ADVANCING WOODVILLE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 4869, 22 January 1903, Page 7

ADVANCING WOODVILLE.

Special to tue ‘'Times."' i’ALMKIISI'OX, January 21. Glorious weather favoured the W oodviliu people to-day, when a series of mipcriant oveius in the history of thou borough took place. These were the opening of the high-pressure water supply, the Coronation baths and the public) llocreatiou Ground. Hio day teas beautifully fine, and towards the appointed hour the invited guests began to arrivo in town, while the local populate thronged into the streets. A raised dais, surrounded by palm trees, had been erected at tiie junction of Vogel and McLean streets, where the principal ceremony tcok place. Shortly after 2 o’clock, the Woodvillc Band marched into position, and the Mayor (Mr Taylor), accompanied by the lion Mr Carroll and representatives of the surrounding local bodies, mounted the platform, amid cheers. Air Taylor, in a brief speech, supplied some particulars of the waterworks scheme. Ho said the .scheme, on a slightly smaller scale, had been designed by Air Metcalfe some eight years ago, but thoso proposals had fallen through, and it had been left to tho present Council to complete tho work which they wero about to open. Tho water was dra-wu, ifrom tho Maungapapa stream, and was brought from the intake for a distance of two miles and a ■quarter in five-inch mains to the reservoir, which had a capacity of two hundred thousand gallons, and stood at an elevation of 245 ft above tho town and ono milo and a quarter distant. The water was brought to town from tho reservoir in seven-inch mains, and supplied throughout tho borough with a pressure of 1061 b to tho square inch. The reticulation extended for some five miles. T’ho total cost of tho work had boon about £10,600, which had been raised by a special loan from tho Government at"3i- per cent. Mr Taylor thou called upon tho Hou Mr Carroll, who, on rising, was loudly cheoicd. Air Carroll warmly congratulated tho people of Woodvillo upon the completion of a work in which they had displayed considerable energy and enterprise. Ho dwelt upon the great benefits which a good water supply conferred upon a community, both from a sanitary point of view and as a preventative against fire. It was tho duty of every town to take advantage of the groat natural facilities which our streams offered to provide what people in other parts of tho world could only get after great expenditure. Woodvillo was justly regarded as a rising centre, associated as it _ was with so many active industries, which wero contributing their share towards supplying human needs and human happiness. Air Carroll then turned on the water, when tho Eire Brigade gave a display, in which they employed four sots of hose, throwing jots of water fully 70ft high. After tho pressure had been thus tested, an adjournment was made to the Coronation Baths, which have been built in a corner of the recreation •.rounds, at a cost of considerably over £4OO. Mr Carroll delivered an interesting speech, and declared the- baths and the recreation ground open. Tho baths, which are 100 ft long by 50ft wide, wore erected as a memorial of tho King’s coronation. They wero immediately taken possession of by a number of swimmers,, and somo aoqua.tro sports wore held. A dinner then took place at tiro Alexandra Hall. In replying to the toast of “Tho Ministry and Parliament, Air Carroll eulogised tho free institutions which prevailed in the colony, and said that the anarchism and nihilism winch prevailed in parts of Europe wero due to the restrictions which wero put upon tho freedom of the people. The rest of tho world sometimes_ viewed ns with wonderment and no little alarm because of our experimental legislation. Wo were, in fact, regarded as a sort of laboratory for law-making, hut fortunately wo had struck the right lino, and in consequence this colony was now attracting more attention from the thinking in on than any other part or tho world. . , Apologies for absence were received from tbe Premier, Sir Joseph Vi ard. All Hoo-g, M.H.P., and the Mayors of Bannov irko and Palmerston North.