CITY COUNCIL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5311, 3 April 1878, Page 3

CITY COUNCIL.

A meeting of the City Council in committee on waterworks was; held yesterday. Present —His Worship the Mayor, and Councillors George, Greenfield, Hunter, Allen, Maginity, Allan, Logan, Macdonald, and Dixon. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The City Engineer reported on the water from the Corporation mains used by the various breweries, manufactories, and other places using ’ water for machinery, showing the amount consumed daily. Including the city watering, the consumption was equal to thirty gallons per head for a population of 5300, or 160,000 gallons per day. The total amount of water which came down the stream from which the supply was drawn was 32,000 gallons; and it appeared, therefore, that one-half the available water supply was used for machinery purposes. ; The Town Clerk read a sot of draft rules prepared by the Engineer and himself, which were adopted. The charge for water for hydraulic lifts, breweries, &c., was fixed at Is. 6d. per 1000 gallons, and it was decided to cut off the supply from persons using water engines next morning. It was stated that the contractor for the fencing had become insolvent, and it was agreed to transfer his contract to another person who was able and willing to carry it out. The City Engineer reported that there was considerable waste of water, and consequent loss to the Corporation, in consequence of many persons having connected their own water-pipes with the Corporation pipes unskilfully. It was resolved. that in future every application for water service should he accompanied by the name of a skilled plumber, and that no such plumber should be allowed to connect with the Corporation mains until he had first obtained a license from the City Council, on the same principle as that adopted by the Gas Company. A long discussion took place respecting the admission of the representatives of the Press to committee meetings. It was ultimately resolved to refer the question to the whole Council, and in the meantime to allow the reporters to attend.