Maungaturoto District Water Supply Scheme

Northern Advocate, 24 May 1949, Page 4

Maungaturoto District Water Supply Scheme

WHOLE RIDING

Tue. (0.C.) .—Little progress has been made with the proposed Maungaturoto district water supply scheme. The latest development is that a meeting of riding ratepayers is to be convened by the Otamatea County Council to consider the financial aspect# Estimated to cost £20,000, the scheme is included in Mr Semple’s 10-year plan for Northland, and has been adopted as second priority in the Northern Wairoa-Otamatea Regional Planning Committee’s major works plan.

The council recently received two letters dealing with various aspects of the project. One, from the Maungaturoto Businessmen’s Association, requested the council to approach. the Northern Wairoa-Otamatea Regional Planning Council, pointing out the urgency of proceeding with the scheme with the utmost dispatch. The second, from the * PWD acting resident engineer in Whangarei (Mr A. J. Coleboume), stated, that responsibility for furthering the project now lay with the Otamatea County Council itself. This letter read: “In reference to your letter of December 8 last, this matter was, as previously advised, referred to the District Engineer, Auckland, for consideration. “A reply from this quarter has only now been received. “PRACTICAL POSSIBILITY” “So far as this department is concerned, the only action taken to date was the carrying out of preliminary investigations, which showed that the provision of water for Maungaturoto was a practical possibility. “The furtherance of the project is now the responsibility of the Otamatea County Council, whose initial step should be the consideration of means of financing its share of the cost. “When this has been decided, the council should advise this office, and arrangements for a full discussion of the scheme between this department and the local body can then be made.” The county chairman (Cr T. H. C. Snelling) commented that the scheme was first advocated years ago. The greatest embarrassment had been the difficulty of defining a special rating area. To bring the whole riding into the area seemed the only possible solution.

“It is not intended to finance the scheme by rating only. “The cost would be met by consumers, only."

Cr McCarroll: The main difficulty is that if we call a meeting we will be asked to produce a whole parcel of costs, which we are not yet able to do.”

Cr L. Ramsbottom: The Businessmen’s Association wants to find out who is responsible. “It understands the Regional Planning Committee has given the scheme high priority and wants to know whether the committee is still functioning.” Cr Preston : The committee will get an answer where the council will get none.

It was resolved that the council be responsible for calling a meeting of ratepayers before which all available information would be placed.

Having the whole riding as a basis for guaranteeing a special loan would be more satisfactory than a special rating area. It would be necessary to call a public meeting- to reaffirm decisions made previously by ratepayers, who had yet to devise some scheme for financing the project. If the council is not prepared to accept responsibility for pushing the scheme, it will not make much progress,” said Cr Snelling. 'We must call a meeting to see whether the people are of the same mind as previously. “It would not be safe to carry on and take up the time of the councils staff, unless the people concerned with the scheme are prepared to go ahead. ’ “Would not bringing in the whole riding spoil the chances of getting the scheme?” Cr W. Preston asked. Cr Snelling: “There are too many obstacles in the way of defining a smaller rating area. CONSUMERS WILL PAY “ , r a king in the whole riding is only or the puroose of securing guarantors.