TAKAPUNA LAKE WATER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16098, 11 December 1915, Page 5

TAKAPUNA LAKE WATER

CONTROL BOARD'S POWERS. THE "WASHING-UP" CLAUSE. XEW SCHEME PROPOSED. Tee vexed question of the passing—u the "Washing-up " Act of the late session of Parliament of a clause altering in. what la declared to be an ineffective wav the control of the water supply to the North Shore districts from Lake Takapuna, was discussed last night at a meeting of the Marine Boroughs Association. Mr. A. M. Pickford, Mayor of Dovonport, presided, and the other representatives present were: Messrs. J. llerderson and P. X. McCallum, Devonport Borough; W. Blomfield, E. K. Grimwadt and T. Harsna, Takapuna; J. Tonar and H. P. Hopkins. Northcote; J. I*. McPhail, C. E. Campbell and E. G. ideates, Birkenhead. At its September meeting the association passed a resolution affirming its opinion that the then existing Takapuna Board of Control was wrongly constituted, and urging that no amendment vesting I further powers in the board be made by Parliament until the association had an opportunity of considering the whole matter of the management of the water I supply; also appointing the Mayors of the four North Shore boroughs as a delegation to visit Wellington and protest against the conferment of add.tional powers upon the board. As circumstances developed, the chairman was the only Mayor able to make the trip, and last night he presented to the association his report. The substance of his statement was that when in Wellington he submitted to the Prime Minister the association's resolutions, and made a special point of its wish for a larger and more comprehensive method of managing the supply of water, and par ticularly its desire to be formed into a water supply board, which should take over the plant now owned by the boroughs, and generally control the supply and tale of water. The Prime Minister, however, at once took up the position that the lake was Government property, and that he could agree to no proposal which would abolish what little representation the State had in its management. Mr. Maseey evidently felt that if a large board were set up the Government would lose a good deal of its present power, and to that he could not agree. Augmentation of the Supply.

In answer to an inquiry as to the clause then proposed for the "Washing-up" Bill, ,the Prime Minister said Mr. Pickford stated that it was to be one giving to the existing Board of Control power to augment, as well as conserve, the water of the lake. Mr. Pickford made it clear that if the power of augmentation was to be given the association would object to its going to the then existing Control Board, who, it was claimed, had. not the confidence of the people of the four boroughs. To this Mr. Masgey answered that the only way to get over the difficulty would be to introduce a new clause altogether, but he insisted on having onlv a small board. Therefore Mr. Pickford was obliged to drop the association's" scheme for a large board. v He urged,the ; association's request for time to consider | the whole question of management of the ; supply and their desire for direct representation on the Control Board. Mr Massey offered to pn>\ irie for direct representation, and referred the delegate to the Under-Secre'.nr {..•- Lands. Mr. James Mackenzie. Evcnivdllv it was pro"mused that the boroughs would be given the best form of representation that was possible, and the ultimate result was the passing of the provision in the " Washing, up ' Bill, providing for a board consisting 01 a representative of each borough, with the Commissioner oi Crown Land* or a substituted public servant, as chairman, and with power to augment and iro prove the supply of water to the lake, and raise sums not exceeding £20,000 from the j boroughs for the necessary works With this Mr. Pickford frankly* owned himself disappointed, but he urged that it the new board was at least an improvement upon the old, inasmuch as it would have some power to initiate schemes for" augmentation of supply, which the old board lacked. Further the new board would be m a position to propose to the government future improvements in the representation scheme.

Considerable discussion followed the presentence of the report. iv lr ,' Tonax, ™ moving that a vote of thanks be given to Mr. Pickford for his action in Wellington, agreed that the new board would be a distinct improvement upon the old one. The motion was seconded bv Mr Skeates. and unanimously agreed to. Takapuaa's Objections. Resolutions passed by the Takapuna Borough Council, urging the Marine Boroughs Association to initiate legislation constituting a water board on the basis of two representatives of each borough council, and one nominee of the Government, with power to elect its own chairman, and also with power to take over the existing pumping stations and borrow money, for the purpose of providing water to the four boroughs, were then discussed. Mr. Grimwade pointed out that under the clause in the "Washing-up" Act the new board had no power to undertake the supply of water. Its sole function was that of providing new sources of water and putting them into the lake. The borough councils were looking to the association to take some action in grappling in a businesslike way with the concrete question of water supply. He reminded the meeting of the various scheme* propounded for the supplv of water to the four boroughs, viz., the suggestion that Auckland should supply the northern districts, the Okura and Otau schemes, and the Wairau Creek scheme. It was necessary to look ahead, not for §ve, but for 25 years, and in order to obtain some comprehensive action to that end, the present association should shoulder the question. The sensible omrse would be to acquire I a watershed in one of the outdistricts. I where land was cheap, rather than deI pend, as was evidently contemplated in " Washing-up"' Act, upon the Wairtu Creek j scheme. Hp moved. "That the Marine 1 Boroughs Association approves the sugj gestions read at this meeting from the Takapuna Borough Council respecting the formation of a water board, and tfet a committee be appointed to present, at tho next meeting of the association, a more fully developed plan, based on the sa*d suggestions, with a view to placing a comprehensive proposal before the Prime ; Minister at the earliest possible date, and ' that the opinions of the various borough councils be sought on the subject.*' ~ Mr. Blomfield seconded the motion. . After seme further discussion, the mover agreed to withdraw his motion, and make it a notice of motion to be considered at the association's next meeting.