WATER FOR ROSKILL

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 723, 24 July 1929, Page 7

WATER FOR ROSKILL

OFFER HELD OVER FOR DISCUSSION POSSIBLE SUMMER SHORTAGE j A letter to the Mount Roskill Road ■ Board was read at its meeting last j evening from the One Tree Hill Road Board offering to supply water on the following terms: —Any quantitj* up to 70,000 gallons a day for a period of j five years, from April 1 to October 31 j in each year, for lOd a thousand gal- j lons. During the remaining live mouths, the quantity supplied would vary according to the quantity available. The installation of four-inch meters and fittings, estimated to cost £IBO, would be charged to the Mount Roskill Board. It was pointed out that, owing to the recurrence of dry periods during the summer, the One Tree Hill Board could not guarantee a fixed supply all the year round, as its local consumption at times approached the capacity of the existing plant, and in view' of the strong probability of the forma - tiontion of an Auckland Provincial Water Board in the near future, it was j not deemed prudent to go to the expense of installing an additional plant to cope with the peak load in summer. The letter also indicated that, if the above terms w r ere accepted and a daily average of 60,000 gallons taken for 210 days in the year, the net saving to Mount Roskill would amount to £262 a year, apart from any consideration in regard to water which may be supplied during the remaining five months of the year. In referring to the purity of the One Tree Hill supply, it was stated that, although the City Council chlorinated its water, it did not. use a modern plant such as that installed by the One Tree Hill Board, and periodical examination by Dr. Gilmour, of the Auckland Hospital Board, had shown the latter’s supply to be absolutely pure. It was also pointed out that, in fixing the price at lOd a thousand gallons. the net profit -would be very small as the cost of pumping and filtering amounted to 7.17 d a thousand gallons. Tlie board’s engineer, Mr. J. Darlington Whitmore, reported that tlie district was served from three sources —Auckland City, Mount Eden and Onehunga. There were 36 miles of water mains in the district. The pressure from the One Tree Hill supply was 801 b to the square inch and gave a flow of 320 gallons a minute. That from the cit}' gave 791 b w r ith a flow of 350 gallons a minute. He regarded, it as unfortunate that Mount Roskill should be iu the position of being supplied by outside authorities, as the feeder mains were far too small for its necessities. He considered that the eventual solution would be found in the establishment, of a Metropolitan Water Board and suggested that in the meantime an endeavour should be made to obtain better services from the authorities now' supplying the district. The chairman, Mr. E. F. Jones, moved that the question be deferred until the next meeting. Mr. G. E. Tansley moved an amendment to the effect that a deputation interview the Waterworks Committee of the Auckland City Council with a view' to securing a cheaper and better service. Ho characterised the One Tree Hill Board’s offer as useless because it failed to guarantee a summer supply, and would necessitate going cap in hand to the City Council at a time when w'ater supplies were short. He wanted to get rid of Mount Eden, he said, and considered that any further negotiations with One Tree Hill would only prolong the agony. The chairman, however, ruled Mr. Tansley’s amendment out of order and the original motion w'as carried, Messrs. Tansley and Scarborough dissenting.