WATER FOR GARDENS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 617, 1 February 1916, Page 2

WATER FOR GARDENS.

THE MAYOR'S ATTITUDE. DISAGREES WITH THE SUN. It is the custom for the Mayor of Christchurch to make to the City Council, early in each ordinary meeting of that body, a statement regarding the principal matters which have arisen since the last previous meeting of the council. Last evening the Mayor devoted the greater portion of his statement to commenting adversely upon a leading article in a recent issue of The Sun. "In that article," said the Mayor, "exception was taken to the council's action in prosecuting persons for using high-pressure water on their gardens. It was claimed that the council should encourage the free use of its water for this purpose in order to beautify the city's gardens, charging a flat rate for that purpose. I would point out that the council and its staff has a duty to perform to the citizens as a whole, and, unpleasant as that duly is, the council has no alternative but to prosecute. It appears to me that the article in; question was written without due re-j gard to the fads of the case. The primary object of the water supply; was for lire prevention and domestic purposes, not for irrigation. Christ-! church is a garden city, and we all, admire its gardens, but if the council is to be called on to supply water for! garden purposes it will have to instal a supply three times as large as the present supply. "At present the wells will not sup-j ply more than 2,400,000 gallons in 24 hours. This is equal to 10 gallons per head of population per day. This is considered an ample supply for all normal purposes, but in addition there are many hundreds of artesian wells, and many large breweries, etc., use their own water. The sewer Hushing is done from artesian wells, and all the tramway watering is also done from from artesian wells, or from the river. The quantity of water used at present in Christchurch is larger per head of

population than in any other city in Jifew Zealand. There are 12,231 services in Christchurch. A 3in hose will easily run from 200 to 400 gallons per hour, depending upon the distance from the main. Assuming that half the people who are connected used 300 gallons per hour for two hours, it would require 3,600,000 gallons for gardens, or 1,200,000 gallons more than the wells will supply in 24 hours. If a lire broke out and the reservoir were empty the consequence would be very serious. "It cannot be too forcibly insisted upon that the water is primarily for fire prevention and domestic purposes, particularly sanitary, and to allow these purposes to be jeopardised by the watering of gardens would be suicidal, and diverting the supply from the purpose for which it was installed and the loan raised. It is claimed in the article in question that the city should supply meters. This, I may mention, would cost over i' 20,000, and meters are not procurable. To ask the council to supply meters without money is like asking the children of Israel to make bricks without straw. In many large cities where meters are provided and garden water is allowed, in dry weather such as we have been experiencing, just when the water is most wanted, the supply is stopped. In addition, there are io,ooo closets dependent on the high pressure, and the health of the community depends on a plentiftd supply of water for these. The health of the citizens and fire prevention must, I think, take precedence over all other considerations."