DUNEDIN DRAINAGE BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15101, 25 March 1911, Page 8

DUNEDIN DRAINAGE BOARD.

ICAIKORAI VALLEY WATERSHED,

A CONFERENCE INVITED.

A special meeting of tho Duncdin Drainago Board was held last night; Alr J. Arklo (deputy chairman), Dr Fulton, j}|,]f Sre Kt ' lC ' Douglas, Small, and C'amp-

A mot-ion was carried onunKmting tho streets eowerod during the year, and declaring them to bo within the sewered area.

Tl« board then proceeded to consider -Ur btnalls report 011 tile drainago of tho Kaikorai watershed.

Mr Christie called attention to tho fact that it had recently been discovered that under the 1909 act all the Rcslyn area within tho Kaikorai watershed was excluded from tlio Drainage Board's ratine area.

Mr Small said that fact put a different aspect altogothor on tho Kaikorai drainage question.

Mr Campbell said ho did not eee that they could do much good by going any further. An aot would havo to b? parsed before the board could procecd. Mr Arklo said lie had seen all along that tlio board had 110 power, and for that reason he had not gone seriously into tho proposal.

I'lr Small asked if tlio 1909 act really cut out that portion of Rcslyn in the Kaikorai watershed. The Secretary said it did.

Mr Christie said although portion of Iloslvn was cut out, tho board was still responsible for the Moinington area. Mr Douglas said lie hoped tho board would givo relief to this ixirt of Roslvn if it could possibly do so. It was in tho Kaikorai Valley that they might expect manufactories to bo oroctcd in tho future; and every encouragement should lie given to them. It might necest-ary to have an act passed bringing . t-ho area within tho board's district. .

Mr Campbell said ho would liko to help tho Ivaikorai Valley,- but he did not. see why tho board should take tho question up. Why not have a conference of delegates from the bc<li«s affectcd? If tlioy woro anxious lo .havo anything done, let tilcm join Jiands with tho board. Mr Small' said tho. information that the Roslyn area was outside tho board's district was new to him. It seemed to him tho board should decide on a plan fieforc it went any further. The position was this: Applications had been revived from three parties—tho City Council, tho freezing works, and Rcslyn. Tho first, wins agreed to, tho second declined, and tho thir<l was now under consideration. Were they to consider Roslyn alone, or wove they to.extend their inquiries to seo if it was advisable to include present, and future manufactories that might be located on tue stream at a sufficient, height, to drain towards the tunnel? If they were to enlargo tho scheme it was possible that complication*; 'would arise. They were iat -pr&wjit installing an electric motor to deal with tho continuous pumping, and if they took in Ross and Glcndining and other parties tho continuous piunp would >;e abb to deal with the increased sewage. Mr Arkla said .ho had always boon opposed lo the tunnel scheme. It was against the advice of their profccsional jid-vis-ers to bring any sewage through f'v tunnel. My Stephens, their solicitor, had informed them:—"We are of opinion the board has no pow.cr to enter into ajiy agreement for taking into tho hoard's system drainage or sewage from beyond the board's district," and anr.de reasons woro given for that 'advio?. The engineer was of opinion that " from an engineering point, of view the wliolo of the dminage area within tho Kaikorai watershed should be drained to the Ivaikorai Moutn." The engineer also said: '' After carefully considering tlio question of bringing the Kaikorai drainage into 1 tho Duncdin scheme, ! 1 cannot recommend the board to adopt ! tho plan until fuoJi timo as provision has been made for giving tho Flat relief. - ' As t.ney all knew, the Kaikorai Stream started at Balmatewen and ended in a swamp at Green Island. It was a troublo that had l>:on locked into by several engineers. Mr Reynolds ' propounded two one, at. a cost of £14,000, to give relief through tho swamp, and the oilier, at n cost of £22,030, to give relief through a tunnel. Mr ITsy also proposed a scheme, :it n enst of £6000. Of coarse, t-h*j principal consideration in dealing with the drainage was that of monev. lie. undeivlood the inoomo of the districts eoncerncd was: — Roslyn, £24,003; Mornington, about £2000; Green Island, about £12,000; and Taicri County Council, £40.000. The Maori Hill figures he did not know. Wit.li a sliilling rate, then, thev liad a borrowing power of £50,000. But the rml troublo was that the five bodies could not agree. The engineering difficulties from Balmac-c-wen to Green Island woro slight; tho real difficulties started in Green Island, but Green Islacd objected to be saddled with tho bulk of trie scheme. Roslyn objected to pay for five-sixths of the work, and tho other parties did not want to pay anything at all. His own opinion was that, the boar:! had absolutely nothing to do with the matter. At the same time, let the board give help if it could. They could only help, it seemed to him, under an act of Parliament. But the board h.-u! really plenty to do without taking nil addi--1 tional burden on itself. They had £60.000 to spend, which was nothing like enough for tho work they had to do. And what , about tho storm water of tho Flat? He thought, baforo they could take tlvst work in ban:!, they would have to increase their • borrowing powers. It was clear to him, then, they could only come to one conclusion, and that, was that they had plenty to do to mind their own affairs. Mr Campbell asked what was the use of getting advice from their solicitor and their engineer if they were going to act directly contrary to it? Before the board went : further it should discuss tho position with i representatives of tho bodies affected, and if the lcpresentativea were serious and

really wished to have the evil remedied, no liaxl no doubt llio board would do all ifc could to assist them. lie therefore moved— " That two delegates be invited from Green Island l!orough Council, Taicri County Council, Morni.ngfcm Borough Council, ami Roslyn Borough Council, to confer with tho board in tho mailer of t.lie drainage of tho' Kaikorai watershed, tho conference to ba hold on April 4, at 8 p.m" Dr Fulton scoondrd tho motion.

In reply to a question, the Secretary said that under tho aofc Maori Hill was not included in tho Kaikorai drainage. Mr Douglas said ho was surprised that tho chairman should have made public so much of tho solicitor's opinion as ho did. The opinion was nil right, but if at a cortain time a district dropped out of tho board's area for a reason it considered a good reason, it merely had a right to try later on to oomo within tho area again. Now that tho abattoirs sewago was being taken through the tunnel it would bo easy to increase tho size of the pipe, and eo give relief to other parties who desired it. Before inviting delegates tiro board shcuZd consider whether it was prepared after all to givo them relief. Mr Christie agreed with tho motion. Ho laid stress on tho facilities the Kaikorai Valid}' offered for manufactories, and urged on that account tbat help should ba givon if possible. Dr Fulton said their engineer told them distinctly eomo timo ago tbat their scheme could not tako in tho increased quantity of drainago that would oomc from tho Kaikorai watershed. Tho Chairman: Yes. ho did. Mr Small said ho hoped Mr Campbell would add to his motion: " and that tho engineer propound a scheme or schemos to'b? laid beforo tho delegates." If t:io conference was bold and no schemo was prepared, no good would result- from it. It seemed to him tho first report, laid before tho board by him on February 21, would about meet the ease. Tho motion was carried.