WATER AND DRAINAGE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1965, 15 April 1919, Page 3

WATER AND DRAINAGE.

ENGINEER’S REPORT, ESTIMATED COST, £35,754. At a recent meeting of the Borough Council Messrs H. W. Climic find Sons, the engineers avHo submitted an artesian Avater supply and drainage scheme for the borough about 10 years ago, Avere authorised to bring their scheme up-to-date and submit an estimate of the cost of installing same at the present time. At last night’s meeting the report, as folloAvs, was read; — ‘*We have the honour, in compliance Avifh your instructions, to submit hercAvith a revised estimate of cost of carrying out the Avater and drainage schemes at the present time. Owing to the ItTrge increase in the price of material, and the present cost of labour, the cost of the Avork is DO per cent, more than tho estimate we made in 1909 (nearly ten years ago). Jn making the present estimate we have adopted the same reticulation both for Avater and drainage as previously planned, in fact, the cost is for exactly the same Avork as originally estimated for. We are of opinion that the cost could be considerably reduced by substituting for the 4-inch mains 1-inch or la-inch pipes for household services on a number of the sparsely populated streets, and by not installing in duplicate the pumping plant as allowed for in the estimate. Also in regard to the drainage, a great length of scAvers could be dispensed Avith in the meantime by leaving out the least populated part of the borough. Now that differential rating is alloAved, it Avould be no hardship on (hose deprived of the services. Our estimate is in schedule form, as given Avith tho original report, so that (he cost of the various parts of (be work can be compared. Jn this schedule is gi\en (lie estimated cost per chain for the various size mains and sew-

crs, so tluil you can arrive approximately at the amount saved by any modilication proposed; We are prepared (without further charge beyond out-of-pocket expenses) (o meet any commit lee you might appoint to consider the question of reducitlg the cost of installing these schemes. Tn addition to revising ,lhe original water supply scheme, an estimate has been prepared to ascertain the. cost of obtaining the water from the tail race of the proposed hydro-electric Avorks above Shannon, by gravitation. The cost of a !)-inch main would be £22,940, which will increase the cost of the scheme by £14,200, We found that the annual charges for interest on the cost of the main would far exceed the annual cost of pumping. It is therefore not worth considering at the present lime. In conclusion, we would inform you that our estimates are based on actual quotations for the various materials obtainable within the Dominion, and that for the pumping machinery the prices are based on similar plant recently installed by ns. ‘ WATER SUPPLY. Allowing for a population of 3,000 with a consumption of 50 gallons per head per day, with ample provision for lire prevention, the estimated cost is as under: — £ 404 Chains 9in. Steel Main 9(59 2(5 Chains Sin. Steel Main 544 89 Chains Oin. Steel Main 1319 575 Chains 4in. Steel Main 6163 £8997 Eire hydrants, stop valves, etc., 1378 400 house connections, including stop-cocks, surface boxes, etc., 943 £11,318 Pumping Plant, in duplicate, Elevated Tank, Storage Tank, Driving Wells, Power House, etc., 8763 £20,061 1.0 per cent, for Contingencies 2,008 Estimated Total Cost £22,089 The approximate cost per chain, including tire hydrants, for each size main,-is as under:— £ s. d. 9-inch Main 25 16 0 8- Main 22 15 6 (i-ineh Main 16 14 3 4-iuch Main 12 11 9 DRAINAGE. £ 50 Chains 9-ineh Sewer 630 663 Chains 6-inch Sewer 669(5 300 Chains 4-inch Sewer 2385 £9,711 Man-holes, Flushing tanks, etc., ’ 1012 Septic and Outlet tanks 1700 12,423 10 per cent, for Contingen- ' cies 1242 Total Estimated Cost £13,665 The estimated cost per chain for sewers laid complete is as under: — £ s. d. 9- Sgwer 12 12 3 6-iuch Sewer 10 2 0 4-inch Sewer 5 19 0 t SUMMARY. £ Cost Water Supply 22,080 Cost Drainage Scheme 13,665 Combined Cost £351754 Estimated annual cost to the borough: —Interest and sinking fund, at 64 per cent., £2,324, working expenses and upkeep of engines and plant,‘£4s6, total £2,780. The Mayor said that as this was the last meeting of (he pijpsent Council, they could, if they so deMred, shove the burden on to the pew Council, but they did not wish

to, shirk their responsibility. He was certain the estimate submitted by the engineers was quite outside of what the borough could stand. Or. Coley had stated on one occasi - on that he would support a water and drainage scheme provided the cost of same would not more than double the rates. The Mayor said he considered that that was a good basis to work on. To install the schemes submitted Avould mean an increase of seven pence in the £ on iho present rates of five-pence halfpenny, and he was convinced the borough could not afford to install the schemes. The engineers’ estimate was based on war prices and Avar freights, Avliieh were very high, and there was no doubt there avouUl lie a reduction in the near future in both the cost of material and freights. He felt sure that if they put the schemes before the ratepayers at the present time they Avould be turned doAvn almost unanimously. Cr Coley said, he would like to sec the schemes put before the ratepayers. If they carried them, then they Avould have to pay for them. He believed that Foxton would have had water and drainage long ago if they hadn’t bought the gas works. The borough should have built the Avorks in the first place. As it Avas, they alloAved a private company to build them, and then bought them at two-thirds above their value, am] Avere now paying £450 per year to keep them going. This amount Avould go a good Avay towards the annual cost oi' water and drainage. The Mayor suggested that the engineers be asked to obtain quotations for the materials required from the manufacturers at Home. By the time same Avere obtained they Avould no doubt find that the costs and freights Avould be loAver than at present.

Cr. Me Murray said this information could be obtained by the Town Clerk. It was decided on (lie motion of the Mayor, seconded by Cr. Coley,' that the Toavu Clerk obtain information from various sources re the prices of pipes required for (lie proposed water scheme for the borough, also of the costs of pumping plants and other material required.