The Manawatu Standard PUBLISHED DAILY.) Suivant la verites TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27,1883. WATER SUPPLY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 3, Issue 70, 27 February 1883, Page 2

Manawatu Standard PUBLISHED DAILY.) Suivant la verites TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1883. WATER SUPPLY.

Apropos of the present agitation for a Water supply, m Palmerstdu, a*correspondent of the Waikato Times com" municates the following sensible remarks ; — "I do not know a better plan to find out whether a water supply is.really required or not, than .-tor/the Board (or Borough Council) to ask the ratepayers to allow them to levy a special email rate to pay a 'thoroughly* competent engineer to draw plans, and make a complete ; detailed repoct of .costs,. machinery, &c. } and let this plan be such that every householder- in Cambridge (or Palmerstbn) will be" equally'] benefited by it, and let it be put before the public ratepayers and adopted; and then I say with confidence: that the money wil! be voted ■■ for it if required; ' But we do not want half a loaf fb*c ( ©iie part of the town and no bread for, the other, and I am quite sure the people will not vote money into ! the hands of three or five men until they know what they are to get for it, and have to pay rates for 40 or 50 years", and' also be told that they/ can (make by-laws, and charge whatever water-rate they think proper. It you tbat are a little shor^ of water for a month or two m the year, will just put your .hand, into your own pocket, and buy a tank and put it up at your house, or what is better sink your wells a little deeper, jou will have plenty of water, and I think we wiil hear no more of the^waterja^,.' D^onot try to tax your neighbours to bring water to you y or try to get them to come and clean out your tanks for you, Just do it yourself." It may not be a popular cry' to ' oppose the scheme to sink an artesian well. We do so, however, on

principle. We do not believe m throwing away the ratepayers' money on experiments. The example of Mar ton oui»ht to have been sufficient for the West Coast. We admit the inestimable value of a pure and abundant water supply ; but we say go about the matter m a rational and .practical way.- Don't try theoretical- experiments, '* "without' professional advice. Suppose water had to be brought thiee, or six, or nine miles, to supply tho Borough, have not the same results been achieved! m 3tlfe gold fields by tiriaided* private enter?, prise f We do not consider our protest against what we consider, tlie ' wanton waste of money m Bihkirig an artesian well will^ be effectual ; but we lecord that protest nevertheless. If the ratepayers are alive to their own interests, they -will sanction no such expenditure, j The Mai ton " dry well," some 400 feet' m depth, is a standing pipnument of municipal stupidity and the tou-con-fiding faith of the British tax-payer. That Borough has now seen the error of its^ ways, and is doing, or rather has done, the very thing that Palmeraton should do, viz,-— obtain a report from a reliable and competent source as to the most practicable and economical, meiatis/jaf ;pbf ami.ng. a water-;supij|[jL Our natural facilities are far before -thostt-«f Martonj io the way of numerous, abundant, and convenient streams; yet. we -ignore -$he iexperienjce gained, and stick to perpetuate * obVious errors, by blindly experimenting, instead of commencing operations ori. some nrac. fical and business-like 1 foundation, '' '""