Bluff Waterworks

Southland Times, Issue 16052, 2 June 1902, Page 4

Bluff Waterworks

At Friday's meeting of the Harbour Board the waterworks Committee reported having received a letter from the Campbelltown Borough Council, and recommended the Board to reply in terms of the draft letter submitted with the report. The letter from the Council was from Messrs Hall, Stout and LilUcrap, making an offer without prejudice, for acquiring the water worksite. , at present controlled by the Board. The offer was to the effect that the x Board should make over the whole system for £3600, leBS deduction for fair depreciation. The Corporation was to have power for all-time and freeof charge to convey water over or to the reserves, wharves, and other property of the Board and do all other necessary acts so as to supply water to the shipping and all persons requiring it. Ths Corporation WOUld supply the Board with such reasonable quantity of water as should be required by the Board, so far as it was possible to do so (having regard to other demands on the Corporation), the price to be the same as is 'charged to other consumers. The Corporation proposed to raise a special loan for the i purpose of paying for the works, and it might! be arranged that the Board accept the Corr; poration's debentures at 4 per ceDt in payment of the price. The reply recommended by the committee was as follows : ■ ( 1 ) The waterworks were constructed by the Board at the instance of die Council. The initial expenditure was £3300, and a large amount .ad been expended since then. During a lame portion of 18 years the board hao! suffered a financial disadvantage aad was only now beginning to wapthe bentft of its outlay ; (2) the capacity of the

waterworks would probably not long b» sufficient to supply both town and ► hipping, and the Board cannot agree under any circumstances to part with the control of the water supply for shipping. As to the town supply the Board had only maintained it as a matter of public convenience and was quite prepared to hand the reticulation over to the Council on equitable terms. The Board thought that the best plan was for the Council to establish a separate reservoir, take over the reticulation, and leave the Board to supply the shipping from its own works

In moving that the report be adopted Mr Watson said that the Council should be plainly informed that the Board would on no consideration part with the control of the water supply to the shipping. The question of supplying the ratepayers should be in the Borough Council's hands, and aa soon as the Council had made arrangements to supply the ratepayers, the Board should hand over the reticulation services at a reasonable price. The proposal of the Borough Council seemed to be unreasonable. In the first place the Corporation urged the Board to inaugurate the services, and after having lost money until lately, when they were oeginning to be recouped for their outlay, the Council wanted to take the whole thing out of their hands at an insufficient figure. The Council went |further than that and wanted the Board to supply the money by taking up their debentures. They must not endanger their shipping supply. Messrs Mitchell, Bain, Dunlop, Raymond and the Chairman spoke on similar lines, and the motion waa carried unanimously.