DRAINAGE CONTROL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16353, 16 February 1921, Page 2

DRAINAGE CONTROL.

G!TY COUNCIL’S PRO. POSALS REJECTED,

The proposal of the Christchurch Cftv Council that it should take over the work ot the Drainage Board was rejected hv the board at itH meeting last night. The chairman (Mr 'Walter Hill) said that the council s proposal anus that the board should hand over its work to I lie council, but he would not consider that until he saw some concrete scheme from the council. Mr H. Langford said that the time wa- most inopportune. Mr .J. W. Bcanland said that the council at the present time could not carry on ihc work as well as the board ttas carrying it on. The council had quite enough to do already. Its committees were worked to death, and the addition of drainage would necessitate having a chairman who would bo able to give all hi? time to the work. As the council was staffed, it could not handle the matter. The chairman suggested deferring the matter until the council made a concrete proposal. Mr H. J. Otley said that the council could not carry out the big scheme notv before the hoard and the council had admitted that the board's work had boon quite satisfactory. Al> Bean land moved that in the opinion of the board the work could best he carried out by the Drainage Board. He mid that when the proposal was mooted the board’s work Mas largely administrative, but tho position Arsis different now, for the board had a large programme of extensions. Mr Otley seconded the motion. The chairman said that the question might have arisen in connection with rhe hoard’s proposals for il Board of "Work*, but in any case the drainage extensions would necessitate a water supplv scheme. M-'.T. Down said that there wore 11.000 acres-in the sewage area, but of these only 8000 were under the control of the City Council. The motion was carried. n I CO ARTON O B J ECTOR S. Objections to the proposal that the Citv Council should take over the duties of tho Drainage Board were raised at last evening’s meeting of the Riccartou Borough Council. The Mover (Mr A* D. Ford) said; ki T desire briefly to refer to a recent proposal that the C iiv Council .should fake ever the duties of the Drainage Board as far as the sewerage is concerned. Ihe position at the moment is that a part of the city is still umewered. and the. suburbs are in the same position. The Riccartou Borough Council has taken a very prominent part during the past two Tears in assisting the Drainage Board to carry out the proposed sewerage of Riecarton and other boroughs, and that is how the matter stands at the. moment The Riecarton Borough is due to receive early attention from the Drainage Board when the scheme is s-'-artcd, which ! hero will be in ‘ho ren near future. This council has every confidence in the Drainage Board, and considers it is the best body able to undertake the work of sewerage in the suburbs, and in my own opinion it can carry out the work in a far more equitable manner than tho City Council. II icc-art.on has its ow n representative on the Drainage Board, whose dntv it is to earc for the interests of this district. The City ' Council’s proposals to take over the Drainage Board’s in nr tions. as tar as sewerage is concerned, would mean putting into their hands the right to give sewerage to the surrounding boroughs when ir suited them, and there is. no doubt that the outside areas would have to wait until the city area had been all sewered. Another point is that tho Drainage Foard area is-'live times the size of the urea at present controlled hy the City Council. As this borough is vitally concerned in the proposal the matter will hn.ro to be. in due course, cmi-ider-od hy this council should the Citv Council proceed with their endeavour to control the sewerage. Our experience with the City Council is that they would not give the suburbs that consideration that has always been granted Pi them by the Christchurch Drainage Board. Mr Ford moved that the council ' VTltp . to the Drainage Hoard, saying flint it lias opposed to tile proposal that the board should hand over any part of its functions to the City Council, arid that it considered the board Hie proper body io lime control of sanitation, moHon Cl *^° l Bank in seconded the Councillor F. Deorge said that actions ot several members of the Christchurch ,' L > Coutied had not been consistent. Ihev had opposed a propn*nl t 0 form a Metropolitan Board of TVorks. Non- '-' ■sTic-rl to take over the functions of the Drainage Hoard. He considered Hm- the board tens likely to deal more C'itv 'councii Sllb - llrbau bo,]ics than the ' I.ook at this matter from an econo mic point of Tien-,” said Councillor C. W. Harrell. It Would, he said, mean tho saving o! a good deal nf administrative money, and it would certainly hc very muci to the advantage of Tliccarion some-clay when it became pan oi Greater Christchurch. Councillors A K. Stcere and H. W. 'Vise supported the motion Die motion was carried.