WATER AND DRAINAGE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 817, 26 February 1910, Page 3

WATER AND DRAINAGE.

DISCUSSED BY COUNCIL

A special raeetiug'of the Foxton Borough Council was held n the Council Chamber on Thursday evening for the purpose of discussing the proposed water and drainage schemes, and conferring with the engineer, Mr Climie. There were present, His Worship the Mayor (G. A. Stiles, Esq.), and Crs Coley, Robinson, Speirs, Adams, Ross and Rimmer. An apology was received from Cr Stewart.

The Mayor said that the reason for the meeting being convened was in order that the Council could come to some understanding as to the stand it was going to take at the meeting of ratepayers the following evening. The matter had been discussed a good deal, but he should have liked to have had a great deal more information to put before the ratepayers than the Council had at present. When calculating the rate that would have to be struck as security for the interest and sinking fund on a loan of £20,000, they had based their calculations on a rate of interest of five per cent., and one per cent, sinking fund, but he thought they would be able to obtain the money on much better terms. According to the Act passed last session, he understood they could get the money from the Government at an advance of one half per cent, on what the Government paid for it. Ifthis were so, there was a probability of the rate proposed to be struck, being reduced. However, he had communicated with Mr Newman on the subject and expected to have all the necessary information before the poll, in which case he considered it would be advisable to hold either one or two further meetings of ratepayers. At a previous meeting of the Council it had been decided by resolution that only one issue—combined water and drainage —be placed before the ratepayers. There was a possibility, he said, that at the public meeting the following evening the ratepayers would ask that alternate issues—water only, and water and drainage—be submitted to them, and if they did this he was of opinion that their wishes should be acceded to.

COST OF SANITARY CONNECTIONS.

Continuing the Mayor said that there had been considerable discussion on the cost of sanitary appliances and connections with the sewer, and in order to obtain information on the matter the Town Clerk had written to the Clerks of the Wellington, Palmerston North and Napier Councils and from the replies received from them it would be seen that the cost would average from about £ls to £25. He asked the Town Clerk to read the letters. —’The Town Clerk of the Wellington City Council’s estimate was from ,£25 to ,£3O. The Town Clerk of Palmerston North estimated the cost at from £2O to £25 including cost of connection from sewer to boundary, and ttie Clerk of the Napier Council stated that the cost for connection and appliances would run from ,£l2 to £uMr Climie stated that at Eltham all the connections had been made under his supervision and the average cost was ,£ls for both water and drainage. This price included all the appliances and connecting same. In some cases, where houses were situated at a great distance] from the street the cost had run into ,£3O, but in many cases it did not exceed £lO. In order that the ratepayers should not be called upon to pay the whole cost of the sanitary connections at once, the Eltham Borough Council had got a Bill passed empowering them to borrow —without the necessity of a poll of the ratepayers —up to £7OOO for the purpose of making connections. They charged the ratepayers with the cost of the connections and the repayment of the amount was spread over a period of ten years plus interest at the rate of six per cent. This course had also been followed at Timaru. In reply to the Mayor Mr Climie stated that £2O would be a very high average cost. Cr Speirs asked if at some future date it was found necessary to extend the system to other parts of the Borough would the pipes proposed to be laid be low enough. Mr Climie said that the system could be extended to any part of the Borough without any alteration.

AN INTERESTING TABLECr Adams asked how many ratepayers there were in the present sanitary area, the unimproved value of whose property was ,£SO or under. The Mayor said that he had gone through the roll and found that the number of ratepayers who paid rates amounting to 5s or under was about 140, 36 were paying £2 5s or under, 30 up to ,£4 ss, 19 up to £6 ss, 20 up to about ,£45 and another about £59. None of these amounts included the sanitary charge of 15s per annum. He said that it would be a sorry thing for the Borough if a scheme which did not benefit the majority of the ratepayers were carried. He would not like to see those who were at present underrated foist a scheme on the other ratepayers that would afterwards be a burden to them. There would have to be a revaluation of the Borough, as at present some of the properties were valued at a ridiculously low figure. He instanced one property in particular, which was purchased a short time back for £IOO, yet the owner of this section was only paying rates on a valuation of ,£io! He cou-

tended it was not fair that people

like that should force on a community a rate that would be a burden on those whose properties

were fairly valued. Cr Ross, replying to the Mayor, said that he (the Mayor) stated he was anxious that the majority should be benefited, but according to the arguments used it appeared to the speaker that he was in favour of benefiting the minority. The Mayor explained that what he intended to convey was that many ratepayers who at present favoured the proposals would no doubt change their minds if they had to pay rates on a re-valuation.

Cr Ross referred to the Mayor’s own property. His present rates were £26 13s 2d. If a loan for water only were carried, his rates would increase to £43 7s 4d, and if a loan for a combined water and drainage scheme were carried they would be further increased by £7 as 3d. He continued : “Do you mean to tell us that you would not pay that £7 odd for the benefit of an up-to-date sewerage system ?’’

The Mayor replied that he would certainly vote for the combined scheme, as it was the cheapest. CHEAPER INSURANCE RATES.

The Mayor went on to say that he understood that wherever a water supply was installed the insurance companies reduced the rates. The reduction, he understood, was from

ten to twenty per cent. At present he was paying £Ss per annum for insurance, and if the rates were reduced 20 per cent, it would mean an annual saving to him of £l7. Cr Speirs said that when a water supply scheme had been discussed some years ago he understood enquiries had been made in reference to a reduction in the insurance rates, but the companies had stated that even if a water supply were installed they could make no ductionMr Climie said that he knew of

instances where insurance rates had been reduced after a water supply had been installed, and an ex-Mayor of Hawera, speaking recently in Hastings, stated that after the installation of the water supply at Hawera the insurance rates were reduced 30 per cent. COST OF SCHEMES OVERESTIMATED.

11l reply to a question as to the probability of £20,000 not covering the cost of the schemes, Mr Climie said that he always estimated very high, and in all the schemes for water and drainage that he had submitted he had never had one that went over his estimate. In Eeviu a great deal more work had been done than was at first intended and still the cost was below the original estimate. Ratepayers could rest assured that the scheme outlined by him would not cost more than the estimate.

The Mayor said that if the Council were agreed that the cost of the scheme would not press too hard on the ratepayers, they should make a point of seeing that every voter went to the poll. It they did not favour the schemes then they should not do any canvassing at all. Cr Coley did not think there should be any canvassing. Cr Adams said that from the

figures before them he was of opinion that the Council took a wise step in deciding to put the one issue only before the ratepayers, as more than half of them would pay lower rates for the combined scheme that they would for water only. He contended that a vigorous canvass should be made. On discussing the schemes with a number of ratepayers he had been informed that he (the speaker) was the only councillor that they had heard say favoured the schemes. He had been informed by these ratepayers that certain councillors —the names of whom he would not mention —had expressed themselves as adverse to the schemes. He spoke strongly against councillors expressing one opinion at the council table and afterwards telling the ratepayers something different. The Mayor contended that no council had the right to over-rule the will of the ratepayers and he was of opinion that if at the meeting the following night a resolution was carried asking that two issues be placed before them, that it should be done. After some further discussion the meeting rose.