SOUTHERN WAIROA FALLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13756, 22 May 1908, Page 6

SOUTHERN WAIROA FALLS.

SUGGESTED PURCHASE BY CITY '■ -'■;-...'; v COUNCIL. The question of the purchase of the Southern Wairoa Falls as a source of water supply for the city and suburbs was brought under the notice of the City Council last night. Messrs. Samuel Yaile and Sons, in writing on the ■ subject, stated that they had received word from their client, Mr. Tinne. that he "was now much more anxious to dispose of the Southern Wairoa Fall?, originally offered to the Council as a source , of water supply at £10,000. Mr. Tinne was now prepared to accept, half that sum, and, indeed, they thought that he was open to an offer for even considerably less. The lowest estimate of the flow of the river in the driest weather was 10,000,000 gallons per day. The writers thought that in view- of the suggestion that the Waitakerei supply might be insufficient for the future the Council might possibly care to acquire the property in the meantime as a senic reserve, but mainly with the object of a reserved supply of water. The city waterworks engineer, in an attached memo., stated that Messrs. Stewart and Anderson had reported on this stream in 1893 and Mr. Mestayer in April, 1901, but neither looked upon the Hunua Falls as an ideal source for water supply. If the property could be bought very cheap the Council might consider the question of purchasing it for a park, with a view to the possibility in future years of utilising it when other- sources of water were found insufficient. «- The matter was referred to the \\ orks Committee.