: That all the pumping plant can be installed at the Gasworks and be i attended to by the present stair.— ! Absurd! ~ . . ! 15 That, because 18 miles of pipes I are provided for 30 miles of streets, i the scheme is insufficient.—Do _ ratei payers really want to lay Pipes"l un" i tenanted streets, such as Stafford • Street, Kinross Street, Fell Street i Robinson Street, Poynter Street, etc. .t ! Do they want to bury costly pipes toi I the fun of the thing? ■ 16 That Blenheim can bo drained in a' satisfactory manner by gravitation methods without pumping.—lhe ! thre© engineers have told, ratepayers I that this, unfortunately, is not feas--17 That the water is to be taken out of Batty's Oreek.~The truth ij that it is to be token direct from the i natural well or spring as it issues out !of the ground. The well will be sur- ( rounded with concrete to prevent any jchanoeofffiSN OSTURROCK,0 STURROCK, ! Resident Engineer.

It was reported in Chiustohurchi this week that the retailers were going to extinguish all shop lights and lamps outside business places on Saturday nights. The president of the Retailers Association (Mr A. M. Loasby) stated, in. answer to inquiries, that the report was correct. "Frankly, we are out to kill vSatnrady," said Mr Loasby, "and- to discourage trading; upon the. old lines on that day. We want to make Friday so good that we shall not want to go "back to the old way. There is nothing of retaliation in this stew. Before the ballot some of us were in favor of the Saturday half-holiday and some favored" Thursday. Now we are-all for Saturday, and we want to make Friday take its place. Already we have arranged with the Tramway Board to give the Saturday night time-table a trial on Friday night."