THE PROPOSED LOAN FOR ASHBURTON.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1681, 10 July 1879, Page 4

THE PROPOSED LOAN FOR ASHBURTON.

A meeting of the ratepayers of the boro "gb was held on Tuesday nigh o in the Town Hall, Ashburton, to consider the Borough Council’s proposal to borrow ,£15,000 for water supply and drainage. About seventy persons were present, the Mayor presiding. His Worship road the advertisement calling the meeting. Ho referred to the small attendance as a silent consent on the part of the ratepayers to the proposed loan. The sum voted by the County Council for a water supply for the town was .£SOOO, and it had nearly all been expended on pipes. The interest on the proposed loan of ,£15,000. at 61 per cent, would amount to -£'j7s, and a shilling rate would return £ll4O. The Act provided for the taking -of a poll on the question of the loan, and this poll had to be taken hot less than a week and not more than three weeks after the public meeting. Ho asked that a resolution on the matter should be proposed. Mr Collins asked for some information as to the proposed schemes of water supply and drainage At the request of the Mayor, Mr Fooks, Borough Engineer, explained the intentions of the Council, as follows:—Of the £ 15,000 proposed to be borrowed, ,£7OOO w'as allocated to supplement the £SOOO given by the County Council, making together an amount of £12,000 to bo expended on the water supply scheme. Of the remaining .£3OOO proposed for surface and underground drainage, the outfall drain running along the South-East Town Bolt would absorb about £IOOO, and the concrete channelling and kerbing the other £4OOO, The cost of the channelling and korbiug is estimated at £7_los per chain, so that, independent of contributions from owners of properties, it is calculated that more than 500 chains can ba constructed. It was not contemplated that the £BOOO would complete the drainage scheme in its entirety ; in fact, it was only intended at present to carry off surface drainage, and that the money would bo expended on tbo'most necessary works, as component parts of the whole scheme. All the levels had been taken, and the plan well considered. In answer to Mr Collins, Mr Fooks stated that the water supply would be taken from tbo clear undercurrent in the bod of the north branch of the Ashburton, about 2i miles from the centre of the town. Thence it wonld bo brought in 9in. iron pipes, delivering, if required, about 600,000 gallons daily. There would bo a 9in. main along East street, feeding Gin. branch mains running down every other cross street. The north-west part of the town, above the railway, would be supplied by Gin. and 4in. pipes from the direct main. It was only intended, at present, to provide for fire prevention and flushing the side channels, for which purpose standpipes wonld bo fixed at the corners of the streets, and fire pings at convenient distances. Tho scheme was planned so that a household supply could ho carried into effect at a future time, by laying a 2}in. pipe round each block connected with tho main at one point. By this means iho service pipes to the houses not being directly connected with tho mains, the different blocks could be isolated and the supply of water concentrated in case of fire in any particular locality, with lit do trouble. The fall from tho proposed intake to the level of East street at the Post office was about 48ft , but if additional pressure was required, when the extra expense could be incurred, about 40ft additional head could he obtained, making a total head of about 90fb., by laying about one and a half miles of piping to tap the river bed, above Dighy’s. Mr Leggatt desire i to know on what parts of the town the money was to be spent in tho matter of drainage. He pointed out that-Peter street was in a disgraceful state, and ho hid observed that anything that had yet been done by the Council had been done just in and around East street. The Mayor said the Council hoped tlmtahe whole town would profit by the drainage scheme, but he hoped they would not ask him to commit himself to particular work in any street. Tho question of what streets would ho undertaken first would be a matter of detail for the Council to settle, and ho thought ratepayers should leave it in their hands. Mr G. M. Eobinson desired to know why, if at a cost of £1 10s for a pump, an excellent supply of good water could bo got at a short distance below the surface of the ground, they should go to an enormous expense for a household supply virtually from the same source ? The Mayor pointed out that there was a greater demand for a upply of water for fire extinction and for fl .thing than there was for a household supply, and a scheme that would combine all three at a moderate cost had been considered by the Council to be tho tost for tho borough. ' Ho had scarcely considered it necessary, however, to discuss the whole question * that night, seeing that it had been so fully discussed by the Council, reports of whose meetings were always placed before tho ratepayers. Mr.Eobinson said the Council came before the ratepayers asking liberty to raise a loan for drainage and water supply, hut they did not seem to be able to say in what manner the money wonld he spent. Mr Ivess was sorry to hear such remarks fall from a candidate for the vacancy in the Borough Council, b it had no doubt that when Mr Eobinson became one of the nine he would alter his opinion considerably. As to Mr Leggatt’s fears that certain parts of tho town wonld be neglected, ho was sure there was nothing to fear, as the Council had endeavored, ■ as far as their means would allow them, to attend to tho wants of every part, and ha had no doubt with tho means given them by the new loan the councillors would ba able to give full satisfaction. The purpose for which the loan was asked to ho raised was one requiring their immediate attention. The state of the streets was deplorable and tho want of water was ranch felt. Ho wonld move —“That this meeting signifies its approval of the Ashburton Borough Council’s propose! to raise a loan of £15,000 for a drainage and water supply scheme for the borough, in accordance with tho powers contained in the Municipal Corporations Act, 1876, and Amendment Acts.” He had every confidence that tho Cpancil would not make an extravagant choice in the election of their agent to raise the loan, but would do it at the lowest possible figure. MrMacLean Bunn seconded. Mr Leggatt deprecated the Council coming before the ratepayers with an immature scheme. Apparently not one of those present was able to give a clear idea of. the scheme of drainage or that of water supply to be adopted. After some further remarks, tho Mayor put the resolution to tho meeting, and declared it carried on a show of hands. He then appointed Thursday, 17th instant, for taking the poll required by the Act. A vote of thanks to tho Mayor for presiding closed the proceedings.