THE MASTERTON WATER AND SEWERAGE SCHEME.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12394, 2 July 1902, Page 6

THE MASTERTON WATER AND SEWERAGE SCHEME.

TO THE EDITOR. • Sir, —In various newspapers sent me from New Zealand I have read an article copied from. Press Association telegrams' in 'which (lie Mayor and Borough Couucil of Masterton " completely vindicate;! Mr Leslie Reynolds" as to his being the sole designer of the Masterton water anil sewerage scheme, and that I liad nothing to do with it. This remains to bo proved, but it is not quito the point in question as between the, Masterton Borough Council and Mr Reynolds on one sido and myself on the other. The question, on the contrary, is a long and intricate tine, involving some curious features of municipal administration with which I cannot trespass on your valuable space. Mr Reynolds has, in the Otago Daily/ Times of June 20, 1901 (republished in tho same paper in October, circulated as a printed slip, and again republished in the Nelson Co'.onist, October 28, 1901) issued a public challenge to me to produce any plans of mine of the sewerage works being carried out at Masterton. Tho real bone of contention is given hero below—viz. That I was requested by tho Mastertoh Borough Council to report on Mr Reynolds's original scheme for water supply and sewerage,' but finding it to lx> impossible to ascertain from Mr Reynolds's plans tho infor-,-mation which the Borough Council desired mo to furnish it. with, I had, in perform- 1 anco of my duty, to get 'surveys and, levels taken,, and make my own plans of the scheme from vjhich to furnish what tho Borough Council required of me—namely, a reliable estimate of tho probable cost of Mr Reynolds's proposal. My estimate considerably exceeded thai of Mr Reynolds, and now that the work is partly completed ihere was mucli recrimination amongst the Borough Council and the newspapors (see Wairarapa Daily Times, 4th and 7th October, 1901) that the loan is exhausted and the sewerage scheme • is incomplete. ' In reply to Mr Reynolds's challenge, as above stated, I have written to the Master- . ton town clerk asking him to provide me with copies of the above-mentioned nlans of mine, and I challenge Mr Reynolds to exhibit his original plans submitted by him to fhe Masterton Boroush Council to accompany his report- of Bth November, 1897, and which must be certified by the town clerk and others wholtaye seen them to be the identical plans .submitted to mo to report on. These two sets of plans, which constitute tho subject of this contention, I woujd propose to submit'to the inspection of one or more reliable engineers, who would be' asked to furnish Mr Reynolds and myself with a certificate giving their opinion as to the nature and sufficiency of the respective plans as indicating a proposed scheme on— which to mipplv a reliable estimate with the object of raising-a loan to carry out thr ' proposed works.—l am, etc... • 0. Natiek-BEH. . . Stratum,' June 20, 1902.