WATER LOAN POLL

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20916, 16 October 1942, Page 2

WATER LOAN POLL

£45,000 PROPOSAL mayor’s Explanation TO-MORROW’S VOTING The proposal of the Gisborne. Borough Council to borrow £45,000 , 'for a water augmentation scheme was explained at a public meeting held in the Parish Hall last night, when the Mayor, 1 Mr, N. H. Bull, reviewed the requirements of the borough and the benefits to be derived from the proposed loan. Mr. Bull said that, the borough’s main difficulty in-regard to water was that in time's Of drought, the supply ran dangerously low. Hie scheme prepared 'by the present borough engineer. -Mr. G. -F. Olapcott was approved, .with certain amendments, by. Mr. F. W.. Furkert, one of New Zealand’s leading engineers. The essence of the scheme was the tapping of three sources in the Mangapoike Valley which could be tapped by the construction of dams just over the hill from the present intake. These had a total estimated Holding capacity of 500,000,000 gallons, Mr. -Furkert maintaining that there would be suffi- • cient impounding dfea to serve a population of 100,000 with a moderate heightening of the proposed darns. It.appeared, therefore, that there was sufficient . water there to serve all , future contingencies. , In the present loan proposal, the construction of only one dam to hold 200,000,000 gallons was contemplated. In Mr. Furkert’s .opinion "this would be able to provide for our needs until the population of the town exceeded 20,000 people. This dam would be connected by a pipeline a quarter of a mile long leading to a tunnel 120 chains through the Hill' separating the site from the present headrace -at Waingake. and water would be drawn "-from the dam as required through the tunnel. Life 'of Pipeline As a watershed, the acquisition .of 100.0 -acres of land in the -Marigapoike Valley was to be achieved to act as a catchment area for the -proposed dams. This area would be planted in suitable trees to give the council a valuable afforestation asset. High pressure pumps were to be installed at Lytton road. .The pumps would be electrically controlled and brought into operation to keep' sufficient pressure in the main's ior "firefighting. “One of the -main benefits of the scheme,” Mr. -Bull said, “is that Owing to the dam sites being contiguous ’to our present intake we are enabled to use our present pipeline for .its remaining life. This is indeed fortunate. , Had we been forced to look elsewhere for a gravitation source of supply the cost of. a new (pipeline would be immediately , involved, but more serious still would he the fact that the hew -pipes are unprocurable ' for' the duration of the wrir, "at HeSst., The -present "pipeline is getting hid, but from the data given to -the coimci 1 -by the Pngrrieer it has (many years of life with proper care and renewal otdsmaged-pipes. a V “The engineer assures hie that ait materials for -the ’prdSecutfrin -of -the . wH>i<fc involved are availaiwfe-in."Ndw Zealand and he can See no reasons at' present why we should not He able to'prdcerid with the work. r “This Irian is essential,” the Mayor concluded, “arid -ft is;fhehuty;of ,afi;dn tlie ratepayfers’ roll to record their votes. Lethargy and apathy on their part may enable a smgll minority to defeat the aims 'of the couffcil.’' The borough engihe'er, Mr. G. F. Clapcott, with the aid of a plat), described the scheme. . , . . ; The Outer Areas •'"d’TResidents from the outer areas raised the question of the reticulation of the outer areas, and "the Mayor explained that fu’rther reticulation was impossible -during the war owing to the inability'to secure pipes, while a 'good supply, as provided for in the scheme, must be assured before the outer areas could be supplied. The first' step', therefore, "was to assure'an adequate supply from the scheme just explained. It was on record in the minutes of the Gisborne Borough Council,that .the Mayor .and "Cpuqcillors pledged the council (to do. tne. fair thing by the outer ;areas aind-§yppprt loan proposal's ifor their, reticulation. Il these proposals were turned down the Health Department Would step-in and coippel the. council tp do it, but in any case* the council would -use every means in its powejr to give the outer areas just treatment. “If the outer -kreas do -not vote for the loan they will .never get water,” the Mayor said. “If the loan is .carried it is only a.matter of waiting until material is available.” Mr. J. H. Hall strongly appealed to the residents of the outer areas not to oppose the loan, and said he ...Was satisfied that the best that could be done by the council in their interests was being achieved. . . \ Mr. -A. Slight said he had come -to the meeting in a critical, frame of mind, but after bearing the seheihe expounded by . the Mayor and-the engineer, he was completely satisfied and congratulated the cofmcrl and all concerned. ’. . - , Messrs. M. J. White, H. H. De Costa and R. W. J. Edwards also Supported the loan proposals. ~