WATER AND GAS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10135, 8 December 1910, Page 5

WATER AND GAS.

DISCUSSED BY THE BOROUGH COUNCIL. PROPOSALS ADOPTED. A meeting of the Masterton Borough Council was held in committee last evening, to consider tiie questions of the present position of the gasworks and tlio high-pressure water supply. His Worship the Mayor (Mr J. M. Coradine), presided, and there were also present Councillors Pauling, Elliott, Temple, Hoar, Rigg, Pragnell, Prentice and Morris. The first matter dealt with was that pertaining to the gas. The Mayor explained that when the new gasworks were erected it was decided that a sum of £12,000 be expended, and that the gas manager be permitted to expend £SOO per year in extending the gas system, it was for the Council to decide whether this policy should be continued. Then there was the question of street lighting. The manager had reported that the. clock--.gntiug system was unsatisfactory, and i,iat many of the street lamps required restoring. He had suggested that a high-pressuro system be installed in place" of the present clock system. The manager of the gasworks (Mr Blackman) stated that two new arches of retorts were about to be installed. A third retort would not be required until i 912. The purifying boxes had yet to be removed from the old works to the new. It was proposed early in the new year to remove e boxes. The cost of these two works was estimated at £SOO. He also wanted a coke and coal store, which would cost £2OO. A sum of £7OO would suffice for the works this year and next year. Cr Hoar: But what- about the street lighting? Mr ulacKman stated that this was another matter, lb was a question whether the lighting should be n charge against the general account or the loan account. 'There was certain main-laying which was to bodon e to complete the work contemplated under the loan- Most of this, however, could be deferred for a time, as couid also the new station meter, etc. To complete the removal of the p ant, a sum of £750 .was required, and to do the main-laying ai>otlier £6OO. In answer to Cr Pauling, the manager stated t-xiat tne work of removing the plant could bo spread over three years. This would mean maintaining an extra man to look after the purifiers at the old works. . Cr Temple expressed the opinion that the two most important requirements were the retorts and the coal and coke store. These he suggested be provided tins year, and the removal of the purifier ooxes might be dealt with next year, together with the main-laying. ''

Cr Morris thought it important that they should remove the purifier boxes, which would mean the saving of a man's labour. After further discussion, Cr Temple moved, and -- was carried, that £SOO be expended this year in providing two retorts, and in transferring the purifiers. In reference to the street lamps, Mr Blackman stated that many or the clockwork controllers were out of repair. The pressure-controllers were now in use in the Old Country, and lie had installed three or four in Masterton, which had proved very satisl'acory. . He estimated that a saying of 156,000 ieet of gas a year could be made, while there would be very L-~o labour required. The cost of a new installation would bo at least £250. He would like authority to procure tho different" makes of pressure-controllers, so that lie could select the best. He also suggested procuring two inverted burners from the Old Country to try on a street lamp in Queen .He believed that two of tho modern' burners would do tho work of four of the present. In answer to a question by Cr Elliott, the manager stated that it would take only one minute to turn, ofF the whole of the lights itf the town. He was not yet prepared to state what it would cost to repair the lamp-heads. The new pressurecontrollers would cost about £2 landed. On the motion of Cr Elliott, it was decided that the manager be authorised to procure samples of the automatic, controllers, and report to tlie Council the- most effective system, 'lhe question .of the water supply was then discussed. . Cr Temple stated tliat there were water-meters which were not in use. There were numerous gardens in the town, and he thought that if the water was disposed of by meter they would make a profit for the town. There was plenty of water available at the headworks. He thought that the waterworks account had not been satisfactorily placed before the Council. A sum of £BOO had been expended last year, and he did not know what return the;- had received for their money. He was of opinion that the Borough should make money out of their water supply. Cr Prentice thought that if the water supply was dealt with on business lines, there would be a. big pro- j fit to the Borough. Cr Morris said it was easy to talk about the water. But, he asked., how were they to get the water to town? They could not get it until they duplicated their mains. It appeared to him only waste of time to discuss the question now. There was a great waste of water in the town owing to hoses being turned on all night. Last year, one hose had been running continuously for three weeks. The Council must know that water was running to waste. Cr Hoar thoug h the Council should give the people the water as cheap as possible, and as much as ever they could. He was not a believer in every man having a water meter. Most of the consumers wore already paying a water rate. He thought that the water mains should be duplicated, but he strongly opposed charging for tne water. Cr Pauling sympathised with the proposal of Cr Temple. He agreed with Cr Morris that the water was being wasted by certain people. As soon as a man .exceeded a certain consumption, he should be made to pay for the water. He believed in the meters, if only to check the waste. Cr Hoar: Does Or Pauling wish to say that one-half of the people in town are wasting water? Cr j'auling: Do you think Cr Pauling is a l'ool? Cr Hoar: Does he believe that onethird of the people are wasting water? Whv d'.ies ho wi-li the whole

