WATER AND DRAINAGE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1195, 13 January 1914, Page 2

WATER AND DRAINAGE.

At last night’s Council meeting a letter was read Irom Mr Thomas Lind, of Shannon, inviting the Foxton Borough Council to send delegates to Shannon to discuss matters in connection with the proposed water and drainage scheme with the Shannon people. The Mayor.said that although it would hardly be uecessaryiur all the Councillors to attend the meeting at Shannon, in view of thcdry spell of weather it would be well for all the Councillors to make the trip and make an inspection of the proposed source of supply. At the present juncture there was not a great deal to discuss with the Shannon people, the only matter being the proposed sharing of the cost of the headworks and the mains into Shannon and also a catchment area whether purchased now or later on. Shannon should certainly pay an equal share of the cost of these. Another matter that required deciding was the maximum amount of water that Shannon would be allowed to use and the best means of supplying them, whether by meter or otherwise. It was absolutely essential that a maximum quantity for the use of Shannon should be fixed‘otherwise it might be found afterwards that Shannon was using the biggest portion of the water and Foxton would be unable to get a large pressure if required. Cr Speirs said that they should insist upon Foxton being the controlling power. Cr Chrystall considered the matter of great importance and one which Councillors should be very careful about and urged all present to make a special effort to be present. Cr Coley said that if terms could not be arranged with Shannon, Foxton could pay the whole cost of the work and sell water to the Shannon people. The Mayor said that was the only alternative and of course if that were done it would give Foxtou the control and power over everything. The following motion moved by the Mayor and seconded by Cr Freeman, was carried: That the members of the Council visit the source of the proposed water supply together with Mr Suggate, and that they also meet a deputation of the Shannon ratepayers on Friday afternoon, January 16th, at 3 o’clock, to consider matters in connection with the proposed water scheme, with a view of submitting a report to a later meeting ot the Council. It was arranged to leave Foxton on the day named at 9 a.m. Several letters were read from financial institutions stating that they could not entettaiu proposed loan for a water and drainage scheme. The Mayor said that he had asked the Town Clerk to write to various loaning institutions inquiring if money could be obtained and upon what terras aud these were the replies. When in Wellington recently he had waited upon the Superintendent of the Advances Office on the same matter and had been told there was no hope of getting money from that source for the purpose, as all the money they bad, had been set aside for roads and bridges. He expressed the opinion to the Superintendent that sanitation, which affected the health of a community, should at least be placed on the same footing as roads and bridges, but he said no. The Mayor stated he had also interviewed the Public Trustee and had got practically the same reply —there was no money available nor any immediate prospect of getting any. When in Wanganui, Mr Bignell, a member of the Wanganui Harbour Board, in conversation, had informed him that the Board had now power to raise a loan of ,£150,000 for harbour works, and that they didn’t anticipate being able to get the money much under 6 per cent. He also expressed the opinion that there was very little prospect indeed of money getting cheaper in the near future.