WATER AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9091, 16 May 1908, Page 5

WATER AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS.

—««» SPECIAL MEETING OF BOROUGH COUNCIL. DISCUSSION OF ENGINEER'S REPORTS. POLL TO BE TAKEN FOR DRAINAGE LOAN. There was a full attendance at the Masterton Borough Council, last evening, when the report of Mr G. Laing-Meason on the improvement and extension of the water and drainage of the borough was discussed. The Mayor (Mr P. L. Hollings) said that he had spent a lot of time over and given a lot of study to the reports of Messrs Laing-Meason and Dobson, and had arrived at certain conclusions, which perhaps other councillors had done too. Regarding the drainage question he had come to the conclusion that it was absolutely necessary that the recommendations made for extension should be adopted, especially as one of the best engineering authorities in New Zealand had borne out the opinion in this respect of another competent authority, Mr Dobson. their reports being in the main co-incidental. It seemed to the speaker the safest and best course to adopt the advice of competent men on such matters, men whose business it was to treat of such proposals—and the Council had recognised this also by engaging Mr Laing-Meason, even though it cost £l5O. The question was however, a serious one, involving an estimated expenditure of over £23,000, but he repeated that to him it was urgently necessary in the intarests of the safety, health, and decency of the borough. It seemed to him that the Council's duty lay in giving the ratepayei's an opportunity of sanctioning or refusing a loan to cary out the scheme of the engineers, and there the Council's responsibility would end, and the ratepayers' responsibility begin. A point which had occurred to him was whether Mr Laing-Meason should be engaged to supervise the work, or whether a permanent engineer should be prorured whose duty it would be to carry out the scheme. He thought, however, that this question could be. held over until the ratepayers had given their decision at the poll on the loan question. Regarding the water schemes two alternative schemes had been put before them by Mr Laing-Meason, the first of which would cost £9OO, and en the engineer's own report serve the town for several years to come, giving a supply of about 130 gallons per head of population up to 8,000 people. The other scheme would not give a better pressure or more supply, and with a heavy drainage loan to be faced he had come to the conclusion that it would not be advisable to ask the ratepayers to saddle themselves with an extra £lO 000. He quoted Mr Laing-Meason's report to show that that engineer himself advised that the larger scheme of water improvement meant pro\iling a pure luxury, and he thought that the Council could not close its eyes to the advice of men of experience in such matters. He went so far as to say that if No. 1 scheme was adopted the town would not be without water during the summer months, as it had beer; last summer. If the Council thought, however, that it would be better to take the opinion of the ratepayers on the £IO,OOO scheme he was not going to stand in the way of such being done, but personally he did not think the scheme necessary at the present time. Cr Pragnell: Put in the t,vo issues, No 1. and No. 2 schemes. The Mayor said that No. 1 scheme had been practically half completed, an i it seemed that only about £450 remained to be spent on it, and this could be expended out of revenue. He wished all to understand that he had a perfectly open mind on the mntter, and was quite open to conviction. t Cr J. H. Pauling said he was entirely in accord with what the Mayor had said, and he was prepared to support any motion embodying His Worship's ideas. Cr J. C. Ewintgon said he was also in sympathy with the proposals as outlined by the Mayor, but would like to see added to the amount proposed to be raised sufficient to include the cost of connecting up private properties with the drainage system, the property-owners to repay the Council for the same by instalments. He instanced the difficulty that had been experienced in the past in this connection, and thought it would popularise the loan with ratepayers if this were done.. He endorsed the Mayor's remarks in the main, and said he had little doubt as to the result of a poll. Cr J. Hunter said that as far as the drainage scheme was concerned there wa3 little question as to the best course to adopt. With the water supply, however, it was a different matter, as the two engineer's reports on this question were in material particulars as wide apart as the two poles. He said that while Mr Laing-Meason had reported that the present mains were capable of carrying two and a half times their present capacity, Mr Dobson said that to improve the reticulation the town mains would have to be increased. On the question of storage capacity at the reservoir, Mr Laing-Meason hud apparently considered any alteration or addition unnecessary, while Mr Dobson had said that there too increased capacity would be necessary. Cv Hunter said he had at first thought that it would be preferable to engage a permanent engineer before the scheme was put before the ratepayers, but jii second thoughts hi' considered it better to put the proposals before the ratepayers, giving them an assurance that a competent engineer would ha\e the carrying out of the work. He certainly favoured obtaining more information on the matter. Cr Pragnell supported the placing of the proposals bafore the ratepayers. He favoured, however, the raising of a loan of £25,000 for the drainage, in order to make all allowances, and for the better and more complete supplying of the borough with water in various thoroughfares, where now water mains were not down. He also considered that the ratepayers should be given an opportunity of choosing between No. 1 and No. 2 schemes. Cr Prentice said he was glad to see that the Council was generally in favour of taking a poll on the schemes. He also was in favour of the people having the choice of

th e two schemes, on the ground that Mr Laing-Meason's calculations l 'egarding water supply had been ba 9e d more on city requirements th. W country ones, where gardens were' more 'plentiful,, and a greater str made on the supply. It meant otherwise that astringent by-law would'-have to be framed to maintain the estimated household supply. Cr Haughty said he was pleased to give his support to the placing of the proposals befort* the ratepayers, but he was very strcr%''y impressed with the necessity cf giving them a chance to say whether khey would or would not have the water scheme. Cr Elliott waa in complete 1 accord, with the Mayor's remarks iir every detail. On the question of water extension it waa, he thought, advisable before they spent any large sdrn, to wait until it were necessary to make the supply absolutely unfailing and reliable by going higher up the river to the gorge. The Mayor pointed out, after some 1 further discussion re the drainage, that the reports had not included the probable cost of land which might be required to be purchased, or compensation which might become payable. Other contingencies might also arise, while further Mr Dobsm had estimated the cost at £26,000 and Mr Laing-Meason at £23,000. He thought it would be advisable to arrange for the raising of a loan of £30,000, which should amply cover all the work of drainage and additional wafer service in new steets in connection with aainage, while as the Council were not necessay compelled to take up the full amount, it would be belter to have ample to carry out the scheme than to rind themselves stuck up at the finish for a comparatively small sum. The following resolution, proposed by the Mayor, and seconded by Cr Ewington, was then put and carried unanimously:— "That the Town Clerk be instructed to take the necessary steps to take a poll of the ratepayers to borrow the sum of £30,00t) for the purposes of earriyng out the extension of the drainage and sewerage, system of the borough." Applause followed the carrying of the resolution, Councillors congratulating His Worship on the way in whiih he had treated the subject and on his success up to the present point. The question of whether the £IO,OOO water scheme should be submitted to the ratepayers was then discussed, Cr Haughey being particularly ' anxious that the ratepayers should have a chance of refusing it, if they so desired. The Mayor then made a suggestion which met with entire approval, and moved that a committee, composed of Crs Haughey, Hunter, Ewington, Pragnel, Pauling and Elliott be appointed to analyse and examine the two reports on the water supply, and to make necessary inquiries and take any evidence they deemed necessary, in order to report to the Council whether No. 1 or No. 2 scheme should be adopted, or any other scheme, and the same submitted to' the ratepayers. In support of his motion, Mr Hollings said he could see a thousand questions ratepayers might ask regarding both schemes to which a thousand satisfactory answers could not be given, and a complete grasp of all that was intended to be done was essential if the ratepayers were to be approached. Cr Yarr seconded this motion, which was also carrried unanimously. The Mayor, in conclusion, pointed out that the committee might get to work early in order to facilitate matters for the taking of the poll. The Council then adjourned.