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Hokitika Guardian, 27 January 1922, Page 2

Tub outstanding feature of the local bodies’ Conference just referred to was the need for money to do the various works said t-o be required. It was shown that" tliis money would be forthcoming locally at a low rate—the lowest in the Dominion—of interest, and therefore there was no bar to progress if the people took up and sanctioned a progressive policy. The \ ter supply was the outstanding need at the moment, and it is plain this must be made good. A leakage af CO,OCX) gallons in two hours reported on Sunday means that in less than six hours all the water flowing into the reservoir the previous twenty four j hours would be lost. There is someI thing radically wrong. The reticulation service must be leaking like a j sieve to lose so great an amount of j waiter, in so brief a time. There is j urgent need to locate the leaks and this should not be delayed on any account. It would appear that a considerable sum of money will be required sooner than later to secure the water supply, either by bringing a greater volume of water per hour into the resrvoir, or for overhauling the reticulation service. As the quickest way of deciding, the authorities having satisfied themselves as to the approximate location of the leaks | should open up the reticulation in considerable lengths and test exactly what is happening. The practice of waiting for leaks to appear on the surface is altogether wrong, and is courting trouble. If a gang of men were put on for a week and various lengths of pipe lino opened up about the town, a new light would be thrown on the problem, and a more definite opinion formed as to the why and the wherefore. At presnt it is all surmise which gets nowhere. As to the question of raising a local j loan, it was given out at the meet- i ing that £5,000 could be raised on j very reasonable terms. The rate of in- ' tcrest would be £5 5s per cent, and if repaid at £2OO a year, the loan would be paid off in 25 years. The money need not, as was explained bo all raised at once. If the rate of ex-i penditure were limited to £1250 per annum, the expenditure would extend over four years. For the 25 years the Council would then pay in interest £3OIB 155., plus the refund of the money. This would mean a total repayment of £BOIB 15s. If a rate of one/ panny and a farthing were 'struck on the unimproved value it would return £345 per annum, and as the average annual repayments fojr the £25 years would be £320, the liability would be met for a very shiall rate indeed. If the Council is going to do useful permanent work about ,the Borough extra money will require to bo raised. The discussion at the conference showed a pronounced feeling in favou r of a local loan for

works, and if the Council prepared a schedule of works to be dealt with over the period suggested, the opinion was expressed that the ratepayers would give their sanction to the money being raised. The matter appears to have gone that far now that with the expression of public opinion the Council would be justified in referring a concrete proposal to the ratepayers for decision. Several Councillors spoke at the recent meeting and favoured 1 action. Now that public opinion has been expressed in their favour, they should be encouraged to move further by asking tlie Council to. take the action approved by the resolution adopted at the local bodies’ conference.