WAITOHI WATER SUPPLY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4969, 18 October 1890, Page 4

WAITOHI WATER SUPPLY.

On Thursday evening Mr W. Bolfonr, chair man of the Geraldine County Council, presidet at. a meeting m the Waitohi echoolrjom o ratepayers m that neighbourhood who are m tereated m a scheme for obtaining a wate: supply by mean) of a race, through thi agency of the County Council. There wen some fifty present. Mr Balfour read thi advertisement calling the meeting, and letter and petition to the council requesting them ti renew the initiatory steps required by thi statute. This being the third attempt b carry the proposal, he reminded thi meeting of the work previously dono 6s re corded on the engineer's plan for the races, am read a recant report by them (Messrs Measoi and Marchant) which stated that some • extri works— including some protective woiks ii the river — would be required than those pre viouely reported. The cost they estimated ai £2300, but experience had shown that somi of the occupiers m a water dietriot were suri to ask for modifications and extensions, wbiol would increase the cost, the amount of whirl contingent cost it would be impossible t< estimate. In view of this contingency thi council considered that it would be uuwisi to borrow less than £3000. The area ii the proposed water district was 918! acres, the valuation of which is £79,197 If £3000 were borrowed, and 10 per cent more if necessary, the interest on £3300 woulc be £165. A rate of id m the £on the rain ation given would yield £166 17d4d, or aboui what was required ; and that would he i trill) over Ha per aore. Then there would be maintenance to be provided for, this, iwiti an acreage basis ai usual, say £76 a year would be equal to another 2d, making thi total cost 6id per aore. It was for the rate payers to decide for themselves whether thei should go m for this water supply or no ; all the council bad to do was place the schemi before them and carry it out if they deoidet to adopt it. Mr J. Talbot said the meeting could dc nothing practical that night ; they coulc only talk the matter over, and remore exag gerated and otherwiie erroneous notions aboul it. A tnpply of water would be worth all thi money propoied to be expended upon it. Thii amount had been increased from £2600 tc £3000, but as Mr Balfour bad said then were alwayß more distributions required thai were at first proposed. It might not be necessary to expend the whole amount, and tbei the whole would not be borrowed. There hat been something said about revision of thi boundaries. That would be a great trouble as much trouble and expense as m the firal instance. He would rather see some adjust ment made by which this could be avoided Seeing the present condition of the district for want of water, there should be nc doubt as to bow the decision should go. 11 was quite right that the district should havi another chance of giving their decision. A ratepayer asked whether, the schemi negatived, a second poll could be taken, o: whether there was not a limit of two yean within which it could not be taken. Mr A. M. Clark said that once done it w&i deae-with. Ihe chairman and Mr Talbot denied this there was nothing to prevent reopening thi matterMr Clark : Would it not be hard on thosi who, the scheme having been refused, had sinci provided themselves with witter at their owi expense, to commit them to the scheme agaii without a fresh survey ? The chairman said the council had a peti tion before them, and they were merel; putting machinery m motion for tbi petitioners. Further m reply to Mr Clark he said expenses to the extent of somewhen between £70 and £100 had already been in' curred ; the maintenance rate would only bi collected to the amount actually required fo: maintenance, if there was any excess one yea) the next year's rate would be reduced ; il would not be amiss to have something m ham m case of damage by floods. Mr Fraser objected to the large amou.nl named m the estimate as compensation to thi owners of the rough and valueless terraci along which the bead race would run ; £20C was a preposterous price ; and they were not proposed to be rated like the rest for theii land on the top of the terrace which would be benefited by the race. Then one mar who owned 150 acres was to be rated on the whole, though 120 acres of it wbb on a hil! quite above reach of the water. Towardi the lower end of the district several partist were left oat as opponents, but the watei must flow through their land and they would get the benefit of it for nothing. Than there was the Bank of New Zealand property, whiob had an extensive river frontage with permanent water ; it would be unjust to rate those river frontage lands at the same rate as those \\ or 2 miles away from the river. The majority should not oppress the minority. He contended that each man could provide himself with a permanent supply for what this race scheme would cost for a Bingle year. — (Mr Clark: Hear, hear.)— lf the term of the loan were made 40 years instead of 25 the interest would only be about one-third, and the next generation would share the cost as well as the benefit ; m that case the scheme would be less objectionable. Mr Talbot, replying to Mr Fraser, said the people at the lower end were left out by the engineers, who had no bias one way or other. There must be some cases of hardship, there always were m cases of public works. He admitted that the Bank of New Zealand estate did not want water so much as others, but there must be large areas of the estate which would be benefited by it, more than it would cost tbe estate. There should be some way of adjusting tbe burden m proportion to the advantages, but at present the law did not provide for such adjustment. Undoubtedly a water supply would be worth more than it would cost. It would add 5s to 7s an acre to the rental value at an average cost of 6}d ; m some cases the cost and the benefit would be more, m somo cases less, and machinery might be obtained for adjusting inequalities. As to maintenance, the race could not cost much to maintain, as the natural watercourses were to be largely made me of. The terms of >{!ie loan he showed were extremely favourable. If they borrowed for forty years they could not possibly get the money under 4 per cent., and now they paid oS the principal m25 yean at 6 per cent ; so that there wu only 1 per cent, to come and go on. As to getting separate supplies for the amount of one year's rates that was a stretch of the imagination ; wells and windmills cost a good deal, and a good deal for maintenance, and stock did not care for well water. Perhaps the increase of the amount proposed to be borrowed would affect tbe voting, but the addition was not much. They should look upon it as a commercial transaction : did they want the water, and would it bo worth the price to be paid for it t The chairman said the amount had been put at tbe highest ; if it were not all wanted it would not be all borrowed. Mr Clark : In case of extraordinary damage, after the race is completed, can that be made good without the consent of the ratepayers ? Mr Balfour : It must be made good. Mr Talbot •' There is a limit ; the rate cannot be more than 10a an acre. There conld be no great damage. Ihe race oould not be washed away anywhere except m the riverbed, and that would bo a mere bagatelle. Several ratepayers here spoke of the danger of tbe terrace cut slipping, and of flumes over Baupo Creek] being washed away m heavy floods. Mr A. M. Clark said he was entirely averse to the scheme. Bince the water district was laid out, eight years ago, many men had laid out hundreds of pounds to supply themselves with water, and it would be hard for them to be rated now to supply other people. Then people who bad river frontages had paid more for their land, because of that advantage, and others further back had paid less became they had not that advantage. It would be wrong then to make the man on the river pay for water for Ihe man further back, after pavirig already for his own. The amount of the loan had been raised by one-sixth, and that wu no guarantee that the lean would be enough, seeing how much tome of the other district* were m debt. He would caution them to be very careful what they were doing. If they got this water no man could tay his land was own. A raoger could be sent along the races at any time, and if they let a pig get into it, or a fowl, or even a bit of gone they would be threatened with bye-laws aud penalties and so on. He had had experience of these things. He knew that anyone could sink a well to supply himself with water at lew cost than thu proposal

