WATER AND DRAINAGE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1226, 28 March 1914, Page 3

WATER AND DRAINAGE.

A special meeting of the Foxton Borough Council was held on Thursday evening for the purpose of dealing with a notice of motion by Cr Spiers to the effect that the motion appointing Mr Suggate as engineer in relerence to the carrying out of the water and drainage scheme for Foxton, passed on the night of Feb. 20th, 1914, be rescinded, and general. There were present: His Worship the Mayor (Mr G. H. Stiles), and Crs. Whibley, Henderson, Read, Coley, Freeman, Barber and Chrystall, An apology for absence was received from Cr Speirs who was out of the district. Cr. Speirs’ Motion.

Owing to Cr Speirs’ absence and the fact that he bad not given written authority to any other Councillor to take up his motion, it was held over until next meeting.

The Special Area

The Mayor gave notice to move at the next meeting that the special area for water and drainage be further discussed with a view to making alterations to same. In doing so he said it was not with the intention of upsetting the resolution relating to the special area, passed afc a previous meeting, but when that resolution was passed one important matter had been overlooked and that was that if the Shannon scheme were adopted, the mains would pass properties In Union Street that were not included in the special area. As such property owners would be able to take advantage of the water supply they should certainly be included in the area. Cr Coley contended that if the special area were to be altered in the manner suggested by the Mayor it would be better to strike the rates over the whole borough. Drainage. Referring to the sanitation portion of the scheme the Mayor said enquiries had been made and they found that other boroughs made a direct charge of so much per house for sanitation and acting on the principle previously laid down by the Council, as far as sanitation was concerned, that the system should be self-supporting, they bad gone into figures to ascertain bow much would be required per house to provide an amount equal to the interest and sinking fund on the amount required to instal the drainage system and found that 25s per house would cover everything. By this means the cost of the drainage system would be paid only by those getting the benefit of it. Everyone would agree that this was a very fair proposal and that a charge of 25s per annum was a small one indeed lor such ah efficient service.

The Artesian Scheme. The question of which artesian scheme —Mr Suggate's or Mr Climie’s—should be put before the ratepayers with the gravitation scheme, was discussed. The Mayor said the artesian scheme was not to be compared with the gravitation one, the latter being far and away the best. However, what the Council had to consider at present was which engineer’s scheme should be adopted. He contended the only one they had before them was Mr Suggate’s and this should be approved.

After some discussion it was decided that a committee should visit Frankton and Taihape with a view ot getting information in connection with the artesian schemes there, and to furnish a report at the next meeting of the Council, and on the motion of Cr. Whibley, seconded by Cr Barber, the Mayor and Crs. Chrystall and Coley were appointed to make the investigations. It was decided on the motion of Cr Barber, seconded by Cr Henderson, that’in the event cf Mr Suggate’s artesian scheme being

carried out and brought to a completion Mr Suggate be appointed engineer to carry out the work on the same terms as arranged with him for the gravitation scheme.