The Borough and County Water Supply Question.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3529, 17 April 1880, Page 2

The Borough and County Water Supply Question.

The following report of the interview with Mr Whitaker has been supplied :—

Yesterday morning, the Hon. the At-torney-General, pursuant to arrangements made, met a deputation of members of the Thames Borough and County Councils regarding the longpending dispute between the two bodies as to the interest of the Borough in what ia generally known as the " big race." The deputatian consisted of (for the Borough) the Mayor, Cr Speight, and Mr Dean (Town Clerk); for the County : the County Chairman, and Crs Brown and Porter.

Mr Whitaker gave a short statement as to what he considered the position of affairs to be, and he asked the Mayor to put the Borough view of the matter before him, and state what was required by that Council, and afterwards he would hear the other side from Mr Brodie.

. His Worship the Mayor stated the demands of the Borough, and gava his grounds for the requests, the promises in writing made by the Government in the past that a certain interest in the water conveyed by the big race should be reserved for the town, prior to the race being handed to the County as an endowment. He produced the ultimatum forwarded by the Borough to the County for acceptance, and pointed out the claims which had been agreed to, and those which were still in dispute, and suggested that Mr Whitaker should decide upon the justice, or otherwise of the claim made by the Borough in the claims alluded to.

The County Chairman, placed the matter from a County point of view before Mr Whitaker, showing the water race had been given to them, and the claim made by the Borough coolly proposed to take from the County an amount of water, which, as calculated by him upon, the basis of the prices charged in Auckland, would amount to £4000 per annum. He then produced a document which he said contained provisions by which the race was handed over to the County without any reservations of any

kind, and under which they could, If so disposed, sell the race. He contended that this handing over to the County look place before Government had promised to reserve for the town the thirty gallons per day per head of population, and therefore such promise could be of no effect. He desired to take his stand upon, the agreement made between himself, the late Mayor, and the Hon. John Sheehan at Wellington. At that time the whole question was debated and the concessions granted by the County were to be paid for by a vote of £2500 from the Government.

Mr Porter followed by saying that this was the first time the letter containing the promise to the Borough had been produced, and he felt quite sure that if it had been produced six months ago the matter would have been settled.

Mr Speight, M.H.S., wished to correct Mr Brodie as to the date of the letter giving the Borough certain rights being subsequent to the transferring of the big race to the County, as in point of fact, that transferrence had not even yet taken place. In 'proof of this he stated, that on the occasion of the visit of Mr Wakefield, who came to the Thames for the purpose of completing the transferrence of the race to the County, the claim of the Borough was pointed out to (hat gentleman, and by him ignored, and as the result of that ignoring the Government were now called upon to pay compensation to the tune of £2500. / He briefly reviewed all the negotiations which had taken place regarding the Water Supply up to the present date, and informed Mr Whitaker that he expressed the views of the Borough Council when he stated that so far as they were concerned, so strongly did they feel the strength of the position that standing upon the guarantee made by the to reserve an interest in the race for them they were satisfied to let the present negotiations lapse, end go to Parliament for compensation for the loss of their rights, which would suit them just as well as water from the big race, as money could get them water elsewhere sufficient to meet all their possible requirements. He further pointed out the fact that proposing to give any money at all to the County, proved that the Borough possessed a right to water which the Governmont had given away to the County, and now left compelled to buy back for the Borough for £2500. He would prefer claiming, under the promise of the Government, 30 gallons per day without any restriction as to the-purposes to which it would be applied. Regarding the Borough taking over the debts of the Supply Committee, he contended that all the rights of the committee must also go with the debts, and unless they did, the Borough would have nothing to do with taking over that body's duties.

Mr Brown spoke of himself as a sort of medium man between the conflicting parties. He thought it was a mistake for the County to attempt to dictate to the Borough as to the purposes to which they should apply any water they possessed or might obtain, and so on the other hand the Borough ought not to seek to bind the County not to supply water for domestic purposes within its own boundaries as long as the Borough was also permitted to supply within the area covered by the Water Supply Committee. He thought the thing could be settled by the Borough obtaining the supply promised them, and let them do whatever they liked with it.

After considerable discussion, it was agrerd that the County was to supply— Ist. By meter water into the 9 inch main or into a reservoir, if preferred by the Borough, an amount of water per day equal to 30 gallons per head of the Borough population reckoned upon the census for the time being. 2nd. No restriction is to be placed upon the Borough as to the uses they will apply the water to. 3rd. All the rights and powers of the Domestic Water Supply Committee are to be rested in the Borough Council by a bill to be prepared by Mr Whitaker and introduced next session of Parliament. Memo—This right includes the supplying of the three ridings of ■, the County; but no provision is contained which will give the Borough the sole right of "so'"supplying—a right' stoutly contended for by the Town Clerk, but which Mr Whitaker thought should have no place in the agreement, as whatever powers the law. gave the County in their dealings with the race, water in their own jurisdiction must be dealt with by them as they saw fit. If the law allowed them to supply water for domestic purposes, which he would not say it did or did not, then he could not interfere with that right, so on the other hand the County could have no possible claim to enter the boundaries of the Borough for the purpose of competing in water supply. 4th. A document containing the foregoing terms of agreement to be prepared by Mr Whitaker for the signatures of the authorities in Borough and County, after which £3500 will be paid by the Government to the County, £1000 of which is for the transference of their interest in the Domestic Water Supply.

The deputation then withdrew, after thanking Mr Whitaker for the trouble he had been put to over the matter.