TROUBLED WATERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14358, 30 October 1908, Page 5

TROUBLED WATERS.

NORTH-EAST VALLEY RETICULATION. A STORMY MEETING. A meeting of ratepayers of the Borough of Aorth-East Valloy was liolcl last night to discuss the scheme submittal by Mr Kobert Hay, M.1.0.K., for supplying tho borough with .water. His Worship the Mayor (Mr Isaao Green) presided, being supported on tho platform by Crs Mowat, Harvey, Evans, Hotting, Howlison, Campbell, and Maoandrcw. His Worship explained the object of tho mooting, and impressed upon ratepayers and residents the necessity for voting for a water scheme. Th<. council had had the question under, consideration for the past two years, and now he had a scheme to submit, prepared by Mr Hay. Although the cast might appear large, they would find it was not a scheme lightly to be puton one side. Valor was a necessity, and woidd effect a considerable saving iii their insurances. His Worship referred to a recent lire, which, lie said, had it. not been extinguished, might, have swept away two-thirds of the township of Glenroy. This scheme included the whole of the borough, traversing the Lower Tort, road ns far as Black's road. Ho asked them to discuss the scheme on its merits. Or Harvey explained the proposals of the council both as regards construction and linance. He said that Mr Hay estimated that the whole of the borough which could possibly be supplied from the Maori Hill reservoir could ho reticulated for water supply for the sum of £16.920, and that that area included practically all the builtupon portion of the Valley, for if excluded only on tho Opolio side some half a dozen houses from Mr Paulin's rcaidetlco up to Mr Farqulnrson's on the Signal Hill ro.ul; on tho west side a few properties dii the highest parts of Upper Gladstone; and some houses on the Upper Junction road above Ncrntanby. Tho £16,920 covered the cost of a 10m pipo from Maori Hill to t!io_ borough boundary at tho Gardens, a 9in, pipe thence along the Main road to Normanby, 6in pipes in all the arterial icads leading from the bill tops to the Main road, and 4in pipes in all the connecting subsidiary streets. The estimate also provided for the huilding-in'and supply of 317 fire-plugs placed at distances not exceeding three chains apart; 120 stop valves. for restricting the pressure at any required pert of the borough in tho case o'f fires, to prevent waste during repairs, and to facilitate flushing of pipes when necessary ; cast-iron brandies for hydrants, sopper stand pipes, keys, hose and pressure juagc; and included also the cost of 20,000 [«t of connections between the mains and the boundary femes of properties to bo supplied. The dimensions of tho pipes were larger than had been suggested by the engineers formerly engaged; in fact, provided nearly double the water supply; but in view of tho fact that .Mr Hay was recognised as being the leading authority in hyd-ra-uliis in the Dominion, the council K'M satisfied that be stipulated for what ivas absolutely necessary not only for the present but also for the future requirements of a rapidly-growing district. MiHay had also informed thorn that the pressure available at even tho highest parts tie proposed to supply with water was adequate for all domestic purposes; for instance, at Mr Howden's (top of Black's road and comer of Signal Hill) there would be a prepare of 201b to the square inch, sufficient lo raise the water another tOlt; at the Gardens boundary 1501b; at MJ-atlyoiis store, Gladstone, the pressure ■vould bo 721b, and at Miss Skinner's 'tore, Normanby. 1011b. Tho reason it jost somudt more lo reticulate the Valley ihan it bad cost seme neighbouring lorcughs was that Xorth-Kast Vollov was ho second largest borough j„ the Dominion '.ml expensive to pipe on account of the Treat pressures to sustain at the lower ■evc-ls. As regarded finance, the council imposed to borrow, subject lo the approval >f the ratepayers, £580 over and above Mr liny s estimate for construction, in order o provide for unavoidable, incidental expenditure, thus making the lean £17,500, ind to pay interest thereon at V t per tent, ind provide a sinking fund of i )cr cent., a rate of 9d in the pound vould be necessary, To pay • for • the.

