THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. TUESDAY. AUGUST 22, 1916 TO-MORROW'S LOAN POLL

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 202, 22 August 1916, Page 2

THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times

PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS.

TUESDAY. AUGUST 22, 1916 TO-MORROW'S LOAN POLL

The Official Organ ot . The Franklin County Council. The Pukokohe Borough Council. The Tuakau Town Board.. The Karaka Road Board. The Pokeno Road Board, The Wairoa Road Board. The Papakura Town Board. The Waikato River Board. The Mprcer Town Board. The Manurewa Town Board

" We nothing extenuate, nor let down auaht in malice

Io the poll to be taken to-morrow concerning the loin .scheme of the Pukekohe Borough Council the actual issue at stake has a far more leaching bearing on the future of tbe borough than is apparent on a casual survey of the merits or dements of the combined proposals on which the ratepayers are asked to vote. With a view of making tbe position assured the Council was requested by the Chamber o#- Commerce to give an undertaking that the water scheme, as designed by the Waterworks Engineer, Mr W. Wyatt, should be endorsed and carried into execution by som? Auckland hydraulic engineer, whos2 word would carry weight, the scheme as framed "on paper" receiving the Chamber's support. In r.o way was any suggestion put forward that Mr 1). W. McArthur wai not competent to advise on, or to supervise the carrying out, of Mr Wyatt's scheme. The Chamber, however, considered that the Council in their selection of Mr McArthur as the engineer to give advice on the ccherne and to control its execution had created doubts in the minda of ratepayers seeing that Mr McArthur, without paying a visit to Pukekohe, furnished a verification of the scheme and would not, by virtue of being a "whole time" olticial employed by the i'iako County Council as their engineer, be able ta be constantly in attendance at Pukekohe to control its installation. The ratepayers have a light to claim that every possible assurance that a further ttOOO tacked on to the already heavy outlay fur water is |/.omg to provide the reli<-1 I" o.\i*ting ilnnUvaiilageM thai is claimed for it. In the event of

the position will assuredly be that confronted by past failures every loan scheme introduced 10 the future will be doomed t) failure, and that is sitrplv the undesirable climax that the Chamber of Commercs is striving against. For instance, surely the very essence of a transformation of the water supply -is dependent on the purity of the water that is to be utilised, but extraordinary to relate the analysis of the water on which the Council depends was mad« six years ago in the time of the old lowu Board, whilst it cannot be denied that only a lew months ago th 3 Kev. H. Mason, of water "divmirg" fame, when con Mil a. d by the Council, on visiting dickcv'i Dam gave advice that, having rrgsrd to the risk uf pollution due to the lay of the country, Hickev's Dam should not be used as a source of supply. If tbe loan fails to iind favour to-morrow it will not be aue to a distrust of Mr Wyatt's proposals, but only an intimation to the Council that the benefit of further expert advice is required by the ratepayers before they are prepared to agree t3 the spending of any further money tor water supply purposes. Favour for electric light shoud not weigh with the ratepayers as that issue, although combined in the present loan, can be subsequently re-introduced without delay and kept entirely apart from any other loan proposal.

A circular, signed by the Mayor and Cr Barter, has been issued tbis afternoon, but at such a late boor time does not permit of statement! made therein being combatted. We are authorised, however, by Mr Frank Perkins, a vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce, to deny the suggestion contained in the circular that be absented himself trom the Chamber's meetirg as a protest against action being taken, the reason for his non-attendance being solely due to being detained at home. The circular also refers

to the proposals being given months of serious thought by the Council and yet, as stated above, the very groundwork of the ocheme, namely, thatvthe water should be proved to be pare, did not receive attention from the Council. Then sgain the Mayor" and Cr Barter claim that all doubts have been dispelled as to the efficiency of the ram that is to be installed. The installation and working of a similar device at the Lansdowne Waterworks, under the Masterton County Council, was quoted at list week's meeting of ratepayers as furnishing evidence of its capabilities and reliability. We have, however, been to-day supplied by the Masterton County Clerk with particulars of the installation referred to. The total population served from the Lansdowne Waterworks dce3 not exceed 700, and to raise water to an altitude of 140 feet THREE rams are operating, each of a specified capacity of 40,000 gallons per 24 hours.* For Pukekobe the proposal is, with a population to bs served of nearly double that served by the Lanedowne Works, to instal only ONE ram, the capacity being 56,000 gallons every 24 hours, the height to which is ntended to lift the water being 185 feet. A comparison of the respective figures must certainly provide food for thought. Further, the County Clerk states that a caretaker is employed to superintend the running of the rams, the said running being termed by him aa being "generally reliable."