MT. WELLINGTON WATER

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 271, 6 February 1928, Page 14

MT. WELLINGTON WATER

RATEPAYERS’ MEETING A largely attended meeting of the ratepayers at the Mount Wellington Koad Board District was held in the Panmure Hall on Saturday evening. Mr. Richards occupied the chair, and during the discussion of the ways find means of supplying the district with water, there were some very lively exchanges of opinion between the chairman, and some of the ratepayers. In his opening remarks, the chairman intimated that their meeting was the outcome of two meetings held in the Panmure Hall, and outlined the spending by the board of £2OO in the sinking of a well, with no profitable results; also the testing of the Panmure Springs, which were condemned by the Health Department, and the negotiations entered into by the board for a supply from the city. During the course of his speech, the board was severely taken to task, for # buying water from the Otahuhu Council, when a free supply of water was available on Mr. Thompson’s property, and it was decided that a delegation wait on the board, end enter a strong protest against charging for the water delivered, under the temporary arrangements. After a good deal of counter talk across the hall it was proposed that the board persevere with work at the present well, and spend up to another £l5O to further test the supply. An amendment by the chairman, was that the Health * Department be asked, if the water in the Panmure Springs could be purified and made fit for human consumption, and that they also ask for a report on the water on the Public Works site. Mr. Dibble rose to speak to the amendment, and was ordered to resume his seat by the chairman. As a result of his refusal to do so, a couple of minutes of very heated argument prevailed, ending in the chairman calling on the constable present, to remove Mr. Dibble from the meeting. However, order was restored on the chairman stating that Mr. Dibble would be given an opportunity later, to speak. When the opportunity arose, Mr. informed the meeting that the t ••

Public Works’ Spring referred to in the amedment had dried up, and the water they wanted to test had gone. He also stated that the Road Board had a full report of the Panmure Springs from the Health Department advising that the water was absolutely unfit for human consumption. After more debating, which at times reached fever heat, the amendment was carried on a show of hands.