■ '' -' "»■"■ II ■!'■ I . water consumed and obtained from the Oily Council at a charge of 6c? per ICOO gallons, it was found-basing the consumption at 20 gallons per head per diem, that a rate of 7d in the pound would, suffice. Or Harvey then explained. that the 3 per cent, mentioned in tho statutory advertisements was merely tho equivalent, as nearly as could bo computed (and stated to comply with tho .forms of tho -Municipal Corporation Acl) of tho 7,1 in tho pound rate ho had already mentioned, and, that the two rales—9d for tho loan and 7d for water (Is 4d all told)-would bo levied on the annual rateable vnluo only, and not on tho unimproved or capital valuo'of tho properties. Onl ? thoso who could be supplied with water would ba ratod or allowed o volo on tho question: Notwithstanding tho. magnitude of the sehome, th 0 rato would he jd in the pound leas than was proposed in tho smaller scheme of 18 months, ago. ]i y tlividi.ig tho' total estimated receipts under the two rates by the .number of properties to bo supplied, Cr Harvey said |, e had found that Id per day would ho tho avorago charge to consumers, and lie further explained that where 7s per week was tho amount of rent, tho charge would bo about s}il per week; or. a renal of 10s the c l wrgc \y o uld bo 8d on ' , -md so on. Cr Harvcr moved-That thin meeting approve tho councils proposals ro water supply, both as ■regards construction and finance, and roquests the Mayor to cause a poll of the Sab™ * t!lkw U "° n lho said "'"• Mr E. Loekston seconded the motion. Cr hyans said he had been entirely in ™,ft r K\ n £ c mMcr - Tha "foment Ms that Mr Hay was to bo paid a certain amount, and now his bill to (ho excess of that, amount was waiting to h c paid. Cr Harvey hat presented each moniber of the council with a typewritten sheet contain- ' nw a mass of figures, ar.<| before tlic councillors had tune t 0 assimilate these ho had moved a motion, which was swallowed in globo. Ihe Mayor had said he had had ttiis document in his possession for four days.' If that was so win- had not ho (the speaker)? They had not put him into tho council to do what tho Mayor or Cr Harvey told inn.- (Anphuso.) This schemo could not be done for ih o money,-(Voiccs: what rot!") Continuing, the speaker said the money could not come out of tho rate, as sagg M l«].-(H» Worship: What rot!). CV Jii-ans called on the Mayor to': give him fair play.-(Applause.) He was not going to bo p „t down.-(A Voico: What rot!") Ho had boon sent thoro to represent the ratepayers. Again, he asked, where was tlic money coming from? All the £580 mentioned by Cr Harvey would evaporate, leaving a host of items unpaid. Sunposo they failed to raiec a loan. No preparation had heoii made, for anything of this sort. He called Roslyn and Mornington to ' witness against them. The proposal spelt ' ruin to the borough. The sum of £17,000 : odd was'not what Mr Hay proposed. It was what Or Harvey had proposed. Thoy " were allowed by law to have an overdraft of £2000. They were already near that;, yet they proposed to have a big call for interest next year. He was not prepared to plunge his constituents into difficulties. Hero, two gentlemen in tho audience started an independent, but extremely noisy argument, which waged with evcr-increasinp ;■■ vehemence and stick-shaking over tho head of Mr It. Gilkison. The combat having terminated in a burst of laughter, Cr Evans asked why the Mayor and Cr Harvey had. • not taken the council into thoir confidence. Thoy had not taken tho ratepayers into their confidence that night. He felt it his duty to warn them against these proposals.. Was if fair to tux people with a domestio water supply from which they could derive ' no benefit? Tho matter had not been diacussed by tho council. When he got up ~. in the chamber to criticise ho was .told "You are wasting the time of tho council; ' you are trying to block the business." Let' . them vote according to their judgment, but ho hoped they would vote against this-.pro-posal. ■ " ' Cr Dotting spoke as. a strong of a water supply, and he