CITY WATER SUPPLY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15922, 20 May 1915, Page 9

CITY WATER SUPPLY.

FUTURE REQUIREMENTS

MAYOR REVIEWS POSITION.

A statement in regard to the .water supply question was made by the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, last night, on his return from Kotorua. He stated that during his election campaign the -question of the city's water supply received very serious consideration.

" In some of my policy speeches," «id the Mayor, " I fully dealt with tho matter. It is a serious problem, and will claim the immediate- attention of the City Council. No time will be lost in dealing , with the matter. I therefore deprecats any tendency in the direction of creating a scare. There is no occasion for alarm, and 1 am satisfied from the few opportunities KJiavi* had already of discussing the position W'th the members, that tho City Council is fully alive to the importance of the water supply question. It has be>m xecot 'ised for some time by all authorities that the water from tho various springs will, it a very early date, become unfit for gemvll use. "Last month

I suggested that a cos. 'reuce' of all Auckland local bodies should bo called to discuss the Question of water supply. As all the local bodies across the isthmus are affected, I propose to call the conference at an early date.

"Personally," proceeded the Mayor, "I do not favour any restrictions being put on the consumption of water either by • meter or otherwise. .1; think that] it is ' the duty of the' municipality to render Available to the citizens an adequate supply of pure water to meet all their needs. Before I left for Botorua I was. discussing with the city engineer thequestion of constructing the Nihotupu dam. This work must be expedited considerably. The scheme for a permanent , supply of water from the Waikato Kiver V would involve the expenditure of about £1,000,000. H it is satisfactorily estab-> lished that the present sources of supply, f \ exclusive of the Western Springs, aro ' insufficient—not only for to-day, but even for some years hence—then, clearly, it will be the v duty of the council to cuter at once into the consideration of tho larger scheme." s Referring to the proposal that the Mannkau Water Supply Board should arrango. with the City Council for an adequate water supply for Epsom and other suburbs now drawing water "from the board's springs, Mr. Gunson expressed the opinion that there would bo no difficulty at 'present in tho way of the city meeting this extra demand for water. Tho position was that the city's consumption of water was just- over 5,000,000 gallons per day, while the districts served by the Manukau Water Supply. Board copjsmned, he understood, 275,000 gallons per day. The council would havo an opportunity of dealing with the whole position.