GREY LYNN DRAINAGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13879, 13 October 1908, Page 6

GREY LYNN DRAINAGE.

COX'S CREEK SEWER. A CONFERENCE HELD. The city engineer (Mr. W. E. Bush) and the district health officer (Di. J. D. Purdy), accompanied by Mr. H. Munro Wilson, waited on the Grey. Lynn Borough Council last evening, to discuss matters in connection with the drainage at Cox's Creek. 1 Mr-. Wilson, reporting on the matter, stated that he agreed with the city engineer that any work done should be of a permanent nature. A good sandstone rock foundation existed, so that the conditions prevailing were favourable. An uncovered conduit, he thought, should not be adopted; There were residences very close to the course that would be taken. Mi. Wilson described the sewer he thought advisable, which,could bo built for about £4 5s per foot. 1 Besides the sewers to be connected within the Grey Lynn area, the scheme should include the connection with Edgar's gully drainage. The necessity-of crowning the main sewer was of importance, , apart from the sanitary aspect, as that broad expanse of mud flat was vested in the borough, and the work of reclamation must shortly be taken into consideration. Mr. Bush said the Drainage Board would commence operations at the beginning of next month, and the Board's main sewer would reach Cox's Creek in approximately six years* time. The question of arching or covering the drain depended, he thought, on whether the Council intended to make a recreation ground at the mouth of the creek or not. This arching, of course, would prove expensive. The Mayor (Mr. J- Sayers) asked if, when the main scheme was completed as far as Cox's Creek, it would deal with the whole of the sewerage. Mr. Bush : Yes. The Mayor : Then all this expenditure would then be simply for turning off the clean storm water. > . Mr. Bush said that was so. When the scheme was completed, he added, there would be no more smell than there was on ,an ordinary mud flat. The Mayor said he supposed the only alternative to the expenditure was to wait until the main scheme was a fact. : A Councillor :We can't do that. Was not the outbreak of typhoid due to the sewer? Dr. Purdy : We could not say definitely that it was due to the sewer. He had, he said, been informed that crude sewage came down the drain. An undesirable condition of affairs would exist until Mr. Bush's scheme was completed. The question -was, was it worth an expenditure of £10,000 or £12,000 at the present time for this sewer, or would the Council be justified in waiting until the drainage scheme was completed Even if the sewer was ready next month, the borough would still be liable to an outbreak of typhoid under the existing sanitary conditions. After further discussion, the Mayor moved " That the matter stand deferred pending further investigation, and that whatever decision be come to as to when the work should be undertaken, the City Council should be approached and asked to centric bute to the forming of the invert of the sewerthis even if the Borough Council decided to do nothing until the main scheme was a fact." Mr. Creamer : Could Dr. Purdy recommend the, matter under the Public Health Act? " _ Dr. Purdy : Even if I did recommend a loan it would still be necessary to take a poll of the ratepayers. Mr. Creamer : And if it was vetoed by the ratepayers? Dr. Purdy : If so, and I recommended it, I do not think the Government would advance the loan, unless I could show that the construction of the eewer would stop typhoid, and I could not do that. The motion was carried, and a vote of thanks.was accorded the health officer and Mr- Bush.