THE DRAINAGE BOARD.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1929, 30 April 1880, Page 3

THE DRAINAGE BOARD.

A public meeting, convened by his Worship the Mayor in response to a requisition signed by a number of ratepayers, was hold last night in the Oddfellows' Hall. His Worship the Mayor occupiod the chair, and there was a large attendance, tho hall being filled in every part. The only members of the Drainage Board present wore Messrs J. E. Brown and H. J. Hall.

The Mayor said the shortest way of opening the proceedings would be to read the advertisement convening tho meeting and the requisition, which was as follows : —" To his Worship the Mayor, Ohristchurch.—Sir, — We the undersigned ratepayers of the city of Ohristchurch respectfully request you to call a public meeting of the citizens at such time and place as will best suit your convenience, to consider the action of the Drainage Board with reference to the drain pipe contract, Wadey's contract, and other matters ; and we respectfully request you to invito the members of that Board to be present thereat," [Here follow 200 signatures.! In accordance with the requisition he had sent invitations to the members of the Drainage Board, and Messrs Hall and Brown stated that they would be happy to attend, and they were thero to speak for themselves. [[Hear, hear.} Ho had that evening received a letter from the other members of the Drainage Board, which he would read. It was as follows :

Sir, —We, the undersigned members of the Christchurch District Drainage Board, have the honor to acknowledge your letter of _ the 22nd inst., inviting us to attend a public meeting convened for the 29th inst. at the Oddfellows' Hall. We gather from the newspapers that this meeting is called on a requisition presented to yoa for the purpose of considering the action of the Trainage Board in declining the tender of a local firm for the Beware pipes, and in not accepting the lowest tender for the pumping station and subsidiary works. It is our desire to pay every respect to yourself, as well as to the requisitioniste, and to afford any explanation that may be desired, but we do not think that that object would be secured by our attendance at tho meeting in question. We feel that we have studied the best interests of the ratepayers in the course which we have adopted as regards both questions. We shall be glad at all times to consider any expression of opinion that the ratepayers may deem it advisable to make to us, and should the meeting pass any resolutions we will give them our earnest and be3t consideration, and send you a reply thereto. Should it, however, be thought more desirable that a deputation should be appointed to meßt the Board with a view to giving more definite expression to the views of the meeting, we shall be happy to give to that deputation any information that may be required. (Signed), R. J. S. Harman (chairman), Andrew Duncan, Fred. Hobbs, Henry J. Tancred, J. V. Ross, C. B. Blakiston._ [Hisses.] Of course, as he was there simply as chairman of the meeting, it was not his province to enter upon the discussion of these questions, but to obtain a fair hearing for all speakers, in whioh he hoped they would assist him. [Hear, hear.] They know there were always two sides to a question, and he hoped both sides would have a fair hearing. He should require all motions to be in writing, and none but ratepayers of tho drainage district would be allowed to speak. He believed Mr Ollivier would open the discussion by moving some resolution. [Cheers ] Mr Ollivier said he endorsed the request of the Mayor, that they should give a fair hearing to all. He did net want that large and important meeting to be called a rowdy meeting, because he could not conceive anything more important than the subject they had met to consider. He hoped they would give him their serious attention for a time, because he was going to make a serious charge against the members of the Drainage Board, and he trusted to be able to justify it. [Cheers.] He might as well tell them at once that the text of the sermon he was going to preach was that he had lost all confidence in the Drainage Board —[cheers] and so he thought they had if they were tnicking men. [Cheers ] He would just touch upon tho immense powers which the Drainageilßoard required to tako to themselves. These had been so well summarised in a very able article appearing in the Pbess newspaper, that he would read them an extract from that in preference to quoting the Act of Parliament, because they would be far better able to understand the language in which the article was couched rather than that of the Act of Parliament. [Extraot read.] Now, ho would aßk them, looking at that as a fair summary of the Act —he asked them, as sensible men, if they could sanction Buch an abominable Act as this!?; ["No, no."] He was at a loss to understand how the members of the Drainage Board could expect that the ratepayers would be so senseless aB to assent to this. [Cheers.] Let them look at one clause of the Act, which provided that each householder must put down a covered drain connecting the oloset with the sewer, and providing that, failing the householder doing it, the Board could do so, and charge the owner. [" Oh, oh."] Besides this there was a penal clause, making householders liable, for not complying with these clauses, to £SO. [" Oh, oh."] Now, when he asked what was the meaning of this, he was told that the powers were the same as those possessed by the Board in London. Well, they all recollected tho fairy tale of the frog attempting to blow itself up to the size of the bull, and the result thereof, which was the bursting of the frog. (Laughter) Now he was forcibly reminded by the actions of the Drainage Board, how nearly they 'resembled the frog, and he trusted that before they left that room that night they would see that the Board was entirely burst. (Cheers). The resolution he intended to propose was as follows: —" That tlm meeting has not confidence in the Drainage Board, as at present constituted, and therofore is of opinion that tho additional largo powers proposed to be civen to the Board, by the Bill now beforo the ratepayers, which is intended to be introducad into the General Assembly at its approaching session, should not be granted. That the members representing the districts comprised in tho Drainage Act be requested to oppose tho same." (Oheera). Now he would ask them to travel over the history of the past with him. Some two years and a half ego they were astounded by the scheme put forth by Mr Carrutheirs, and they had entreated the Drainage Board to substitute a simpler and less extensive scheme. A conference took place between the representatives of the ratepayers, including Messrs Ollivier, Stead, Nathan, Peacock, &c, and Drs. Nedwill and Prankish. Now he thought that the composition of that deputation w»s fairly representative, and possessed as muoh intellect, perhaps, as Messrs Duncan and Hobbs. rehears, and a voice—-" Particularly Hobbs."] The conditions asked for by the committee were that no exoreta should go into

