CITY LOAN PROPOSALS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 300, 13 September 1920, Page 5

CITY LOAN PROPOSALS

Sir,—The Mayor having called his second meeting at tho Town Hall did not throw any new light on tho loan proposal. The Mayor did not touchi on tho subject of why tho Morton Dam does not supply a population of 150,000 inhabitants, purely before this the Mayor has been informed of its failure to do so-, and no steps hnvo been taken to remedy the fault by adding to the height of tho Morton Dam, which would havo added or increased its capacity several times the-amount, it now holds. Instead, the ratepayers are asked to vote foi\a largo loan to bring to the city by means of a line of 21-inch iron pipes leading from tho Orongorongo River through the city to the Karori Dam, a length of 2000 chains, or twenty-five niikis,' f ram the intake at Orongorongo- River, to Karori Dam, Hie outlet where the pipo will end. This dam, called the new reservoir, was built in 1904 to supply tho higher levels of Kelburn, Northland, Brooklyn, Wadostown, and Eoscneath with water. Tanks were built at tho various places, and tho water pumped to fill tkem by electric power. This pumping power must continue, for the levels of the tanks are from 100 to 200 odd feet above the dam, which is 579 above sea level, and Wades-., town tank is 790 feet. The two reservoirs hold 108,000,000 gallons of water, and tho area of the reserve 050 acres. This proposed lino of 21-inch pipes will cost tho city for the pipes .£l-11,000, driving tunnel ,£88,935, laying mains in roads, tools, lead for caulking joints J;135,000, or tho hugo sum of' J063t,935,i to do this work of bringing the Orongorongo River twcnlyoi"ht miles to feed tho Karori Dam and stream. In driving tlio tunnel the men are to get -.£0 Us. Od. pel-foot forward, for a drive 7ft. by 7ft. The Cit>- Council finds all explosives, tools timber, etc. Tho men find their own food and. nothing else. No provision is made for lining the tunnel, and when finished an nines through, if the. roof or sides fall aTdaniage'the pipes there, is no chance for repairs only at great expense and delay, no other relief of water from anv other source. ~ . Walnut with its watershed reserve of 4200 acres of splendid bush land ,e; the id«al place" for a waterworks. The gully above the Morton Dam would allow sweval catchment areas or large dams at half the cost of tho proposed work, and would supply not 80.0W people but f.00.000, which in a few years will nave tn be provided for. It is not a question of water. At tho beginning of this month I was at the Wa.nui watershed, and there was coming over tho by-wasli not 3.000,000 gallons, but tens of millions of water-this water going to waste. Now, if this huge sum was put to its proper use for stornce it would build all the requirements of this city for the next fifty vears. and not place a burden upon the shoulders of the present ratepayers and those that come after to bear. 1 consider it my duty as a citizen, and cue who built the first reservoir in IESO, which cost ,£130,000 to complete and deliver the water to Wellington city to nlace before the ratepayers the position of tho scheme outlined in the loan-pro-posals. I spent three years at the works in 'carrying out this first undertaking, and know the place so thoroughly-that. I am amazed at this proposal and expenditure of money for such a work. - The meeting called by tho councillors seemed to have hypnotised the peoplo who camo to hear them m their cry to vote the loan. Outside of a picnic once a year probablv, not one of them has any knowledge of the place or takes any trouble to seek any information .about the reserve or its capability outside tlio iwrnCy(oaudfr °--V.\BAYLIS. September 11, 1920.