THE DRAINAGE SCHEME.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 2, Issue 100, 10 June 1913, Page 4

THE DRAINAGE SCHEME.

Letter of Explanation.

At Wednesday's meeting ct the Puktkohe Burcugh Council the following Utter was received frcm Mr J. Koutly:- " When looking over the issua of the'Pukekohe and Waiuku 7irr.es," dated Mav 23rd, 1913, I came acrisi the report of a discussion re torough sanitation, which took place at the Council meetirg held on Wednesday ever.ine, 21st in-t. I wish t> call the Council's Etter.tion lo a few rratters iv my report ar.d the initiation of a scheme for drainirg tha more thickly populated and Lvellyirg pait9 or the township. "(a) 'ihe repo:t whim I submitted several months ago was merely a preliminary one, based upon the kr.owkdje I previously had of the topography of the township, and c:ct ot materials ar.d labour to lay down a system over certain distances and to serve a populatioo the Lumber of which was stated in the report. "(b) There was no special survey made upon which to base the report. At very short nutice and with a stii.t view to economy as to the cost cf the report, I simply s'at=.d the main facts which will have to he faced. When the proprsal was lost at the poll, smne person writing inccgniio attributed the failure of the proposal as being largely due to lack of confidence on the part of the ratepayers i:i the person who had been called upon to furnish what never was ii.tended to be more than a preliminary report givirg approximations. In fact, that was what the Council expressly usk-d me to sjpply. My own opinion aa to the real cause of the failure of the proposal is that the ratepayers had straightway to face heavy burdens, and they decided to defer the day when they would take on this additional on?. "(c) As considerable lmi-appre-h:nsion appears to exist even amongst members of the Council as to the method of procedure which it would be advisable to adapt, I am writing this letter to the Council as an endeavour to clear a*ay some of the difficuly. "(d) I woull EUggest that tha first advisable step following upon the report already in the possessioa of tha Council is to eezure the opinion of the ratepayers as to whetler drainage should be proceeded with immediately or not. If the ratepayers decide at a public meeting that the matter should be further deferred—well, defer it. If, on the other hand, the ratepayers call upon the Council to proceed, then incur the expense incident to the preparation of a detailed scheme and not till then. When the detailed scheme has been prepared ti.en something qui'e definite would lie before those having to foot the bill, and the ratepayers could again be called together and the matter finally discussed before the Council proceeded to carry out the work. "(e) As to myself being a suitable person to undertake the scheme, I have nothing to say except that I believe I do my work pr: tty thcroughly, and that I never had any intention of committing the people resident in PukeHhe to a scheme which had not passed through the hands of more than one capable person In fact, my first care, for lack of time ai.d ether reasons, would be to cull in assistance and ehare the work with a good engineer, and thai person probably the gentleman who until recently was assistant and second orly on the Auckland drainage scheme to Mr Bush, City Engineer. "The foregoing may assist the Council and allay any unnecessary misgivuga which hava troubled ratepayers and the gentlemen occupying the responsible position of Councillors."