Borough, to pay for a few who are wasteful ? Cr Rigg supported the proposal to instal meters. It seemed to him that there was an abundance of water. Something should be done to check the waste which was going on. It was time the Council put its foot down and stopped the waste which was going on. He would like to know from the Engineer what water was available. The Engineer stated that at the present time about 200 gallons of water per head of population was coming into town every day. He thought this was a sufficient supply for domestic and other purposes. Cr Pragnell contended that the supply of water coming through the pipes was sufficient to supply the wliole borough. He believed, however, that tlie water was being run to waste. This should be stopped. He believed that meters should be compulsory, and that everybody should pay on a fixed scale Tor what he used. Cr Prentice understood the proposal of Cr Temple to be that meters should bo compulsory only when extraordinary supplies were required. The Mayor replied that the by-laws already provided that meters must be used for extraordinary supplies. Cr Hoar did not regard the watering of gardens as coming within tho meaning of the by-law. Cr Morris agreed with Cr Pragnell that the water-rate should be done away with, and that people should pay for what they used. He did not think they were charging sufficient for their water. Fourpence per 1000 gallons was a mere bagatelle. Cr Elliott stated that there were hundreds of townspeople who used the water fairly, and did not waste it. He thought that those who wasted the water should be made to pay for it. Cr Temple said he wished to emphasise the importance of letting people have water meters if they desired them. Cr Elliott thought the quality of the water should be considered. At present it was very bad, and people were resorting to pumps. The Mayor stated that the quality of the water was unavoidable at this particular season. So far as the discussion was concerned, he held that it was the duty of the Council to supply the water at as cheap a rate as possible. He pointed out that the waterworks were not in a bad financial way. They were paying for themselves, and he asked if they required to make more money out of the water. It had been decided, when the water supply was instituted, that the water should be paid for by way of rate instead -of meter. He would like to know if the Council was now going to change its policy and resort to the meter system. He believed himself that the system of deriving the revenue by way of rate was the soundest. The supervision of meters would be an expensive item, and the extra clerical work and printing would be considerable.

Cr Temple said he had not suggested a change of policy. All he wanted was that those who asked for meters should be supplied with them. The Mayor thought they should get a definite report from the Engineer on the subject. Cr Morris urged that the by-laws in regard to waste of water should be rigorously enforced. The Mayor stated that if the. officers of the Council attempted to enforce the by-laws, the Councillors were the first to object. Cr Morris maintained that, under the by-laws, it would be impossible to grant permission for the use of meters excepting for extraordinarj purposes. Cr Pauling moved that the Council advertise in the locaf papers that the by-laws will be enforced without fear or favour. Cr Morris seconded. The resolution was defeated on division, those voting for it being Crs Pauling, -rentice and Morris. Cr Morris then moved that the bylaw relav,;ig to extraordinary supplies be advertised. This was not seconded. On the motion of Cr Hoar, it was decided tnat Mr 0. Pragnell be granted permission to use a threequarter inch pipe for an extraordinary "supply, and that other people be "permitted to use water- on the same condition. Tliis resolution was seconded, and carried on the voices. The meeting then terminated. 1