THE WATERWORKS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11129, 31 July 1907, Page 4

THE WATERWORKS.

PIPES, ROADS, AND ENGINEER.

At tho meeting of the Borough Council last night a letter from Mr Adolph Zachariah was read, calling attention to what he considered the unfair position in regard to private house connections with water mains. He had applied to ; havo his house in Harris strct, Kaiti, connected with the main pipes and found that through not being one of the 700 who originally signed for connection (simply because I was not at that time a householder) I am compelled to pay a fee of £3. This I think you will agree is manifestly unfair to me, as I have precisely the same rates to pay as the original 700, of course pro rata. I understand that the number of applicants since the original ones wore put in is not great, and I would ask the Council J to consider whether the extra fee should be charged to applicants before the work of house connection has actually started, ' and especially as there will be a con- . siderable expense to householders as it is."— The Town Clerk said he did not think the present contractor would make : extensions outside the contract - for the , same price ; he was losing money by it. ! — Cr Sheridan pointed out that it was very hard that people who were unable' to apply at the time should have to pay ' the extra amount. Their desire was to j get the water used as much as possible, and the more who took -it the better for 1 all.— ln reply to a question as to whether ■ some arangement could not be made with j the contractor to complete a further num-j ber, the Town Clerk said he had only the material to hand to. complete those contracted for.— -Cr Sheridan said it was (not as if there was anything being given for nothing; the Council had to pay fori the connections; he thought they might well do something in the matter. — Cr ! Bright spoke in a like strain, saying itj "was very unfair to penalise people who had been unable to apply at the time ; ] the time should be extended and some provision made- in regard to fresh applications.—The Town Clerk said he esti-| mated there would be from 300 to 500 fresh applications if the time were extended. — The Mayor also spoke sympathetically in regard to such applications, • and said their aim should be to get all I they could to take the water; the extra charge meant that some people declared they would put in a tank and do without water. .As the contractor was losing they could not expect him to do more at -the same price. There was now a question between the contractor and engineer as to wide and narrow streets.— Cr Bright J suggested that an arrangement might be made on that basis, but the Mayor said it would be better to haye the work clear of the other one altogether.— Or Somervell having also urged that there should be no diiierentiation in regard to the connections, the question arose as to what time should be allowed in which to apply, and-, on the motion of Cr Bright, seconded by Cr Sheridan, it was resolved to allow applications to come in within six njontns without extra charge.— The Mayor said' it would be best to leave them stand until the other contract was completed, and for the Council then to make the connections out <ff the ordinary funds. Messrs John Burns and Co., Auckland, wrotefre pipes: "A few days ago we wrote and made you a special ofter for cast iron pipes. Since then a duty of 20 per cent has been placed upon them and . we cannot hold this order open except subject to telegraphic reply, before the { 26th.— -The Mayor said their engineer advised them not to interfere. At the same .!■" time he (the Mayor) thought the Council should send a resolution to the Government objecting to a duty being glaced on iron pipes. He had noticed by that evening's paper that the Petone Borough Council would have to pay &7pQ more for their pipes.— Dr Williams seconded the motion and pointed out that it would be a serious matter in regard, to the drainage scheme.— Resolution carried. On the applications for turncock being submitted Cr Bright moved. and Cr Wil- ■ lianas seconded and it was resolved that the applications be referred to the Works . Committee to go - through, making enquiries, and reporting to next meeting of the Council.— Cr Bright was asked to act on the Works Committee in place of Cr Miller (absent from the district). . Considerable discussion took place in regard to the country contract. Cr }" Bright wanted to know why the drains i were left open' so long.— The Mayor said j the contractor had to test the pipes.--Cr Bright said his information, obtained from those living in the vicinity, had caused him uneasiness; there was no use crying over what had been done in the past, but he much regretted that bis re- ; solution had not been carried requiring •! a permanent representative of the en- ' gineer to whom they could look for iniormation. For the money they_were paying they were entitled to have some direct representation. The contract was now two or three months overdue, and they were enttiled to know the reason. If the contract had been completed at • the proper time there would have been none of this trouble about the roads from the County Council and country settlers, as the work would have been finished before the wet weather set in. Though vetoed in the matter before he felt they were not receiving the consideration they should at the hands .of the engineer in chargeof the water-works, and 'they were paying him pretty- handsomely.— -The Mayor said that the engineer was as anxious as everybody else to have the work completed, as it was an increased expense to L everybody concerned:— Or . Bright : Is he here now ?— The Mayor ; No; Mr Constin was here at the beginning of the month, and each time a progress payment was made gave a report : on the work. He had been pressing the contractors to expedite matters. He could not account for the slow progress. The pipes were now at Matawhero*.— Cr' Wil' liams: Is the pipe line complete to there. — lhe\Mayor: No, there' are gaps. — Or Williams: It is an extraordinary tiling. — The Mayor said the pipes had to be tested, and there was a blow out in two places. Whether that was the cause of the delay or not in. completing the gaps he did not know. — Cr Williams said he • was up at Mr Sisterson's six weeks ago. and found the in a shocking state. He was told tliat the wide of a settler had had a narrow escape owing to a blow-out ; the horse liad sank up to its belly in a hole, the road being simply a quagmire. The gaps had been left while the men were testing for the leak.— Tti& Mayor said the roads were even worse now than before. He said he had had an intrview from Mr White, a County Councillor, complaining of the very 'bad state of the roads, and the gxeat inconvenience caused to settlers. He (the ; Mayor) had replied sympathetically, expressing their regret at the inconvenience caused, but had explained that they were . entirely in the hands of the contractor, j over whom they had no control, excepting ' that their inspector wa9 doing his best to see that the roads were put back as they were, but in. the present wretched condition of the weather when there was so ; much water lying about, it was impossible to do that satisfactorily. Mr White desired the matter brought before the Council, and hoped the Council would take every step to have the roads placed as soon as possible in the conditiosn they were in before. They were anxious to cause as little inconvenience as possible. As for the work "being done in summer, of a necessity the whole could not be done !in the summer. He thought as soon as the weather cleared up they would get on well, but at present everything was bad for everybody.