WAIMAKARIRI-ASHLEY WATER SUPPLY BOARD.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11506, 12 February 1903, Page 6

WAIMAKARIRI-ASHLEY WATER SUPPLY BOARD.

TO TUB KDITOR OK THE I'BKSS. Sir We mtvpnyprs in the Brown's Rock district- are n. kr.gV.uffnin- ior. and derive better tre.itmen?. ni the hiinns ot tho. Board tlifin wo 'nave bc-ii lecelvms latc'.v. In t!w last, four months we hiivr hnd v.itrr for pc.irwly one-third ff the tinuv and but ior the b';.ii?i.i!ii. ».ii:-r ripply from the heavens our stock this m inner would h:ive suffered y. Then no rqioits f f the IJoiud's meetings puoiielicd to tniigntfii u> ;'* to tlifir doings. A icport pubfi'-hvl in your paper four lv.nnths ago desvriWl hr.w ti.a (,'!i:iirin.Tii was cjiriyinVon (-owe work* at the W."im;tk>nri intake al. Brown's Rock up:nin.«t the advice of ihn Board's iate engineer. 'Hun the Board iidveitised for tenders amalgamating tnr offices of fngireer. s-ecictary, and treasurer in one in in. who had to know the. laws (if vroter-r-'toc', and mu*t own a horse niid via. •■tc. \f.\t wo wei? informrd that tan Hoard's rate collector had been suddenly discoveivl to b3 the fortunate pc?trs«nr of nil the required accomplishment*, including t'«? fiipr, nnd had bren pioffiolfd necordingy, bill what, was our bvwi'.dcrmenl nt rending i tb«> Board's recent- ,idvenis.eir.,'nt for a qua itied engineer to tike charge of a new sou;me .for supplying the d.:ftiict wi!*h water from the Ashley river. Now. sir. this ifi a very serious matter for us. Wo arc heavily rated for our water-raws, a-id have a right to expect, good management of our affairs. Whatwe all want to know is—What is the matter with'tbfi headrace from (he Waimakarivi at Brown's Rock, and what has the Board been doing to it? Are things so bad that it is necessary to fall back upon the Ashley for our water? The const ruction of this new headrace must co?t us a big sum, and the mninfennnro will mean extra, rates , . Many of the farms in the district, including the one I am interested in. are too high for a. supply to reach thrm from that source. The Board's iate engineer, a gentlejnan of wide experience, prepared pans for the. permanent improvement of Brown's Rock intake, and these plans were approved by the Government Engineer as a preliminary to handing over the fiovernmsmt grant for that special work. We wruit to know why it. was not carried out, and why, instead, a. new headrace is being surveyed from the Ashley, which will only benefit a portion of the district? Wβ have had our water shut off before, when the river was low, or in the first for-mat-ion i>f the nice on account of shingle slips, etc., but never before for such a long period at this season of the year, when, there is always plenty of wa/ter in the Waimakariri.—Yours, etc., A RATEPAYER.