the sewers or the estuary, that estimates of all works should be laid before the ratepayers ! before any steps were taken to carry 1 them out, and that pumping stations should be dispensed with unless absolutely necessary, and that the drainage should be by gravitation. Well, let him ask them what was the result of this interview ? Why, that the Board accepted their conditions unconditionally, and issued a manifesto embracing the main points insisted on by the deputation. [Cheers.] They also laid down a system of flushing their side channels and keeping them clear, and also an improved system of taking the sewage to the sandhills by an improved pan system. The late Mr Clark, in his report, advocated the use of the artesian supply, and said that the moment they converted the river—one of the most beautiful features of the city—into a foul sewer, they would bitterly repent it. [Cheer?.] This was their own man, brought here at immense eoßt. What scheme were they now carrying out ? Was it Mr Clark's ? Was it Mr Oarruthers' ? Was it Mr Bell's ? [A voice : " No ; it's Hobbs'.] Well, he did not know, but he knew this, that the Drainage Board were carrying a sewer into the river carrying all the slops from Sydenham in defiance of Mr Clark's report and advice. [Cheers.] They all knew that they were stuuk out by these drains. Let them look at the Ferry road drain. Mr Clark wished to have a pipe drain, but the Board had not done it. Why had not the Board come there that night? Except Messrs Brown and Hall, not one had oome before them that night. [Cheers.] And why was this ? Simply because their powers were so extensive that they were perfectly independent of the ratepayers. [Cheers.] Did they ever consult them when they required a loan, or did they give them any account of their stewardship? Not they. The Drainage Board simply did what they liked with the ratepayers' money ; rated them as they liked, and all they had to do was to pay and look pleasant. [No, no.] But he asked them were they sensible men, were they going to put up with Buch proceedings ns these. The Drainage Board treated them with utter contempt, arid said in effect we lift ourselves up above all such as you, and we hope to attain to the Bize of the bull. [Cheers.] What he said was this, that the Drainage Board, inptead of being irresponsible should be responsible in the same way as the municipal body. [Cheers.] Were the members of the Drainage Board responsible to the ratepayers? Not a bit of it. [Cheers.] Now let them look at the plan he had in his hand, which showo i the back drains that this enlightened Drainage Board intended to carry out. Let any one go to any_ of the man holes now existing even at this early stage of matters, and he told them they would almost be suff jcated. So far from being conducive to health, this system was simply conducive to the spreading of typhoid and other fevers. [Cheers.] Then again there was Mr Clark's recommendation that the sewage of Sydenham should go down Jackson's Creek. Was that done ? He said no; that creek had been cleared out as a subsidiary matter only. He Baid this that the Drainage Board should have gone hand in hand with his Worship the Mayor, to obtain a system of flushing for thoir streets, and had this been done there would have been no need for the meeting the other night. [Cheers.] The two bodies could have gone hand in hand and solved the difficulty. Instead of an lid rate for the Avon, 7d rate for the Christchurch district, and 5d for anywhere else, a 2d or 3d rate would have done all they required for flushing their sewers and giving them health in thoir midst. [Loud cheers.] He hod told them that he had lost all confidence in the Drainage Board as at present constituted, and he intended to ask them to listen to the manifesto of the Drainage Board, in whioh they laid down, two years and a half ago, the policy they meant to carry out. The manifesto was signed by all the members of the Board except Mr Hall (cheers), andthoy said most emphatically in that manifesto that they did not. intend to send the excreta into the sewers. Well now, what did they find, that the Board were applying to the Parliament for powers to compel every householder who lived 200 3 arda from any sewer to send excreta into the sewers and convey it by means of small drains, where ? To the sandhills (a voice, " Well it will never get there"). No, that was just it. The excreta would never get there. [Cheers.] He said the Board had most shamefully deserted the very principles they had themselves laid down in that manifesto. They had broken faith with the ratepayers, and he asked them now, Wore they prepared to give the Board the powers they asked for ? [Criea of "No, no."] Had they confidence in the Board? [" No, no."] Well, then, he said most emphatically, and he was glad to hear their endorsation of what he said—that the Drainage Board had egregiously duped the citizens by promising not to do a thing whioh they were now doing. [Cheers.] Mr Hobbs had, they would recolleot, given them a series of lectures on the drainage system, whioh he advocated. But he asked them was there one tittle of evidence that the Board had intended to carry out the oompact they had made with the ratepayers ? On the oontrary, though he ( si 1 Ollivier) had thought it probable that it would be ten years at least, if he was spared so long, before he would be called upon to speak in defence of the privileges of rate-' payers. But only two years and a half had elapsed and the Board had broken faith most egregiously. [Cheers.] He (Mr Ollivier) would read extracts from a work by Mr Thomson, C.E., of Wellington, entitled "Cleansing of Towns," in which the experience of cities such as London, Glasgow, Leith, &c, was stated as being opposed most decidedly to water closets. [Cheers.] The Bewage farm experiments were also stated as being a failure. The writer went on to say that the pan system was by far the moßt healthy and economical system. [Cheers.] They had two years ago insisted on flushing their side channels by the artesian wells, and carrying away excreta by the pan system to the sandhill 3, and burying it there. Were the Drainage Board to carry out the system of utilising the sewage Bpread at the sandhills, no one would be able to live in Christchurch, and instead of three doctors they would require three dozen. He thought he had justified his first point that they had no confidence in the Drainage Board. They had broken faith with the public and the ratepayers, and therefore he said they were not entitled to the confidence of the people. [Cheers.] But while he said this, he must exempt Messrs Brown and Hall, because he was forced to believe that they knew nothing of the compact which had been entered into between the Board and the ratepayers, and they had, therefore, gone on dissenting in many instances, but unaware of the existence of the manifesto. [Cheers.] Now, by the Act of 1875 the Drainage Board could borrow money when and how they pleased, and spend it how they pleased, without being responsible to the ratepayers. Nor were they responsible now, and he wanted to see a clause inserted making it compulsory on the Board to come to the ratepayers before borrowing any more money —and they had already borrowed a large sum, and any Board whioh flinched from this should not hold office at all. [Cheers.] Now he came to the question of tho contracts, and here he might say that under ordinary circumstances he should say this was a purely administrative matter. But the Board were not responsible to the ratepayers at all, and during their term of office they might commit all kinds of iniquities and the ratepayers had no chance of protesting against it, as tho Board had taken caro to shield themselves by being elected once in three years. [Cheers.] Now, with regard to Mr Wadey's contract, this gentleman was the lowest tenderer, and why was the contract not given to him ? He had a rioht to auk the ratepayers had a right to ask —why was this contract not given to the lowest" contractor, Mr Wadoy ? [Cheers.] It had been said by one of the members that Mr Wadoy had made those imporfect connections, but when they wore taken up it waa found not to be Mr Widoy's work, but that of tho servants of tho Board. Nov/, ho concaivfd it was monstrous for a Board like tho Drainage Board to brand a honest man like Mr Wsidey before his fellow citizens us a dishonest, incompetent contractor without being, B 3 they did not appear to be, able to be certain of the facts upon which tho charges were made. [Cheers.] Even supposing Mr Wadey had been trying to take advantage of the Board, where was the clerk of the works in not looking uftor it. [Cheers.] They paid a lot of clerks of works aid engineers to look after t'lose matters, and it wa9 not right that even supposing this had occurred the Board should try to put the blame off their servants. [Cheers.] Now as to the contract with regard to Messrs Austin and Kirk. They were a firm of local manufacturers who were giving satisfaction in the matter of drain tiles all over the country, but seemed to fail to do bo to Mr 8011. Now the

