ST. KILDA’S WATER SUPPLY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19277, 15 September 1924, Page 2

ST. KILDA’S WATER SUPPLY.

NEW SERVICE INAUGURATED,

OFFICIAL CEREMONY. The Borough of St. Kiltla, which receives its water supply from the Dunedin City Corporation reservoirs, has for some time past had to put up with a restricted service in some parts of the borough. This was attributed to the main which ..taps the Main South road pipe at Ferguson street, going through the centre of the borough, not being large enough. A nine-inch main has now replaced the six-inch pipe which was laid in 1910. The new pipe runs along Burns, Bradshaw, and ' Kirkcaldy streets, across Bay View road, thence along Moreau street, as far as De Carle street. There it connects with Richardson street, which is the principal feeder for thg southwestern part of the borough towards St. Clair. There are altogether four branch pipes lending off this main. • The official ceremony of turning the w-ator Into the new main took place on Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock, when about 300 people assembled at the intersection of Kirkcaldy street and Bay View road. Among those present were the Mayor and Mayoress of St- Kilda (Mr and Mrs C. Todd), the Mayor of Dunedin (Mr H. L. Tapley), Cr W. Begg (chairman of the Water Committee of the Dunedin City Council), Cr J. H. Hancock (chairman of the Reserves Committee of the Dunedin City Council), Cr Kilpatrick (chairman of the Works, Water, and Lighting Committee of the St. Kilda Borough Council), Crs Edgar, Longw'orth, Dove, Adam, and Teller (of the St. Kilda Borough Council), Mr W. G. Griffin (town clerk of St. Kilda), Mr B. B. Couston, the engineer who has acted for the St. Kilda Borough Council, and Mr W. Crawford (water inspector for the Dunedin City Council). The Mayor of St. Kilda presided, and, in opening the proceedings, said the little function which was about to be held was a very important occasion for the Borough of St. Kilda. No doubt many of the ratepayers of the borough would say that they were making an undue amount of fuss over what may seem to some to be a small matter. It w-as, however, a most important matter to a great number of householders,, especially those residing in the area south of Moreau street. If those people w-ho looked upon this augmentation of St. Hilda’s water service as a small matter had to answer the rings on the telephone by irate housewives on Monday forenoons as he had had to do they would doubtless change their opinions. The laying of the larger pipe would avoid all this, and would, he hoped, give the housewives of St. Kilda sufficient, w-ater for their Monday morning’s “wash.” The St. Kilda Borough had been customers of the Dunedin City Corporation for electricity, w-ater, and gas, and he thought he was correct in saying that they had paid very heavy sums into the city coffers for those services. In justice to the corporation he would say, however, that the services as far as water was concerned were good until a few years ago, and that w-as due to the extraordinary, growth of the borough. The Dunedin City Corporation made a profit of 153,000 on its trading concerns, and St. Kilda contributed nearly one-half of that sum. Dunedin business men came out to St. Kilda to live. Mr Tapley: Weil! come into the city.— (Laughter.) Mr Todd, continuing, said that since he had been mayor of the borough he had always found the councillors of St. Kilda to be good workers. They w-ero always prepared to vote for anything which spoiled progress. Recently they had joined the Fire Board, w-hicli was surely a progressive move. Mr Todd then w’ent on to give a brief history of the borough as far ns it related to their water service. He said that in 1925 they would be celebrating their jubilee as a borough. Rrior to the year 1900 the old-fashioned method of tanks was in vogue. If the supply of water required to be augmented there was a town pump in Oxford street, where water could he obtained. In 1900 a six-inch main was installed for St. Kilda. It ran from of the engine sheds, along Anderson s Bay road. In 1910 the Bay Town Board, which w-as then a separate entity, and wanted a water supply, came to an arrangement whereby it took over the Gin main, and (he present Gin main in St. Kilda was established in its place. In 1923, with the increase in the population and the consequent increased demand for water, an arrangement for a “free flow” from the city was made. This arrangement had continued to date, and it necessitated the payment of 5 per cent, additional water rate by the borough. The number of gallons of water consumed during the past 12 months was 84.250,000. The population of the borough was approximately GSOO, so that the consumption ..per head per annum was 12,962 gallons, or a daily average of 35.5 gallons. The Health Department had standardised 50 gallons per head pf population, so that the inhabitants of St. Kilda were a long way below the standard. The approximate cost of laying the new main within the borough area was £930.. This covered the cost of