MR. J. CARLAW'S DEATH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22116, 23 May 1935, Page 13

MR. J. CARLAW'S DEATH

EARLY CITY OFFICIAL LONG PERIOD OF SERVICE RUGBY LEAGUE FOUNDER The death of Mr. James Carlaw occurred last night at his home in Herbert Road, Mount Eden. Mr. Carlaw, who was 81 years of age, had a very notable record of service to the community. Appointed to the city waterworks department in 1878, very shortly after its creation, he was in the employ of the City Council for 46J years, during 25 of which he held the position of waterworks engineer. Born at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1854, Mr. Carlaw arrived at Auckland by the ship William Miles in 1863, with the Albertland settlers. In Mr. Carlaw's early childhood Auckland had no water supply, except that provided by a few public wells in the streets and wells and rainwater tanks on private properties. The service from Western Springs had not been long in operation when Mr. Carlaw, in 1878, was appointed assistant to his father, who held the position of turncock. In due course he became engineer in charge of the pumping stations at Western Springs and the Newton reservoir, and in 1900 was appointed waterworks engineer.

The first major work which Mr. Carlaw assisted in carrying out was the original supply from the Waitakere Ranges, through a pipeline fed by a timber dam on the Nihotupu Stream, where the large Nihotupu dam cow stands. This scheme was completed i'J 1900 and provided 1,000,000 gallons a j day. Immediately afterward Mr. Carlaw was called upon to co-operate with Mr. H. Munro Wilson in a report upon proposals to obtain a supply from the Waitakere River. The plan was adopted and the Waitakere dam, impounding 22,000,000 gallons, was completed, with its pipeline, in 1906. In the succeeding years Mr. Carlaw superintended many extensions to the water supply. Mr. Carlaw retired in 1925, after 46£ years' continuous service. A letter expressing the highest appreciation of his work was handed to him by resolution of the City Council. The Mayor, Sir James Gunson. in moving the resolution, said that Mr. Carlaw had established a record in the city's history. Mr. Carlaw played a leading part, in the development of the Rugby League game in Auckland, having been one of the foundation members of the code. It was mainly due to his efforts that the headquarters of the game in Auckland were purchased in 1920, and what had been Chinese gardens were reformed and laid out as a playing area. In recognition of his services Carlaw Park was named after him when it was opened in 1921. Mr. Carlaw had been chairman of the Auckland Rugby League for seven years prior to that date, and continued his active interest in the control of the game until about three years ago. At the time of his death he was patron of the New Zealand Rugby League. Mr. Carlaw was among: the pioneers of bowling in Auckland. He joined the Auckland Bowling Club in 1891,' when it possessed the only green in the city, and he was the oldest continuous member. He helped to foster the establishment of a second club at Ponsonby in 1896. He was at one time champion of the Auckland Club, and was a past president and a life member, having been president in the club's jubilee year. He founded the Auckland Vetrans' Bowling Association in 1918. Mr. Carlaw is survived by his wife and a grown-up family of a- former marriage. There is one sou, Mr. John Carlaw, and three daughters. Mesdames A. E. Wetherilt, J. L. Foster and R. G. Sloman, all of Auckland. There are also 10 grandchildren and one greatgrandchild. The funeral will take place at Waikumete to-morrow afternoon.