[ Board had said that they would enoourage local industry, even if it was 10 per cent, higher than the imported article. [A voice : " They have never done it."] No, he knew they hadn't. [Cheers.] Then again the Board said that by importing from Glasgow they had saved 4 per oeut. But let them listen to him. The money for the imported article had to be paid at once, and besides that the delivery had to be taken at the port. If the contraot had been taken by Messrs Austin and Kirk they would have delivered the tiles, &c, on the spot, and the money would bo paid by instalments. Tho imported tiles would have to be stored, stacked, yarded, and would they say that they did not lose more than 4 per cent. He said they lost nearly 12 per oent. [Cheers.] Was it just, therefore, that they should slight their local manufacturers. [Cheers.] This, he said, was another instance of the truth of the resolution whioh he had the honor to propose to them that evening, viz., " That the Drainage Board, as at present canßtituted, did not possess the confidence of the ratepayers." [Oheers.] He now came to a subject of a personal nature, and he desired to speak on the subjoct with all delicacy; but still he had a duty to perform, and he would do it. Mr Napier Bell was an engineer of high standing, and he (Mr Ollivier) had no objection to his being consulting engineer to the Harbor Board, particularly as they were both local bodies, and that tho engineer had consented to a reduction of £2OO a year on his salary at the Drainage Board for that purpose. But did that empower Mr Bell, while taking a large salary from them, to become engineer to the Suez Canal, and advising engineer to all the publio bodies throughout the colonies. [Cheers.] Then again he saw amongst the tenders the name of one who had worthily won the esteem of all in Christchurch. He meant Mr John Anderson. [Cheers].- Now he was both surprised and pained to see amongst the list of tenderers the names of two of the sons of Mr Anderson, one of whom was an engineer in the office of the consulting engineer to the Drainage Board, and of couise, conversant with all tho figures connected with the work. [Oh! oh !J He asked them whether the Drainage Board wero doing their duty by allowing such a thing to take place as an officer taking the money of the ratepayers in thoir own office, tendering for a work Buch as this. [Cheers]. He said that the Drainage Board Lad not deserved, nor was entitled to retain tho confidence of the ratepayers, as they had failed to carry out the high and important duties they had plodged themselves to the ratepayers to carry out. [Oheers]. Mr Ollivier resumed his seat amid a perfect storm of cheers. Mr Treadwell seconded the motion.

