SUCCESS ACHIEVED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 91, 8 December 1931, Page 5

SUCCESS ACHIEVED

SUBURBAN DRAINAGfi SOCIAL TO CELEBRATE END; OF CONTRACTOR'S TASK " GRINTER BROS. HONOURED* M.embers of the Rotorua Borough Council Drainage Committee last night tendered a smoke social to tT)h contraqtors, Messrs Grinter Brqs. to celebrate the completion of tlie suBurban drainage sqheme. The 'soeial was held at the Ge'yser Hotel., Z The task undertaken by Messrs., Grinter Bros. has proyed oUe of ririusual difficulty having been complicated by the presence of undefgroririd streams and ground* conditions pqbular to Rotorua,... but the mariy 6hstacles have at last all beeri successfully overcome. . ' Councillor. O,. H. Goleman, chairmqri of the committee, occtipied the • cjiair and the places of hbnour werd occupied by Messrs J. A. and F- Grinter, the contractors. After the toast of "The King-" had been honoured, an brdhestral itern was rendered by an instrumenfal quartet under the baton of Mr. Tregilgas. "We meet to-night," sqid the chairman, "in honpur of " Grintqr Brqthprs to cqlebrate the, suqcessful completion of the subnrbrip drainage system." Mr. Goleman then outliried the many difficulties enqountejed, not only. by the Borough Counqil at the initial stages pf the scheme, hui also by the drainage engineer, Mr F. J. Lenihan, and. the contractprs, before the job was finally brought to a successfpl conclnsion, Mr. Soleman emphasised the hqcessity for a proper drainage system to avoid the ppssibil-ity of danger to hqalth. He then outlined the work entailed since the- project was first suggested, commexicing with his Worship the Mayor, . Mr.' T. Jackson,, who, he said, was the father pf the scheme. He traced the work ef- thq. council, the drainage committee, thq Tourist Department and the contractors. ; Tribqte to MayorReferring to the Mayor, Mr. Coleman, said that Mr. Jackson had pro- , mised that the scheme would be completed for the stipula'ted cost arid' the ratepayers would be gfati'fied. to learn that it had been dorie for le-ss; He also commended Mr Jackson for his persistence in' seeing the scheme through, despite ppposition mosfcly from people not directly interestq'd. The coritractors received special. mention by Mr. Coleman, whp described their work as a gr,eat achievement. A few months -ago, he said, the site of the pumping station was a sea of mud and he b'r.iefly outlined the difficulties encountered by them when dealing with the job. He-.highly commended the way they had stuck to their task, "The ratepayers of Rotorua," Said Mr Coleman, "owe a debt of gratitude to Grinter Brothers for the wajj they have carried out tfrieir contract. Mr. J. A. Grinter in reply thanked Mr. Coleman for his kind expreqsions. He said that they had had. q job to do and they had to- cafry.-d.ji| their obligations. Hq" then called on his brother to say a few words . as, he said, he had done the major po'rtion of the work. Mr. Grinter also paid tribqte to the assistance given by Mr. A. ,G. Thompson, the water diviner, and expressed gratitude for his valuable and voluntary work and advice. Mr. F. Gintqr .suppremente'd his hrother's remarks and again thanked Mr. Coleman, ■ . " A toast tp the drainage engineer, Mr. Lenihan, was proposed by his Worship the Mayor, 'who ,cOupied with it the name of the Borough Engineer, Mr. F. C. Bunyard, A. Reputation Made * "When I made a bargain With Mr Lenihan to take on the job/' said Mr. Jackson, "it was the best bargain, JL ever made. From stqrt to fin-ish he has heen thorough and Pfficient and the finished .scheme is. av monument to him and with ifc-he. has achieved a reputation that will carry him far."- 1 Mr. Lenihan in reply said that: in the course of construeting the system he had struck every type pf gqing, from extremely good tQ extreniqly l)ad. - "Although pipqs had been iaid," he continued, "they becamg unlaid, although trenches werq , dug they filled themselves in agaip, .qnd although water was pumped, there was always more water tq repiace it " We have now completed q .sehenie which I can confidently say will give no trouble." " Mr. Lenihan praised Messrs Grinter Brothers for their efficienji wor^, making special reference " to" My. Frank Grinter, for whom he had unbounded admiration. He thanked. the contractors, the drainage eompiitlee and his Worship the Mayor fpr. their assistance. Mr. Lenihan alsQ qulogised Mr. Bunyard and Mr. Celepaan for their part in the'.scKqnjq, Mr. Bunyard suitabiy r'eplied, Other toasts honoured werpr The Drainage Committee, prppqsed by Cr. W. Galbraith and replied to by Cr. G. Urquhart; the Tpurist; Department, proposed by Cr. N. M. iECeane and rfeplied to by 'Mr. L., J. Bayfeild, district manager at Rotorua; his Worship the Mayor, prpposed by Cr. E. T. Johnson; the Mayor of Cainbridge (Mr. C. B. Priestly, who Was present at the social), proppsed-.hy Mr. J. D. Davys; the water diviner, Mr. A. G. Thompson, proposed • by Mr. F. Grinter; the Municipal Band, proposed by Mr. Kentjohnson (Auckland) coupling the name-Vpf Mr. Tregilgas; the Press, proposed by Mr. W. A. McLean; the Tofwri Clerk, proposed by Cr. G. Urquhart; the Borough Solicitor (Mr. J. D. Davys) proposed by Cr. Keane; ,the

Hosts, proppsed by Mr. Priestly apd replied to by Cr. Coleman ;, the chairman, proposed by Mr. Jackson. • During the evening enjoyable musical items were given by "an instrumental quartet under the baton of Mr. Tregilgas; songs by; Messrs. J. Buchan and J. H. Thomas, and speeial humprous recitations by Mr. T. Jqckson and- Mr. Priqstly.