WATER AND DRAINAGE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1206, 10 February 1914, Page 3

WATER AND DRAINAGE.

CR COLEY’S THREAT. At last night’s Council meeting a letter was read from Mr Thomas Lind, of Shannon, advising that the Waterworks Committee had passed a resolution recommending that the Foxton Council’s offer in connection with the proportions to be paid by each body towards the cost of construction of headworks and laying of main to Shannon (two-thirds Foxton and onethird Shannon) be accepted and he was confident that the ratepayers in Shannon would agree to this and hoped the Foxton ratepayers would carry the poll. Cr Coley, who was not present at the special meeting when this matter had been discussed and the offer by the Foxton Council in reference to the proportions to be paid by each party made, objected to Shannon being allowed to participate on any other terms than paying half the cost of headworks and main to Shannon. He said : I’ll oppose it all I can, and if the Council really want to carry it I’ll give them a little more trouble to do so. I’ll go dead against it with my own vote and will also influence everyone I can against it. The Mayor was about to reply when Cr Coley again rose and looking in the direction of the reporter’s table said, "What few words I have said about this I want in the paper —not left out.” The Mayor pointed out that this matter had been fully discussed at the previous meeting at which Cr Coley was not present. Cr Coley had told him the day following the meeting that he had forgoltou all about it so that it was his own -fault that he was absent. At that meeting the matter was thoroughly thrashed out and Cr Coley should, before making a statement that he is going dead against the proposal, bear both sides. Cr Coley said that when the Councillors visited Shannon the Mayor had slated that both towns should pay an equal share of the cost of headworks and main to Shannon. He had not said at any time that he was going to support the proposal, but if the Shannon cost was going to be on a one-third to two-thirds basis, he was going dead against it. He admitted that the reason he was not present at the special meeting was because he forgot all about it. The Mayor said that he proposed convening a special meeting to finally discuss the scheme, and this matter could be threshed out there. The matter then dropped, but just before the meeting rose Cr Coley again said that he was going to influence everyone he could against the scheme, to which the Mayor said, "Very well, then, it will be a test of strength between the ratepayers that want a water supply and Cr Coley, who doesn't want it.”