DRAINAGE PLAN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23048, 27 May 1938, Page 14

DRAINAGE PLAN

PROPOSED NEW SCHEME LEGISLATION REQUIRED BILL BEING PREPARED BOARD'S FUTURE CONSTITUTION The draft of the legislation to enable the Auckland and Suburban Drainage Board to proceed with the proposed scheme of drainage foi' tho metropolitan area has now been prepared and is receiving consideration by a special committee of tho board. When tho bill has received tho fipal approval of tho board it will be placed in the hands of Mr. W. T. Anderton, MP., a member of tho board, for presentation to Parliament at the forthcoming session. Briefly the bill embodies the recommendations of tho commission which was set up by the Government toward the end of last year to inquire into a number of matters relating to the board's scheme. The recommendations included proposals for the constitution of a new drainage district on tho city side of the harbour, with "inner" aud "outer" areas. Definition o! Areas The* inner area is intended to comprise the local body districts in which main drainage is in existence or contemplated and will include, in addition to the present drainage area, the districts of Otahuhu, Onehunga, Ellerslie, Papatoetpe and Mount Wellington. The outer area is intended to comprise New Lynn, Glen Eden, Henderson, Panmure and those portions of Waitemata and Manukau counties within nine and 14 miles respectively of the Auckland chief post oflice. At present the board is composed of the Mayor and councillors the city, the Mayors of Mount Eden, Mount Albert, One Tree Hill and Newmarket, and the chairman of the Mount Roskill Road Board. The bill provides for a board of 15 members, eight of whom are to bo appointed by the City Council, two by Mount Eden and Newmarket, two by Mount Albert and Mount Itoskilji,. two by One Tree Hill, Onehunga and Ellerslio and one by Mount Wellington, Otahuhu and Papatoetoe. Payment lor Board Members

Tho present statute requires that the Mayor of Auckland shall be chairman of the board, but the new bill provides that tho board shall appoint 0110 of its members as chairman, who is to receive an annual allowance of £2OO. At present tho chairman is not paid. There will also bo provision for the payment to members of one guinea a meeting, with a maximum of £54 12s a year, while the chairman and members are to be allowed reasonable expenses. The new bill also provides that the now board shall take over tho plant and other assets of tho present board and is to have the solo right within tho inner area to deal with tho collection and treatment of sewage. It is also stipulated that within the outer area no new drainage system shall be installed except by the board, and no change ghall be made in any existing drainage system except with the approval of the board, while outside tho district the area which naturally drains into tho Mnmikau or Waitemata Harbours is to be regarded as within the sphere of influence of the board, which will have to approve of any drainage scheme. _ This, however, is not to apply to or include the four North Shore boroughs. Changing Basis ol Levy

The board's levy at present is based on the capital rateable value of the constituent districts, but the bill proposes that it shall be calculated in proportion to the mean percentage of the rateable capital value and population. During the construction of the treatment works and outfall at Brown's Island and the new main sewer from Mount Roskill to Tamaki Point the annual cost of the new scheme and the general administration is to bo borne by all the local authorities in the inner area, but the annual cost of the present scheme is to be the responsibility of the districts in the present area. However, as soon as the new main sowers are available, the local districts are to bo liable to contribute to the whole annual cost of tho board. Power is taken under the bill to make by-laws which, among other things, may provide for the treatment of trades wastes and for regulating sanitary plumbing and drainage throughout the whole of the district. It is also proposed that any liy-laws made by the board shall within the district over-ride any by-laws on the same subject made bv any local authority.