pipes, material, labour, and cartage, but did not include the engineer’s supervision charges. From the city area to the borough the cost was approximately £2400. The St. Kilda Borough would pay 5 per cent, on this sum, which would mean a charge of £l2O annually. This year St. Hilda would have paid out in respect of its water supply a sum approaching £3OOO, exclusive of maintenance. This year the rates of the borough had been increased by £I2OO. The expenditure on road and street work would be £3500, as compared with £2400 last year. The cost of new water mains this year would amount to over £IOOO. The Town Clerk of St. Kilda had prepared a return which showed that the value of private dwellings erected lu the borough for 1923-24 was £52,000, and it stood 20Ui on the list for the dominion. The value of private dwellings in Dunedin City was £218,000. At their present rate of progress he should say it would not be long before St. Kilda would be able to gbsorb .Dunedin City.—(Loud laughter and applause.) Mr Tapley said he was sure that that day must bo a day of rejoicing, especially for the housewives of St. Kilda. For many months past there had been complaints that there was insufficient water for the Monday morning’s “wash.” He congratulated the borough of St. Kilda on what they had done in the way of procuring an augmented water supply. Mr Todd, their Mayor, came to the City Counc.i with a practical scheme, and the City Council fell in with the idea. Ho hoped that the. scheme would give the consumers everything they wished.—(Applause.) The Mayor of St. Kilda mentioned that the Dunedin city trading concerns made a profit last year of £53,000, but it had to be remembered that the capital invested in these trading concerns was £1,600,000. If these concerns had been in the hands of private companies they would no doubt have looked for a much larger profit than that, and consumers would doubtless bo called upon to pay much higher charges foj- the services which the corporation rendered wore those services in the hands of private companies. He concluded by congratulating the borough on having secured an augmented water supply. Cr Begg congratulated the borough on going in for an augmented water supply. As far as the complaints of housewives were concerned, he hoped that they were ended for all time. As far a.s St. Kilda was concerned, the city had no compunction in supplying water, because this borough was one of the best “water-eaters” the city had. Ho quite realised that St. Kilda had not had enough water in the past. In Dunedin the daily consumption of water per head of the population was 75 gallons, compared with St. Kilda’s 35 gallons. 'He was somewhat apprehensive as to the adequacy of the water supply during the coming summer unless things changed for the better climatically. Unless they got a heavier rainfall during the next few months than they had during the past eight months they would have to be “a little bit canny.” He was sure, however, that St Kilda would be one of the first to come to their assistance should circumstances warrant restrictions being placed on the use of water. Cr J. 11. Hancock, on being called on to speak, said he felt in the position of one about to say grace: “For what wo are about to receive, 0 Lord, make us truly thankful.” Cr Dove said that as one who had lived in the borough and on the flat all his life, and speaking on behalf of those similarly situated, ho was very grateful for the water about to be turned on. As one who remembered St. Kilda when a largo area, of it was covered with Maori heads, he could testify to the progress made, more particularly during the last 20 years. He honestly believed that the progress in building had been greatest during the past pear. He conluded by congratulating the Mayor of St. Kilda on having been largely instrumental in obtaining an augmented water supply. Cr Edgar said ho wa s convinced that the 9in main which had been laid down would be ample for the borough’s requirements for many years to come. Cr Kilpatrick said the councillors of the borough had been urging this question for quite a long time, but it was loft to Mr

Todd to bring the project to a successful culmination. It was, however, the dry summer experienced last year which really showed the residents of St. Kilda , the necessity of an augmented supply. To the Mayer and Cr Beattie belonged the credit of bringing the present scheme to a successful iss'ue. Or Kilpatrick then presented the Mayoress (Mrs Todd) with a miniature gold key', for which the Mayor suitably returned thanks. The Mayoress, at the invitation of Cr Kilpatrick, then manipulated the key, which turned the water into the 9in main, and in doing so broke the customary bottle of “champagne.” At the conclusion of the ceremony a section of the South Dunedin Fire Brigade, under Senior Foreman Price, who had arrived on a fire engine, gave a display /if water pressure. Senior Foreman Price explaining that the pressure in the old 6in main was 4tlb to the square inch, and the pressure in the now 9in main was 1001 b to the square inch.