Mr Hubbard said his firm had acted as advisers to Mr Wadoy in this pumping station contract. The engineer had told them that he had not advised the acceptance of Mr Wadey's contract because it was so much below his (Mr Boll's) estimate. Now, how could Mr Bell make an estimate at all, when ha did not know what he was going to do himself? (Mr Hubbard here read an extract from the specifications to show that the whole of the matter rested with the contractor to do as he thought proper.) He desired to say the charge of malconstruction made against his client was a falsehood. [Cheers.] He had seen six of the connections made in Antigua street put down, and they were perfectly sound and according to contract. Mr Brooks, the inspector, had really broken up the work done by the Board's own sorvants. That gentleman had spoken of there being twelve connections, whilst really Mr Wadey only made seven. He said most emphatically that this was a trumped up fabrication to excuse the rejection of Mr Wadey's tender. As regarded the remarks of Mr Ollivier respecting the tendering of Messrs Anderson, he could substantiate all he had said about tho unjustness and unfairness of their allowing an officer in their employ with all the figures before him to tender. [Cheers.] He wished to exempt Mr Brown, Mr Hall and Mr Boss from the stigma that had been justly put on the Board with respect to Mr Wadey's contract. These gentlemen had opposed its rejection without proper grounds, and said that it would be a disgrace to the Board if it were done. [Cheers.] [Mr Hubbard then referred to the system of putting " not guaranteed " on the quantities given to contractors.] He was told, on good authority, that Mr Duncan had proposed Mr Hobbs and himself as a committee to accept whioh tender they thought proper from those of Messrs Anderson, Parsons, and Wadey. [Oh ! oh !] All honor to Mr Hall, who had Baid that if this were done he should hand his resignation to the chairman within one hour. [Cheers.] He thought that this was, to say the least of it, a very shady proceeding on the part of the Drainage Board. [Cheers, and cries of "Yes."] He thought that the members of the Drainage Board not having attended that meeting had treated the ratepayers with contempt. As regarded drain pipe contracts, he was fully in accord with the sentiments expressed by Mr Ollivier on this subject. [Cheers.] The resolution was then put, and carried unanimously amid loud cheers. Mr Oherrill then moved—" That the Mayor be requested to forward a copy of the resolution to the members of the Drainage Board, and to the members of the Assembly who represent the districts comprised within tho drainage district." [Cheers.] The resolution was seconded.

