INCREASED WATER SUPPLY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9211, 14 April 1908, Page 4

INCREASED WATER SUPPLY.

SELWYN COJNTY COUNCIL'S SCHEME. At Templeton last night Messrs W. Dunlop, A. D. Patterson and W. Jaiaieson concluded their series of meetings in the Waimakariri-Malvern water supply districts regarding the proposed new intake at the Waimakariri Gorge and the amalgamation of the Waima-kariri-Malvern districts for the purpose of taking a poll on the question of raising a loan to carry out the work. The party had visited a number of centres in both districts and had found that the opinions regarding amalgamation were very evenly divided, Malvern generally being in favour of it, but Waimakariri opposing it on the grounds that the present Waimakariri intake was sufficient to supply the district s needs. , , There was an attendance of about thirty ratepayers last evening and Mr W. Dunlop (chairman of the belwyn County Council) presided. Mr Jamieson explained that atloan ot £25,000 would probably be needed and the charge for interest and the sinking fund would be £1125, equal to a rate of two-thirteenths of a penny in the £ on the Waimakariri-Malvern districts., That rate would be struck as sectirity :] for the loan, but for the last twenty years, since the first loan was issued, the Council had paid the interest and the sinking fund from the money that had been collected for the water supplied, and the special rate for the security of the loan had never been collected. There was no reason to suppose that this procedure would be departed from. The cost of the new scheme to Malvern would be £735 and 'to Waimakariri £390, but it was consider-/ ed that the works would effect an an-, nual saving of £530 ; which would bring the cost to the districts down to £386 and £204 respectively. This would mean a charge of 6s Id per 100 acres in each district, bringing the charge up to 36s Id per 100 acres, or 4£d per acre. , ' , , Mr G. Witty, M.P., opposed the amalgamation Bcheme. He said that the success of the scheme was not guaranr teed and the present intake was sufficient for the Waimakariri district's needs. He opposed not the engineer's scheme but the proposal to amalgamate the districts. The lower intakes might cost the district £100 or £150 per year, ■but the amalgamation might lead the district into having to pay for further loans if the scheme was not a success. Mr Punlop said, that the Council did not wish to force the districts to amalgamate. ) Mr Patterson, replying to Mr Witty, said the present system caused much worry and the proposed scheme would be of great benefit to the Waimakariri district, which would get +,bree-fifths of the water secured by the proposed intake at the Gorge. It was unanimously resolved —^ That this district is quite satisfied with tho present system and emphatically refuses to amalgamate with the Malvern district." Mr Dunlop, in answer to a question, said that the Council, by resolution, could, if it wished, amalgamate.tho two districts despite the ratepayers' protesta.