THE DRAINAGE QUESTION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 156, 2 July 1907, Page 3

THE DRAINAGE QUESTION.

GREY LYNN'S POSITION.

At the Grey Lynn Council meeting last night a letter was read from the Town Clerk, Auckland, forwarding the resolutions passed at the recent conference of local bodies regarding a comprehensive scheme of drainage for Auckland and the suburbs.

The Mayor stated that there was one matter that affected Grey Lynn perhaps more than any other local body, and that was the fact that the engineer stated that the discharge might perhaps be taken out to Motion's Creek. The city engineer had found there were practically two water sheds. It was desirous that the Council should do all possible to bring about a satisfactory scheme of drainage. He thought they would not be doing wrong in accepting the resolutions. There was nothing affecting them financially. Mr Garland concurred, and said there was practically complete unanimity that a scheme of drainage was urgently necessary.

The resolutions were adopted.

DISCUSSED BY PARNELL COUNCIL.

At a meeting of the Parnell Borough Council last night a communication was received from the Town Clerk of Auckland enclosing a copy of the resolutions passed at the recent local bodies conference in connection with the drainage scheme, and asking the Council to record its assent or otherwise at the earliest opportunity.

Several of the councillors found objection to one or other of the clauses. Councillor Wood objecting particularly to the clause respecting the size of the main sewer, ■which, he contended, left them liable, in the event of agreement, to bear a share of the cost of a sewer which might be built sufficiently large as to carry the sewage of all the suburbs round Auckland.

The Mayor objected to clause 2, which provided for the undertaking of a scheme favoured by Mr Midgley Taylor, ■who bad practically spoken for the Okahu Point outlet as the only one to ba considered. He objected to Okahu Point as the outfall.

Councillor Brigg also considered that tye Okahu Point outfall might be inimical to the health.. of a part of the borough.

It was decided, on the motion of Councillor Lundon, to support the payment by Parnell of their proportion of the cost of preparing- data in respect of the area over which Parnell had municipal control. Councillor Johns said, in reference to the question of outlet, that he considered that none of the harbour points were desirable places of outfall, as the whole harbour was merely a slack water inlet, a part only of the harbour proper. In regard to the remaining clauses, it was decided to confirm the action of the delegates to the conference, and to move no further until more complete data •was before the Council.

At a meeting of the Orakei Road Board, held on Saturday, the .following motion wa3 carried: —That the members of the Orakei Road Board, having seen in the Auckland papers that it is the intention of the Auckland City Council to conduct the sewerage of Auckland to an outfall at Okahu Point, and to acquire the flat portion of the native reserve under the Public Works -i.ct, -with a- view •to reclaiming the Okahu Bay for the purification (if necessary) of the sewerage, do hereby protest against the carrying out of such intention; and we feel satisfied that, if the proposed works are carried out, the adjacent lands will become absolutely unfit for residential purposes.