RANGITATA AND ORARI WATER SUPPLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1496, 22 April 1886, Page 2

RANGITATA AND ORARI WATER SUPPLY.

TO THE BDIROT. Sir,—As the Chairman of the County Council took upon himself to call a meeting of those interested in the above scheme, and as he owned to the meeting that the Council desired to delay the water scheme, and made other misleading statements, I should like to rectify some ol them. In the first place, it was not Mr Talbot’s duty to call a meeting of

those interested, because at a previous meeting a sub-Committee was chosen to do all that was needed to work out the scheme, and Mr Talbot was aware of their being chosen. It would bare been the duty of this sub-Committee to call those interested together if they bad got into any difficulty, but I think the sub-Committee could have done all that was needed in an hoar’s time. According to. the Chairman’s opening remarks “ Some of the owners of land included in the district objected to the schema (and the Council thought naturally sc) as the water was of no use to them, but through whose land it would be necessary to go to obtain the water for those situated below,” an4-y then he tells the meeting abont a peti- - tion signed by eleven landowners being sent to the Council pretesting against the scheme. Now these statements are, too, misleading to my idea, for nine ot these petitioners were not in the Water District at all, and the only two who objects are Messrs TLew and Dennistoun. The former gentleman does hot object to the water-race going through his land, only he (very jects to pay water rates, as the water will be of no benefit to bis land, and the Council by refunding bit rates would have removed all objection from him. With regard to Mr DenuUtonn’s;Op» position, it is easily altered by leaving him outside the district altogether.':' If the owners of that Und are so thickheaded that they wili not improve their land, and do not want to be able to carry more stock per acre by paying such a small rate as will be required, the only argument is to leave the lordly squatter to paddle his.own sanoe. The Surveyor’s estimate of- the whole cost of construction of the waterrace amounts to only Is 8d an acre, and I don’t think any one with a grain of sense or a spark of humanity would object to paying a rate on such a small sum, and thereby obtain a plentiful supply of water for their stock, besides the carrying capacity of their land.—l am, etc., P. W. Badham,