Mr H. J. Hall said he felt himself placed in a very delicate position, as he felt very great reluctance in speaking of his colleagues. He had listened with great attention to the speecheß, and to the blame and praise given to the Drainage Board, the former considerably outweighing the latter. As regarded Wadey and Co.'s contract, he was bound to say that he could not tell them, nor did he believe any member could either, why the contract should not have been given to Mr Wadey. [Cheers.] He said this, that not the slightest reason had boon adduoed for the rejection, beyond the • statement that the tender was too low. If this waß to be the case, then tendering became a complete farce. It would be better for the engineer to make his estimate and the Board to instruct him to let the contract at that price to some respectable contractor. [Cheers.] As regarded the contracting of Messrs Anderson, he said that he should decidedly hold that the officer of the Board ought to have resigned his office before putting in his tender. [Cheers.] Now he came to the matter of drain pipes, and here ho must say that he had to defend the Board. [" No, no."] Well, when he put the position before them they would see how the Board were situated. In the first place, thoir engineer, Mr Bell, reported that the machinory in use for the colonial pipes was not perfected so as to enable the joints to be laid 'properly. [" Oh, oh," and hisses.] Well, it was laid before the Board by their engineer that the pipes must be got from Glasgow. ["Oh, oh."] They would thus see that the Board were not s*o much to blame as they seemed to think. More than this, the Board had accepted a colonial tender and had been obliged to keep the trenches open for some time, and ultimately purchase the pipes at an advance on the price fixed because the contractor could not complete his work. As regarded coming to the people for power to borrow or rate, he must remind the meeting that the borrowing powers of the Board and their rating powers were limited. They could only rate them up to Is in the £.

Mr Brown said he was comparatively a now member of the Board, and he undorßtood when he went there that the compact entered into between the Board and the ratepayers wb,b for surface drainage only. But they had now carried out about one-third of the drains whioh were intended to carry away the excreta and house Bowage of Ohrißtchureh. Now, with regard to the drain pipe tenders, ho must say that the cost of the imported article would come to far more than if they had accepted the local tender. [Cheers.] They would hare to get a central place in Ohristchuroh for storage, and he felt perfectly sure that the coßt would be far greater than the contract of Austin and Kirk. [Cheers.] They must also recollect that they were importing men at the cost of £l6 per head, and it was their duty to foster local industries rather than bo obliged to give them work to prevent their starving. [Cheers.] As regarded Wadey's contract, he was not present at the time, but he might say, as tho chairman of a uublic company, that they wore so well satisfied with Mr Wadey as a contractor that they had given him three contracts. [Oheers] He must say that it was a moßt peculiar state of things when they found the engineer's assistant, who helped him to take out the figures, puttiuz in a tender. He must say that he was perfectly willing to give up his seat on the resolution of bo respectable and numerously attended a meeting [Cheers] although he had received a vote of confidence from his constituents in tho Avon district. [Laughter.] He

was only a member for one year, but still he was quite willing to resign his seat to enable them to put in new blood. As he had told his constituents in the Avon, he had been in publio positions for fifteen years, and had never oocupied one in which he had less opportunity of doing his duty with satisfaction either to his constituents or himself. [Cheers.] Mr Hubbard—Can Mr Brown give us the estimate of the engineer for the pumping tank ? [A voioe : " The engineer himself does not know it.] [Laughter.] Mr Brown—l do not think I should be justified in stating it. But the clause of the specification, which Mr Hubbard has read, seems to me to show pretty plainly that the engineer himself did not know what the estimated cost would be. [Laughter and cheers.] Mr Jaoobsen mounted the platform, and went into a long disquisition on Mr Bell's qualifications as an engineer, but was reminded by the Mayor that the resolution before the meeting was one authorising him (the Mayor) to transmit a copy of the resolution passed at that meeting to the members of tho Drainage Board, and the members in the House of Representatives for the districts comprised in the drainage district. After expressing his entire concurrence in the remarks of Messrs Hubbard and Ollivier, Mr Jacobsen resumed his seat.

The resolution was then put and carried unanimously. Mr Ollivier then moved a vote of thanks to the Mayor for his conduct in the chair that evening. [Cheers.] He thought that the way in which the proceedings of that meeting had been conducted was a credit to Christchurch—[Cheers]—and one whioh would entirely preclude the Drainage Board or their supporters from saying that the meeting was a packed one, and not a full and free expression of public opinion. [Cheers.] The crowded hall waa a proof that this was not the case. [Cheers.] The vote of thanks was seconded by Mr Tread well, and carried amidst loud cheers.

The Mayor, in acknowledging the vote of thanks, said that he had felt the utmost pleasure in presiding over such an orderly meeting, and one which so thoroughly represented public feeling. [Cheers.] The prooeodinoß t.hpn terminated.