supported tho. 6cheme, not because- a certain section of the council had brought it down, but bocause be believed it to bo a practical one. ' They wero doing their own reticulation, and would get the benefit of the rise in properly. Mr W. firitlenden, in an impassioned oration, denounced Cr Evans as being the most unprogressive niember tho council had ever * had. Cr Evans, amid cries of "Chair!" rose to a point, of order. His Worship seemed nimwa.ro of the fact, and Mr Brittenden'e remarks were drowned in a hurricane of. shouts and a deafening noise, When, the uproar had subsided Cr Mowafc said considering that the last speaker waß not a ratepayer of the borough it was -tpsfseA bad taste for him to speak in tho way ho' had done. This might be Mr Hay's plan, but it was Cr Harvey's proposal, and it could not ba worked. Mr Hay had assumed that 800 houaos would tako tlio water. That was fair enough. Cr Harvey's proposal calculated on only 473 houses taking tho water. They would have to mako up the balance left by this insufficient 3 per cent. This was t.lie most ridiculous proposal that had ever been placed before _an ■, intelligent community. Ho trusted they would not 1)0 led away. If this sehome was ;' not carried anothcr-a stronger and a , workable scheme more within tho means of ; tlic borough—would be placed before thorn. : Only half the place was to get water by this .-;■ proposal. \ Cr Macandrew gave Cr Harvey credit for N giving him the opportunity of going over the figures mentioned. Ho claimed to have intelligence enough to recogniso tho scheme as a good one. It had not been thrashed out; in tho council in the manner they bad been given to understand. It iad been carefully gone into. Mr Gilkison (City Council) congratulated . tho meeting on its capacity for providing ' entertainment. Cr Evans had. made a fiuo speech; but it had been made in the wrong place. That speech should hav/a been made in tho Borough Council.— (Voices: "Ho did not get tho opportunity.") Mr Gilkison: Then .if any councillor can get on lo a council and "not ', get an ontiortunity," he has no right to be there. Prom what ho know of Cr Evans . ho would think he was a gentleman quit.ft.-~ ahl-3 to look after himself. • ;, \~ Cr Campbell said he had .brought for. ; , ward a water supply scheme, which, how- V ever, had not been given effect to.—(A ■■ lady: "Why not? Why not?") Cr Campbell went on to say that if thoy had'not "turned" certain people into the council ■ they would have had tho water supply lopg ago. .'Who but the present Mayor.had ridiculed tho olfer of £500 to the city for water? The speaker went on to deal with the treatment meted out lo him by the j : Mayor ami his party in the council until interrupted by persistent appeals to the chair, followed by uproar. \ Tho Mayor: Cr Campbell has been wanting to get this off for a long time. Cr Campbell said this was not the reason for the chairman's forbearance,'' Ho kne\v| he had permitted .Mr Brittendcn to .wander over forbidden ground. He moved— "That the resolution passed in the council adopting the water scheme lw rcscindojlA^v Cr Howlison spoke in favour 'of tha 6eheme. Cr EvaiK: Cr Howlison is ycry seldom at' tho council. The Mayor: I'll givo that statement a . most omphatic denial. Cr Howlison: I've missed one meeting in 12 months. ' All three then sat down amid uproar. Cr Harvey, in his reply, happened to touch on personal matters, which .caused further outbursts. The Mayor contended that this affair, had been done honourably and above board. Ho would not sit thoro as Mavor ant? listen to such remarks as had been made, that night, and not reply.—(Cheers, and shouts of "Never say die-") Ho would ask why these bickering councillors, instead of washinp their dirty linen in public that night, had not opposed this wafer scheme j n tho' council? He was keeping oalra.—(Loud laughter.) Ho had faith that thoy would voic fcr tho water proposal, and 'savo North-East Valley from becoming a thirdrate borough. Cr Harvey's motion wa6 carried cheers by a largo majority, and the meet' ing broke up at 10.30.