Delays To Sewer Projects In City

Press, Volume C, Issue 29505, 5 May 1961, Page 6

Delays To Sewer Projects In City

Hoon Hay and Papanui areas would • suffer as a result of the financial difficulties of the Christchurch Drainage Board, said the chairman (Mr F, R. Price) yesterday, commenting on the decision forced on the board that it would not add to its present commitments. Contractors at present engaged by the board and nearing the end of their work might be lost to the board for longer than the period of financial stringency, he said.

The board had acted ahead of the advice of the Minister of Finance (Mr Lake I not to enter into new commitments, Mr Price said. The board did not share the Minister’s doubts on the effects of reinstating higher underwriting fees and placement fees, he said. The increase in loan costs, having regard to the money involved. would be negligible In recent years the board’s programme had been so big that loan funds contributed by the investing public had been quite insufficient. Between April, 1958, and August, 1960. when the previous Government halved underwriting fees and excluded procuration fees, the board raised £600.000 from non-public sources. Since August it had not received a penny. Only changes which would restore the interest of financial institutions in the board’s work would permit it to resume its fully-planned programme. Mr Price said. “Meaningless” While Mr Lake had said that drainage schemes should have the highest priority, loan authorities issued in recent years had been so numerous and for such amounts that any priority was meaningless. Mr Price continued. The board believed that if there were to be restrictions on local body activity, there should be a positive assessment of priorities, directing loan money available to the local authorities with the highest priority.

Some time might elapse before contracting forces now available to the board become fully available again when the financial position allowed the board to proceed its work, said Mr Price. Seven Contractors “During the next 10 weeks seven contractors will have virtually completed existing contracts with the board. They are employing 75 men.” he said. "The board has contracts ready to call which would keep them engaged in drainage work, but it is unable to do so because of j the shortage of finance.” Two contracts could be called immediately in the Bexley area, but they had been postponed. Work would not be proceeded with on the following projects:— Section 5 of Hoon Hay. bounded by Hoon Hay road, the Heathcote river, Sparks road and Cashmere road. Section 6, Hoon Hay, bounded by Sparks road between Victors road and Hendersons road, which includes the outlet to the proposed Government housing scheme in the Free block, and Hendersons road between Sparks road and Halswell road, which provides the frontages for the Free block. The No. 42 rising main. “This is the most important of all.” Mr Price said, "for it provides the outlet for practically the whole of the Hoon Hay area north of Sparks road and west of Hoon Hay road This is the largely built-up area of Hoon Hay where contracts are proceeding but which will be useless because there will be no outlet to the pumping station." Papanui Area Another immediate effect would be that the board would be unable to provide relief in the Papanui area. Relief was badly needed, he said, as sewage discharged on to the road in several places in times of storm and overflows had to operate to the stormwater system. The board could not relieve overloading in the area of the Northcote pumping station where trouble had occurred. There would be no outlet for the Sawyers Arms road and Harewood road collecting sewers, which were being built now, and which were outlets for the Government development in the area, affecting part of Barretts block and the whole of the Armitage block. The Northcote area could not be reticulated with about nine miles of sewer intended to relieve the Government's Tuckers road block. This area was one of the most unsatisfactory with which the board had to deal, as no soakage was available for individual disposal of sewage.