SOME BIG PROPOSALS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 149, 19 March 1920, Page 8

SOME BIG PROPOSALS

i DISCUSSED BY THE CITY J.;compL [. ELECTRIC POWER AND WATER SUPPLY f-Especial meeting of the City Council '■■'■' was held- lastvevening to consider a very important" ■ report by tho City Engineer ; (Mr./W. H. Morton) on the question of \ the'eity's' electric-power resources- in 'tho • light'of''the"'present position, and the prospective growth of the city, and also : ./urgent patters in connection with the development of the city's water supply. \ ' There, were Councillors George '■'.- •' Frost? (Acting-Mayor), W. J. Thompson, i W. H/'Beinett, T. Forsyth, M. F. Luckie. J. 0. Shorland, L. M'Kenzie, J. : " Hutchison, J. Glover, and C. H. Chap--1.-', man;— As soon as the meeting opened, Councillor Lnckio said that he'thought'that , as it was the first meeting in connection with a very important matter, it should '.'■■■■'. be taken in committee. They were there simply to got and give information. If ; would be an expert discussion more or less, an,d one that would gain tho views of;'councillors with a view to giving cf- " ■ '■- feci! to the'proposals brought down by. ■.' ' the" City Engineer. 'A'discussion in, the open might only cripple tho business and make-.it'much: longer., than" it "otherwise ■-.. would be. He moved accordingly. ; Counoillor Forsyth' seconded "the Vmp- . Hon.

The Acting-Mayor, mentioning tho fact that it was one of the most important business matters ever brought befbro the City' Council,* also favoured the ; discussion being takeiv in committee. On being put to the meeting the motion was-carried and. the ■Press, representatives retired. ~.-.. ..

>.': .REPORTS ADOPTED ■.■...■ WORKS OP AN URGENT NATURE. It was announced after'the council rose •■ that a joint report had been received from the Finance and-Property Committee and the Power Stations and Tramways , Committee, transmitting important re- ; porte by-departmental officers.-- ■."' '~ v Electrjc Power Stations. V'The committeo Mported in'the -first: place that.it had.given careful consideration to a report of tho General Manager of. the Tramways and Electric Lighting ' .Departments ..with respect .to' the power ■';.' stations as affected by'.the' Government/a proposed hydro-electnb scheme, together with a report from Mr. Cable, j The.com- ■ ; mittee-recommended that-the council ap- / prove the- proposals contained in the manager's report, the question of sites to.'be' considered' at the next meeting,of the council. This recommendation •fas adopted. The reports referred to are'toremain confidential in the meantime.

To Augment Water Supply. ' The committee ,further reported that: it had' considered' a report'Of 'the City Engineer, ; dated ■ March 8. in connection with'the water supply, of the city, and in which he Tccommonded the piercing of a tunnel itno the Orongorongo/Valley as the quickest method of obtaining an additional supply to the city. The committee recommended that tho coun- " cil approve the report. - The Wuno'il adopted the recommendation and agreed to treat the above-men-tioned as works of an urgent nature, and obtain the sanction of the ratepayers thereto at the earliest possible moment..

/■ CITY'S WATER SUPPLY „ i;-:.'•,,-MR. MORTON'S REPORT. , Copies of Mr. MoTton's report on. the •subject of .water supply were furnished .to the Press representatives. The City Engineer wrote:— "".' ' 'Trior to-leaving New Zealand on my recent, visit',to England and America a report was submitted by mo concerning 'the .rater; supply of Wellington City. I then asked: that 'such report should ba considered- as 'one for discussion- in order to determine whether certain districts Outside the oity would require to be considered. NotMng having been done, I have now come to the conclusion that'it is ■unnecessaryTto give consideration to the' possibility, of Supplying Petone and Lower Hutt/and,,therefore,' have to.advise that in view''of'the present inadequacy of the system,-' work should be ■ authorised _to proceed.aSoSopn as possible in connection with what is 'immediately necessary.-' "The report previously submitted still holds good, but I recommend an alteraHdh'in- the method of procedure with thiJ work previously suggested. I inow consider thattho quickest-method W getting nn additional supply to the city would be by pieroing the tunnel into the Orong-' orongo .Valley and conveying for use in the city alquantity of water not than 8,000,000 gallons per day, and that 6ueh supply should—at a proper, level on the JVaurai. side of the ridge—l>b difect'into the Karori reservoir, in prdof that this latter reservoir may at all times 'be kept fillST with water and become a Tfi-acH more'"serviceable reservoir .than it ia at .present. •. - "The catchment area at Karon w much ~too-small.'to; enable that, reservoir to be kept completely filled during each year. A supply as suggested would enable this '•'to "be done,; and the water in Karon could 'be used more beneficially aVd,more freely in connection with keeping up the pressures throughout the city and also to provide a satisfactory supply •from which to pump'to the districts of Onslow and Karori. It will also be of greater benefit to the city in the event of,.any : eerious disturbance causing damage to'tho existing mains. ..' ' "The additional supply should be sufficient, at a rate of consumption of 71 ' gallons per head per day, along with existing sources of 6upply. to meet the requirements of a population well owr 130,000 people. This would.be for a period of, say, fifteen years, and at the' end of that time further developments regarding tho advisability of taking over the Hutt River schema for tho supply of additional electrical power to the city, would enable a satisfactory";determination to-be come to as.to considering, ■the connecting up of the reservoir which would bo constructed immediately below the-junction of tho Hutt River and tho Pakuratahi River, for future possible extensions of. the wnter supply system,_ "The probablo estimated cost of piercing the hill between Wainui-o-mata and 'the Orongorongo has already been given at .£BO,OOO, including the pipe _ through Bame. The. main connecting this supply from -the Wainui sido of- the hill at tho upper reaches of' George's Creek should be 21 inches in diameter, and to meet tho : unusually high pressures to which it will ' be subjected would requiro that thcmain shall be constructed of metal of unusual thickness. The total estimated cost of the work is as follows;— '

: . > j , . ■ £ New 21-inch main from the mouth 'of tunnel at George's Creek , to Karori reservoir, 1379 •■• chains /. ......•■'■•■• 203,575 Tunnel from Wainm-o-mat.a into ■ ■■' the Orongorongo •■ '•;••••• 80.000 Tunnel from Wainui-o-mata into the Waiwetu ; 18^000 JE30G.575 Engineering and contingencies... 30,057

■£337,232, "It is extremely difficult at'present to' 'make accurate estimates regarding the cost of the work, in view of. thei fluctuations in prices for material ami labour. I would ask that this fact bo taken into '-consideration when going into the probable* cost of the work now proposed. Furithk''the'cost allowed per ton for tho •main-is at least 33 per cent, greater than wfer allowed in my previousi est.mat!,«* "the time of ™«ng which it wayxpext- - ed that there was a possibility of prices becoming slightly lower, 1.«"" that the above proposal be considered by tho counci, with a uew . to getting the work put in hand at the ' earliest possible m6ment. •