The Evening Mail. MONDAY, APRIL 15, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 609, 15 April 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. MONDAY, APRIL 15, 1878.

The Waterworks debentures have been floated. The exact rate has not been made public, but we know enough to lead us to the conclusion that the price is higher than even the most sanguine Councillor dreamed it would be. There i 3 surely now no valid reason why the Waterworks should not be pushed ahead more vigorously in the future than they have been in the past. The contract time will terminate in sixteen months, and, at the rate at which the work is now being carried on, the contract will not be finished till then. It is not to the interest of the contractors to use, without inducement, more than ordinary speed in the execution of their contract, because it would entail extra expense, and they will therefore, like others of their class, probably sail as close to the wind as possible. We have it upon good authority that the whole work could be completed in ten months. Would not the Council be warranted in offering a bonus as an inducement to Messrs. Henderson and Co. to hurry on, and bring the water into Oamarn within that period, or thereabouts ? It is only reasonable to suppose that the contractors would not be too exacting as to amount. If it would cost them—say one or two thousand thousand pounds additional to perform the work in ; the lesser time, they would be glad to take some small advance on that sum ns their share of the advantage which their celerity had wrought. And what would our advantage be? At the present moment we are paying interest on the sum that lias already been expended—a sum which cannot be much less than L 20,000. This amount will gradually increase as the works progress, and the interest will, of course, increase in a corresponding ratio. It will, therefore, be seen at a glance that the sooner the contract is finished, and the Council is receiving some return to enable it to meet pajments of interest, the better. When it is considered that the expenses for ! inspection, &c, are very great, it will be seen that it behoves the Council to make any reasonable bargain whereby taxpayers may receive the advantage for which they are paying without unnecessary delay. Up to the present time the outlay for inspecting and engineering has been out of all proportion to the amount of work done ; and if the Council can induce the contractors to complete the work, say in ten months, by paying a reasonable bonus, it is their duty to do so, for they could pay the bonus out of the amount saved in salaries. i This is looking at the matter solely from a | Council point of view. But it has another aspect. The people of this town ought not to be allowed to remain without a water supply throughout another summer. It will be unnecessary for us to enlarge on this question. STot a few persons who cannot be reckoned amongst the well-to-do classes know too well what it id to want for a drink of pure water when most required. Imagine women and. children being compelled to take into their systems water that has trickled into wells from the ', surface, having carried with it numerous inpurities, or the unsavoury fluid—half drink and half meat—from that dribbling, feeble stream the Oamaru Creek. The idea iiaelf i» eminently satisfying, If t

fever should lay hold upon this community under such circumstances, there should be no cause for surprise. We have reason to be thankful that we have, whilst violating the laws of nature, been so free from disease and death. It is, however, just as well not to prolong the experiment. We recommend the consideration of our suggestion to the Council, a3 we are convinced that by paying a reasonable bonus to get the water brought into Oamaru at the earliest possible date, they would be consulting their own interests and the health of the public.