WATER SUPPLY TO DUNEDIN.

Evening Star, Issue 3489, 29 April 1874, Page 2

WATER SUPPLY TO DUNEDIN.

PUBLIC AT THE MASONIC HALL. A crowded meeting of f the citizens took place at the Masonic Hall last evening to consider— * Firstly; The necessity of petitioning Barliamcnt to curtail and limit the compulsory rating powers, &c., of tiie Dunedin Water, woiks company; also, for taking steps to prevent the Company from obtaining any further powers, as sought by the private Bill which at the present time the Company is promoting, and purposes shall be passed at the ensuing session of the General Assembly of New Zealand. ■ Secondly: TO consider the necessity of u ?8 l hg che City Corporation of Dunedin tO proceed forthwith with the construction of new Waterworks for the 'effective and per* manent supply of the City of'Dunedin and its neighborhood with water, it being an ad* mitted fact that the existing works of the Dunedin Waterworks Company are altogether inadequate to meet the wants of the largely, increasing population of the City. His Worship the Mayor presided; and among those who occupied seats ou the plat* form were—Mr Wales, M.H.R. ; Councillors Ramsay, Walter, Barnes, Reeves, Prosser and hurt; and Messrs H. S. Fish iun* Jf-F.0., ■ D. Proudfoot. S. Hawthorn*; R. Gillies, B. Isaac, Hutchison, G. E. Barton Wilson, Chapman, & 0 . The Mayor, in opening the proceedings, said he had been a shareholder in the Water Company, but when he saw that the City had i d °? e a!l it; could, he S« hj ea, ! l ®t t o PPo rt unity to sell out at a good figure, Lls per share. If tae original Directors had the control of the Company he was certain the works would have beenia the hands of the Corporation before now,, ■ Dr BakjSweu, moved—

That seeing the present Waterworks Company is unable to supply the higher portions of the City and many of the suburban townships, this meeting cordially endorse the action taken by the City Council in having plans and specifications piepared for Corporation works, and 110 satisfactory arrangements be made whereby the present works will be purchased by the Corporation, that then the works proposed by the Corporation be at once constructed. Carried.

Mr Barton proposed— That in the opinion of this meeting the powers possessed by the Waterworks Company are oppressive on the ratepayers; and we require our representatives in the General Assembly to use every exertion to prevent their being increased, and to amend the Company’s Act by fixing a time when the present compulsory rating powers shall cease, and by abolishing all unfair powers by which the public faith has not been pledged by our representatives in former times. Carried,