PUBLIC MEETING RE WATERWORKS LOAN.

Mt Benger Mail, Volume I, Issue 50, 13 April 1881, Page 6

PUBLIC MEETING RE WATERWORKS LOAN.

A' meeting was convened (by advertisement) by the Mayor of Roxburgh for Wednesday evening last at the Athenajum, for the purpose of considering the proposal to borrow £SOO for supplying the Township of Roxburgh with pure water, —The hour of meeting was eight o'clock p.m. —Shortly after that hour about a dozen ratepayers assembled in front of the Athena? im, and after the keys had been procured and the lamps were lighted, the door was thrown open. Mr Mervyn proposed that Mr Cormack should take the chair.

Mr V/aighth seconded the motion whicch was unaniiuonaly carried.

Mr Cormaclc then took the chair and I stated that His Worship the Mayor bad ! intended to preside at the meeting but | owing to illness ho was unable to be j present and had sent an apology. He j (the Chairmin) understood that the ! Mayor's attendance as chairman was ' essential, and in these circumstances it | would bo necessary to adjourn the meeting I to enable the Mayor to be present and I preside. Mr Mervyn moved that the meeting stand adjourned till the following evening , at the same hour and place. Mr T. Cameron seconded the motion, .y-#«?«*1» was from th<j chair and earned unanimously".—•fno-imnji;-jjing then adjourned accordingly;

ADJOURNED MEETING. The adjourned meeting to tako into consideration the proposed loan for water woiks for Roxburgh, was held in the Athenaeum there on Thursday evening the 7th of April. At the advertised hour (S p m.) there were present '2O ratepayers, including His Worship the Mayor and the Town Clerk. His Worship took tho chair and explained in a tew words the purpose for whfch they had been convened. This meeting had been unavoidably postponed from the previous evening, was necessary in compliance with the Act under which the loan was to be authorised. lie would be ready to afford any information that lay iu his power as to any matter requiring explanation, and af;er hearing any discussion that may be raised on the subject before the meeting, he would name a day for taking a poll of the ratepayers, who were the parties to decide whether the loan should be raised or not. Mr Davis wished to know what is to be done with the money. What was to be tho course of the proposed pipage ? His Worship replied that it was proposed to lay pipes from Telford's Gully to Mrs Lucas's premises, in tho meantime. —He also explained, as to the proposed filtering reservoir, that it. would be on a small scale, to hold 400 or 500 gallons, or more if the Works Committee thought necessary. Mr J. J. Smith Baid the tanks hold 1200 gallons. Mr J. O. Pitchers paid the reservoir proposed would be of no use without a fiiter, and a larpe expenditure would be thrown on the ratepayers for works which would lead to no practical bouefitto them. His Worship explained that the scheme* had been matured after careful deliberation aud would involve no extra burden on tho ratepayers in the matter of rates. A filtering apparatus formed part of the scheme. As to burdens, there was not a township in the Colony less burdened with rates. In many places the rates amounted to 3s 6d or 4i (id in the potmd while in Ro? burgh the amount was only Is.—The filtering apparatus was estimated to cost £4O or £SO, but possibly it would not cost more than onehalf qf that amount.—For the information of the meeting, the Mayor read the report of Or Meryyn's speech in introducing the motion to the Council, aa it appeared recently in this .Journal. Mr Heron adverted to the fever at Tapanui, and said the expense of the scheme was nothing in a question with fever. Aa to the filtering, it would not prove so expensive as some people;

imagined. The question was one o.t expense against health, and he would rather pay a butcher's or a baker's bill, than a doctor's ; while on account of the improved water supply they would get fire insurances effected at reduced rates. After some observations from Mr Hiscock and Mr J. G. Pitchers, as to the filtering and distribution of the water. His Worship said they would see that the thing is thoroughly gone into, f:otn first to last ; and it will remain with the ratepayers on the polling day to say whether they will agree to the scheme or not. Mr Pitchers wished to know why the scheme was not to be carried out on a more comprehensive plan. Mr Heron replied that when an extension is required it will be acceded to by the Council. Uis Worship, in reply to a question, said the water wduld be brougut in by pipes from the filter. There would ba no open race. Mr Davis: While yon are about it, I hope you will make a complete job of it, and not be coming back for.furttier loans. It is as well to go in for a sheep as a lamb.

Mr Heron : Or a bullock. His Worship asked if any ratepayer present desired any further information, and there being no reply, he declared the meeting closed. A vote of thanks was then, on the motion of Mr Heron, accorded to tha Mayor for presiding, and the proceedingi terminated.