Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star MONDAY JANUARY 12th, 1920. THE WATER SUPPLY.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 January 1920, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star MONDAY JANUARY 12th, 1920. THE WATER SUPPLY.

The town water supply has been a splendid investment for the municipality. It' has much to its credit. Its usefulness for fire prevention has been priceless. Its advantages from a a sanitary point of view have been marked Its uses for domestic purposes have jbteen most, convenient. In fact, its general utility has been remarkable, and it is now quite indispensable. It has one serious drawback, and that is its inadequacy for all the purposes to which a water supply might he put.

There is a real shortage in the available supply, which disadvantage should be removed without delay. Realising as the people do the /benefits of the town supply, it should not be unreasonable to ask them to sanction the expenditure for works to- give an enhanced supply iso that there will be water and to spare for the necessary requirements of a, town such as this. The fact that the water supply at present is inadequate to maintain the, municipal baths in regular use, emphasises at once that the supply should l>e augmented without delay. The town ha.s made provision for the baths, but the essential water supply is missing. This omission should be -made good at once. The bath and buildings are going to rack and ruin

for the want of use, and the young folk are denied a healthy and useful recreation. The position in regard to the disuse of the municipal baths is a reflection on the Borough Council, j The shortage of the water supply is a menace also regarding effective fire prevention. The authorities are often much perturbed at the critical nature of dhe supply over nights, and to allow this to go on week after week is a very serious reflection indeed on the controlling authority. More water is required to- meet the demands for purely domestic uses, but there is no prospect of this being available under present conditions. The Borough Council requires to hit out by securing the necessary additional supply to meet the needs of the town. Just now at the beginning of a new year the time ip very opportune for the subject to- he opened up. 'This is the .season of the year when the shortage of the supply is most felt, and tlie requirements are brought home to the people. The baths are idle and decaying, the young folk have to take unnecessary risks in river and sea. bathing, and learners have very little opportunity of picking up the art of swimming. There was a case in Wanganui the other day when eight adults unable to swim looked on helplessly, while another man was drowned. The victim was one of our own townsmen. The facilities to learn to swim should be at the service of those growing up as a natural part of municipal obligations. There was enough trouble mid delay jn securing the baths and having proewnedi .them, their use is now denied for the essentia? commodity of water. The time is ripe tor the local Council to go into the question of ways and means to overcome the shortage of water, and to meet the extraordinary situation, which has arisen. The Council owe this duty to themselves. They certainly owe it to the ratepayers whop) they are supposed to serve.