ARTESIAN EXPERIMENTAL BORE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 443, 8 December 1908, Page 2

ARTESIAN EXPERIMENTAL BORE.

At a special meeting of the Borough Council, held last night, it was decided to put down a trial artesian bore in the triangle at the north end of Main Street, at a spot indicated by the Rev. Mr Mason, and tenders for the work will be called immediately. The locality selected did not give the same strong indications of underground flow as at a locality near the railway windmill. This does not mean, however, that the spot chosen will give a weak flow, but we may speculate that the water is at a greater depth. The Council has acted wisely in making the experiment, and even if the trial bore should not be successful, the cost will not be begrudged by ratepayers. If the railway windmill site had been selected for the trial bore, the water, if obtained, could not be put to any practical use until a loan was raised. Whereas, if there is anything like a decent flow from the triangle, the water can be allowed to run along the water-tables on either side ot Main Street, as in New Plymouth, Greytown and elsewhere, and prove of immense value to the business people. ' This with little extra expenditure. Further, if ratepayers are so shortsighted in the future as to reject a water loan, fire sumps or wells could be put down along the main thoroughfare for fireprevention purposes served by the bore in the triangle, from which water could be pumped by a manual engine, in case of an outbreak of fire. As a water supply from the Shannon hills is a project for the dim and distant future we must look to the artesian alternative to meet present requirements, and let us hope that a comprehensive water and sewage scheme will yet be evolved as a result of the trial artesian bore.