CITY COUNCIL AND HARBOUR HOARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12447, 22 January 1904, Page 6

CITY COUNCIL AND HARBOUR HOARD.

| A WATER SUPPLY QUESTION. ! A bkisk discussion arose at the meeting of the City Council last night on a clause in the report of the Streets Committee dealing with the supply of water to the Harbour Board and shipping. The clause read as follows:—"Auckland labour Board, notifying intention to undertake supply of water to shipping, requiring water pipes on wharves to be sold to the Board or removed, and inquiring the price for supply of water. Water engineer reporting estimated value of pipes, etc., on the wharves. Reply, informing the Board the Council is prepared to sell its pipes and fittings on the wharves ■ for £1360 as, or failing a sale to remove the same within three mouths; also, that the charge for water supply would "be 5s per 1000 gallons up to a consumption of 7.000.000 gallons per annum, and 4s per 1000 gallons for all above that quantity." On the clause being read, Mr. C. J. Parr said he understood the supply of water to consumers on the wharf by the Council had given every satisfaction, and he wished to know why it was proposed that the supply of water should now be- taken over by the Harbour Board.

The Mayor (the Hon. E. Mitchelson) said that so far as he was aware no complaint had been made, but a member of the Harbour Board had raised an objection, which had been upheld by the Works and Tariff Committee. The Council had decided to supply the Harbour Board with water at the same rate as charged in Wellington, which was the lowest in the colony.

Mr. Parr said it was proposed to sell to the Harbour Board at a lower rate than that charged at Dunedin or Lyttelton. Mr. J. T. Julian (chairman of the Harbour Board) said the Council had been making the same charge for water to the Board as they made to ordinary consumers, and it was considered by some of the members of the Harbour Board that this was unfair, especially as the Council made use of the Board's wharves in connection with the water service. He did not think, however, that the Board would accept the offer. Dr. E. W. Shaman: Which member of the Board objected? Mr. Julian :It does not matter. We are dealing with the Board, not with members. He went on to say that the Council's representatives on the Board opposed the change. Dr. Sharmun: Did you oppose it'.' Mr. Julian: I did. I have always opposed it, but the question would not have been raised if a reasonable allowance had been, made to the Board.

Tli.* 1 Mayor said the pipes had never been laid along the wharves except at the request of the Harbour Board. The sanitary services on the wharves were also supplied free, and the free use of water was always allowed on the wharves in case of tire. The shipping had been paying 6s a thousand gallons for water, but the Ferry Company, through some previous arrangement, had only been paving Is 6d. Mir. J. Court said that so far as he understood the trouble had arisen from one member of the Harbour Board, who was also interested in shipping. The Council sent four representatives to the Harbour Board. One of these was chairman of the Board, and if he chose he could exercise a dual vote in the interests of the city, but so far as he could understand the chairman's actions on the Board had been against the interests of the city. Mr. Julian: I rise to a point of order. I challenge Mr. Court to name an instance in which I voted against the interests ot the city. Mr. Court said that an instance occurred when the Harbour Board was asked to receive a deputation from the Council in. regard to the question of depositing drainage in the harbour. Instead of meeting the Council in a friendly spirit—■ The Mayor: 1 must stop you. That has nothing to do with the present question. Mr. Court said he believed that on this occasion the chairman of the Board had been against the city. Had he been in its favour the thing could have been nipped' in the bud. The Council had been making only a reasonable profit out of the water, but it seemed that the Board wished to secure this profit. The interests of the two bodies were identical, and he deprecated the friction that was continually cropping up. Dr. Sharman said he would like to know whether the matter came from the Harbour Board or from one individual. The Mayor: The letter was from the Board. Dr. Sharman said be would like to have a definition of the duties of members of the Harbour Board who represented the Council there. Was it their duty to betray the Council?

Mr. Julian: I rise to a point of order. You ought to stop this, Mr. Mayor. Dr. Sharman : I want the definition. The Mayor: I am not prepared to give Mr. Parr moved that the matter be deferred for a fortnight, in order that those members who were not on the Streets Committee could nuke themselves conversant with it.

Mr. S. C. Brown said the proposed scale of rates was a very fair one. As to the Harbour Board's own requirements, he did not think there should be any trouble over that, but that the Board should be supplied with water at a reduced scale. Mr. Parr's motion was carried.