THE WATERWORKS BILL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 760, 17 September 1878, Page 2

THE WATERWORKS BILL.

The following letter is from the pen of a gentleman well-known in Oamaru, who appears to be well acquainted with the subject upon which he has written :

To the Honorable the Members of the Legislative Council, per favor of the

editor of the New Zealand Mail

Observing that the BUI '' authorising the Municipal Council of Oamaru to borrow a farther sum of L 40,000, to enable them to complete the scheme for the supply of that town with water, both for domestic use and driving machinery," , after having passed the Lower House is in danger of being rejected by your [ honorable House, I would respectfully try to give a few reasons why your honorable House should hesitate hefore throwing out that B,il}. 4 may premise that Ido S not intend to attempt to say one word in justification of the then Municipal Council of Oamaru going into such an extensive and expensive scheme. I was not a member of the Municipal Council at the r time this scheme was initiated, but T may ' say that, in common with many other \ ratepayers, we deprecated the Council ' undertaking such expensive works, which were fitter for a city of 100,000 inhabi- " tants than for a town of 6000. The makeweight, however, which induced the Council to undertake the scheme was the supplying water for driving machinery. Written applications having been received for the use of 350 horse-power at Lls per horse, to begin with ; and also no town can possibly be worse off for water for domestic use, and in event of fire, why it must just burn itself out. At any rate a Bill was passed which empowered the Council to borrow L 60.000 which they have done, the loan having been successfully floated at LlO3 15s. C "A contract has been let for some L 48,000 to bring the water fully 35 niiles frqm the Waitala River to a reservoir about 3A miles from the Post Office in Oamaru. The land for the reservoir, &c. had to be purchased at a large oost from the New Zealand and Australian Land Com pan v Compensation to a large amount had tn i>o paid various landowners along the 35 miles of race br : Vcanal, all which, with extras on contract, supervision of same, preliminary, legal, and other expenses, interest on our overdraft, <yjc, &c, will far more than exhaust the entire loan, without one penny having been spent on pipes fc,r reticulation. Thus, if this Bill j is not passed, the position of the Council and inhabitants will be thi3 : The water of the Waitaki will be brought into the reservoir three and a-half miles from the •own, and will be no earthly use to any one eitjjer for domestic uqe or machinery. The Corporation will derive no revenue to enable them to pay interest on the L 60,000 already borrowed and expended. There are over a mile of tunnels and six large flumes (one 90ft. high) and the 35 miles of canal, all of which must be kept in repair, and will require constant and expensive supervision, while not a penny will the Corporation receive of revenue ; all of which will be very awkward and most ruinously disastrous to the rising town of Oamaru. It is a matter which will be one of astonishment and regret that opposition should come from the Hon. R. Campbell, who has always been looked upon by the Council as a staunch friend ; and, indeed, as quite a representative man in aught concerning the interests and welfare cf Oamaru. But that a letter written in the heat of a hotly-contested election, when feeling ran high, and hot, biting, stinging sayings were far more studied than careful exactness, should be read in your honorable House as words of sober earnestness, and that your honorable House should be asked to base your decision on a matter of such serious moment to a large and increasing population on an electioneering skit, is surely quite a novelty, and certainly my friend Mr. Hislop never dreamt his letter would be so made use of. I trust the foregoing statement of how the town of Oamaru stands regarding the Lqan Bill Bill now before your honorable House may induce your honorable House, if not yet satisfied as to the necessity existing for this loan, rather to call evidence at the Bar of the House than by throwing out the Bill do a serious injury to the town of Oamaru. I fear I have taken rather an unusual course in thus writing, but the importance and urgency of the matter must be my excuse.—T am, &c,

James Libdle, M.M.C., Oamaru, Wellington, Sept. 9.