WATER AND DRAINAGE.

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 484, 25 July 1902, Page 4

WATER AND DRAINAGE.

(To the Editor oi the Times.) i S IK ,—As a supporter of water and drainage, I felt much concerned at the methods disclosed by Cr Lysnar, as having been adopted on the polling day. I voted for a water supply with 12 in main, to cost .too,QUO. Such a scheme will be ample for our requirements for many years,, and will give us a good fire service, livery thoughtful voter should suport it. Upon reference to Mr Mestayer’s reports, I find 'no distinctly states that the reservoir is to hold only -id million gallons, and a 12m BU pply main will cost X 06,500, exclusive of purehaso of catchment area and reticulation. Mr Mestayer says the reticulation will cost £11,470. Cr l.ysnar says the catchment area will cost about £dooo,_so the scheme I voted for will cost £00,970, instead of the £BO,OOO set out on my vot-

ing paper. The Mayor says he .will vote against any addition; so wo shall be in the ridiculous position of having mains starting from land not paid for, and extending to the town boundary, from which point the burgesses may fetch their water in buckets. What a delightful picture for the Auckland Graphic 1 If I, with hundreds of other ratepayers, have beou misled, oven by au error in the voting paper, then tho voto taken was a catch vote upon false premises, and we should demand . that it be referred to us again. If lam mistaken, then some Councillor should put me right, not by rambling around and avoiding tho question I have raised, but by a straightforward statement to tho point. A matter that I am not competent to discuss is again raised by Or Lysnar as to the suitability of the Waihirere source. It is common talk in town that overwhelming -evidence of a practical nature can he obtained that Waihirere is broken country, will not water well, and will not sustain a dam and water pressure with absolute safety. Surely, before committing ourselves to au expenditure of 1185,000 or £50,000, wo should take every care to have the ground thoroughly examined by exports, and the scheme carefully compared with other schemes that have been advocated. Supposing .£35,000 to be the total amount to be expended, then the voting paper should have clearly stated that it was Mcstayer’s 8 inch system which was put before us—a system which included a reservoir of only 32,000,000 gallons, ail 8-inch main to Gisborne, and town mains varying from Gin. to Bin. This scheme was not recommended by Mestayer ; he only tells us what may bo procured for £31,000. To this amount must bo added cost of land, about £3OO, and incidentals, say £IOOO ; total, £85,000. lam told by ono of our most experienced firemen that this system would bo practically useless for fire purposes. Tho comparatively low elevutiou of Waihirere, tho long main to Gisborne, and the small mains in Gisborne would give no useful pressure. If a central block in Gisborno wero swept away by fire, for want of adequate water supply, we should lose more than the cost of an oflicient water scheme. I may say that I shall vote for water and drainage every time, but we should tako care to select a scheme which shall ho tho best all round, without question. lam now not satisfied that the schemes havo been sufficiently weighed, and should very much like to see a committee set up by the ratepayers to check tho statements and estimates already presented, and to thoroughly investigate the question. This committee should bo elected by tho ratepayers from tho ratepayers, and if Waihirere is tho best lot it be carried out. If it is not tho best it will he wiser to discover our error now than wako up some future day to find that wo havo boon led into a partial failure for which wo shall have to smart. I don't think we should bo satisfied with a committee ol' Councillors, as they have wedded themselves to Waihirerc, and might think it infra, dig. to acknowledge their error, supposing they havo made one. I believe any Council would bo well pleased if their constituents took a more intelligent interest in local affairs, so as to direct and support tho policy of tho Council. For a Council should be tho Ministers of the public, not tho mastors. Sinco the above poll was taken, I havo noticed from time to time, that both important and small municipalities—are discarding many systems of drainago in favor of the Septic tank. This tank perforins a modern miracle ; I hope some abler pen than mine will fully describe it to us. The Shone system advocated by Mestayer is not much heard of, and is possibly inferior to the Septic tank. The system of drainage seems to have beou selected without sufficient consideration.] and this subject should also be enquired into by tho Ratepayers’ Cc mmittee. I notice that in Mestayer’s Shone system there are to be four sewage reservoirs. One of them between the two bridges—possibly the Point. What a delightful place for pleasure grounds and band rotunda. It wjuld save room to build the rotunda and dress circle of garden seats over the tank. Only think of it ! Finally, I hope any discussion that may arise, will be conducted with the earnestness and good feeling that such a serious subject demands. Surely, we all have tho welfare of our district at heart, and should work for the mutual good.—l am, etc., G. Stubbs.