THE WATER SUPPLY QUESTION.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1877, 28 February 1880, Page 3

THE WATER SUPPLY QUESTION.

A meeting of the members of the water supply committee and others was held in the Lichfield street Eire Brigade station yesterday afternoon. The ostensible object of the meeting was to give the .ratepayers who desire to obtain information regarding the water supply scheme, an opportunity of being enlightened on the subject. There was a limited attendance, however, and it became evident to the promoters of the meeting that there was not a sufficient response to the invitation to enable them to carry out their idea of receiving and answering questions touching the water supply proposals, there being no questioners. Those present then elected Mr Vincent ohairman, and a desultory discussion ensued, Mr Alport leading off with an explanation as to the difficulties of the position, which seemed to consist principally in the faot that the ratepayers not unnaturally hesitated in signifying their approval of a costly scheme until they had some positive assurance that another and equally suitable supply could not be obtained at less cost. Messrs Boss, King, Cherrill, and Sandstein, ■also addressed the meeting, and it was generally admitted that no satisfactory conclusion could then be arrived at, in the face of the fact that they had only one scheme before them, namely, Mr White's, and the water supply committee could not well go outside of that without authority from the Council. With regard to the possibility of obtaining an adequate supply of water from some other source, the introduction of which would be less expensive, a question was put to Mr Blackwell, advising engineer to the Council. That gentleman pointed out that he was practically tied down in this matter, inasmuch as the Council had employed him to report upon Mr White's scheme only. Several other schemes had suggested themselves to him, and in this respect, Mr Blackwell said :—" I feel confident that a scheme could be given to Christchurch at a less cost than would be inourred in the case of the Waimakariri; but at the same time I do not say that it would embrace all the advantages of the Waimakariri scheme. More than this Ido not say, as I was employed to report upon Mr White's soheme especially." Nearly an hour's conversation took place, but beyond the above remarks of Mr Blackwell, there was nothing either novel or instructive in what was said, the utterances of those present being based upon the report of the engineer, and almost a repetition of discussions which have taken place in the City Council, and been reported in the newspapers. The mooting adjourned sine die.