Water Everywhere

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 37, 6 May 1927, Page 9

Water Everywhere

But Little Fit To Drink Commission in South Auckland (THE SUN'S Special Representatiiie) HAMILTON, Friday. According to the stories told the Royal Commission in'quiring into Auckland’s water supply yesterday, while travelling from Auckland to Hamilton, the residents of the various townships can look out of their doors and see millions and millions of gallons c? water, but are often faced with great difficulty in securing any for household purposes.

Having completed its business in Auckland, the commission has adjourned, and the members left Auckland yesterday morning to visit Arapuni, whence they proceed to Wellington. Their duties prior to formulating their report 'were not concluded in Auckland, for the commission decided to meet representatives of the local bodies on the approximate route of any water supply pipe-line from Taupo or .Arapuni. Several of these bodies have made communications to the commission. The object was to see whether any of the smaller schemes could be brought in under the big scheme. The commissioners were accompanied yesterday by several officials, and the party included Messrs. A. W. Blair, A. D. Dobson, and A. J. Baker (the commissioners), and Messrs. J. A. Mitchell, secretary, Dr. Chesson, Medical Officer of Health, W. E. Bush, city engineer, W. Carr, waterworks engineer, W. A. Gray, consulting engineer, and E. H. Potter, Mayor of Mount Eden. SCOPE INSUFFICIENT The most noticeable point about the conferences between the commissioners and the local body representatives was that, on appearances, the' scope of the commission’s work was restricted in an unfortunate manner. It has to report on the water supply to the metropolitan area. Several opinions expressed to THE SUN representative who travelled with the party were to the effect that, as the commission had to consider Taupo and Arapuni, its order of reference should have been extended to cover all the prospects, and particularly those concerning territory on the pipe-line route, which is without water or short of it.

It was contended that, considering the work and the expense of the present commission, it should have been asked to report not only on the metropolitan scheme, but should also have received evidence and opinions concerning all the including the number of prospective consumers between say Arapuni and Auckland, and their relation to the cost of the venture. However, this aspect has been remedied to some extent by the action taken by the commissioners on their way south yesterday, and they will be in a position to at least give an outline of the side issues. TUAKAU AT A LOSS

The party’s first call was at Tuakau, a place with an area of 1,200 acres, and a population of some 750, no water and no sewerage.

“We can’t get water anywhere with our means,” the chairman of the Tuakau Town Board, Mr. W. J. Taylor, told the commissioners. “We have to rely on someone coming through with water and giving us some. It is no use messir" round the way they are in Auckland. They should grasp the thing, and get it done.”

The acting-town clerk, Mr. Arrowsmith, was cautious enough to remind the party the township was not in a position to think of putting in more than two miles of pipe to the main pipe-line. HUNTLY’S DIFFICULTY

Mr. E. George and Dr. McDiarmid were the principal representatives at Huntly, and they told the party that their town spread along the river for four miles, and had no water sup-

ply, and consequently no sewerage. Mr. George said they were counting on Arapuni or Taupo being brought in to get them out of their difficulty. They considered the town had excellent prospects, but the supply of water was a problem. Even pumping from the river was quite beyond them. A scheme had been submitted in 1920 which would cost £41,000. The scheme would mean charging about 5s a week for every house in Huntly, and was impossible, even if the cost were now 20 per cent less. Mr. Blair said the Taupo scheme had been practically abandoned by the advocates, and was not likely to be considered seriously by the commission. A huge tunnel, and 150 miles of pipe-line, represented a cost that could not be considered foi another 50 years. Mr. Baker, another commissioner, remarked later that Arapuni would not have a much shorter pipe-line, and even if it did not have a tunnel the water had to be pumped, and the final cost would not be- much less. Mr. George said 250,000 gallons a day would be wanted sooner or later. It seemed to Mr. Baker that the best plan for small townships along the river was to put in their own small plants, drawing on the river. NGARUAWAHIA SATISFIED The town clerk at Ngaruawahia * Id the party that they had spent nearly £21,000 on their scheme, and had a supply of water for some eight or ten years. There was no sewerage. The working cost of the water scheme was very, very small. It was learned during discussion that the town had built a town hall costing £IO,OOO, on which it was losing £3OO a year. A member of the party remarked that it looked as if they would have done better by putting in sewerage, but he supposed the town was satisfied. Another member remarked that the town was mostly streets, and the cost of sewerage would be very heavy. HAMILTON SATISFIED Hamilton Borough Council nad all its material ready, and the commission was told that the water supply was just satisfactory, and capable of considerable improvement. Publio opinion is that the water is fairly good, but when we go to Auckland we think our water is very good indeed," remarked Mr. O. Farrer, acting in the Mayor’s absence. He said the pressure was low, and the fire-rate high, and it was estimated that £18,500 was required to meet the present increased demand. The present plant, if scrapped, would not bring more than £2,500, and the engineer was of opinion that unless the Water Board could supply puie sparkling water at 3d to 3id per 1,000 gallons, Hamilton was not interested. Mr. Blair was led to remark that apparently several bodies with present plants in the Waikato could produce water at less than it could be supplied from Taupo ir Arapuni. Information of this kind was of extreme value, as indicative of the advisability or otherwise of recommending the Arapuni scheme. To-day the party is visiting Cambridge and Arapuni, and the members will then proceed to Wellington.