i would come to, with head works m such a . mar as the Opibi. Ho hoped they would ; tale time and consider the thing very carei fullyf Mr Fraser : And remember, once you givo them the power you are done with it ; you r cannot Bay a word, but a ranger can tell you B to shift your pigs, with " Let'B have none of B your nonsense" if you object. : „ Mr Balfour said that was not qnite cor--8 Tect, the council never interfered to the injury 0 of a ratepayer unless he was injuring, neigha bours below him. As to the Bangitata being 0 m debt, they all knew how, that happened. c Mr Talbot endorsed the former remark of . the ohairman and then went on to say that j he could hardly sympathise so, muoh with Mr 3 Clark's observations^about the ' purchasers of a river frontages, as m so many cases these had jj boea snapped up first at no higher prices than . the rest, and he had said that there should be t some adjustment of burden to benefit.' Mr 9 Marchant had great experience of floods* and a of races, and he said a race on the Waitohi ! would not be damaged by floods,' as it would ! not be taken along steep falls. They, should j not make monntains out of mole hills'. 9 Mr Clark said supposing some one had a 9 pure spriog m a natural water course, and j dirty race water were turned down the 3 channel and polluted the spring, would the owner not have a right to damages. Mr Balfnur said ho could not give legal j opinions. If the council did anything contrary to law they would have to " stand the t raoket." , Mr Clark : Can you oarry water through 1 people's land if they do not wish for it ? i Mr Balfour : Yes, if they are m the dis--1 triot. In Seadown we avoided several proj perties because the owners would not have the . water ; aud now they want it, and we have j not money enough to give it to them. 1 The discussion being olosed it was agreed , that the poll should be taken at the library ] on the 31st inst. Mr Talbot asked whether, if the poll , resulted m approving the soheme, the work ] could be done so as to make the water available this summer j if not it would be as well t to defer it till next summer. : , Mr Balfour, said, judging from experience, B the water oould not be got for this summer, j Mr Fraser : Save ub from our friends as 9 long as you can. ] In reply to questions the chairman said . that to carry the proposal there must be :not j only a majority of the number of ratepayers 1 m favour of it, but also a majority of the 3 votes on the roll ; all who refrained from voting counted against the proposal. I A vote of thanks to the ohairman, for his . trouble m attending the meeting, was proposed by Mr Talbol and seconded by Mr Fraser, and this being carried the meeting , closed.

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