BOROUGH DRAINAGE CONNECTIONS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 575, 11 June 1913, Page 5

BOROUGH DRAINAGE CONNECTIONS.

ASSISTING THE RATEPAYERS. The question of the borough making arrangements for the at istance of ratepayers in respect to drainage connections came belore the council on Monday evening, when the following recommendations by the Finance and Legal Committee was made: —The committee considered the question of sewerage advances to property owners, and would recommend the council to rescind the resolution agreeing to advance only 75 per cent, of the cost of the drainlayers' work, with the object of moving a fresh resolution authorising the lending of the whole cost of the work, including all sanitary fittings, etc. Cr Spencer said he questioned if the amount of £IOOO arranged for the purpose of assisting to put in connections would be found sufficient. The connections already made were the cheapest, and all subsequent connections would cost considerably more. He suggested that the matter be referred back for consideration. Cr Graham said at the rato of £2O each the money would only provide fifty connections. Cr Somerville said he thought they should adopt the committee's recoiiv mendations, and if more money was required they could make further ar rangements to get it. The persons who were getting the connections were paying, and it was costing the ratepayers in general nothing. The Mayor pointed out that no charge was being levied on the ratepayers, and the council should assist to the best of its ablity in providing the connections. According to the enginer's estimate there would be ample money to carry out the proposal. The rates were fairly heavy, and anything the council could do to assist the ratepayers to finance the cost ol drainage should be done.

The recommendation was adopted. Cr Spencer said ho wished to enter a protest, about c the connections going in without any sewer vents. Unless that were done he considered they were only looking for trouble. Provision was not made for the vents in the by-laws, but he held the vents should be put in. On the motion of the Mayor, seconded by Cr Walsh, the matter was referred to the engineer to confer with the Works Committee.