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Hokitika Guardian, 28 July 1925, Page 2

Till: I-, pori placed Wore tin? borough Council on Friday night regarding the Male ot the water supply pipeline was a guml deal overdue. ll revealed a condition ol affairs generally uiuler-,-toud to In? the. case, ami ill the circumstance there L ground lor wondering why the public confirmation wa > delayed for so long. The Council wisely desired to seek expert advice. There lias been a tendency to linker with the position far too long. From, first to last there must have been a large expenditure on the pipe line in the effort to remedy defects without actually knowing what was best to do. 1 lie report of an expert hydraulic engineer should he illuminating ami we imagine it will not he difficult to find the weak spots once some one with the lull knowledge of his subject takes the matter up. The Council should not squander further money in ha pi in /.an I work, hut .should seek good advice, and then set about following it. An adequate and stable water supply is now essential for the. town. Having experienced tiie present water supply, even with its defects, its advantages have been obvious, and the people could not afford to he without it. to improve the supply wit I ■ an adequate flowwill cost money, and it will lie inevitable for the Council to appeal to the ratepayers again. That course, however, will not have serious objection, ll the report of the qualified engineer encourages the belief that the expenditure he suggests will meet all that the town requires in regard to its water supply.

Fntii. the water supply question is settled, it does not appear possible blithe Borough Council to move further with regard to the suggested sewage scheme. The latter is a matter of im-

portance. and at- one stage it was proposed to attempt something with tlm portion of the town covering the principal business seel ion. Unfortunately the lowlyin.g portion ol the town in whit'll the business part is included, presents dillieulties affecting the cost to deal with the sewage question. It seems inevitable llial a pa 111 pi lig si-lie will have In be resorted to. Here again there lias been long delay in procuring information as to a scheme ade quait* to deal with the matter. But the Council is not hlamcu in Iby in tile matter. The dillietilLy is to find a proposal equal to requirement- at a '" s l w ithin the means ol a ton u m ihi - -i/ -. That, problem lias not hi-u -i-tlled. but with a settlement Die t oo.ni'i I would',, obviously bound to ad i- -coking tiie co-opera t ion ol tin- rah payer? in currying out the v.ie-r. But. until the scliem ■ i- del.ailed and its capital mid opi-laiing c,,M known, the Council has to remain mac. ivc. The best l hat can Ic don* in the matter now is to itn|in.\c ih. water supply and provide -iirpln - w ater with which to I: gula rly Ihi-d, drains which are being n-ed lor Hiv, age, and so help to maintain a more healthy condition ol aflairs. Ihe water supply is the most essential work and following that (he drainage system must be limbed to ill the health interests of all concerned.