BOROUGH REQUIREMENTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2631, 13 October 1909, Page 7

BOROUGH REQUIREMENTS.

MR. MARCH ANT MEETS THE BOROUGH COUNCIL. A special meeting of the Gisborne Borough Council was held l last night, to meet Mr. Marchant and discuss several matters of importance to the borough. Present: The Mayor (in the chair), and C'rs Kirk, Maynard. Collins, Somervell, Smith, Pettie, Harris, and Clayton. RESERVOIR SITE. Mr. Marchant said he had examined the sites on the Te Arai road, and also at Whataupcko, I mV, he was not satisfied with 111 am at all. It occurred to him that the Ivaiti hill offered peculiar advantages for a reservoir, site, as it was solid sandstone, over papa rock. There was plenty of room for a reservoir of one million gallons capacity. They should instal the reservoir at a height of 300 ft. and with the pipes laid as he would suggest them, crossing the AVaimata river at Mrs. Sheen’s, and a 10-inch main across the Turanganui bridge, in the event of a big conflagration they would be feeding the town mains from both ends. He would guarantee that a reservoir on the Kaiti hill would be a thoroughly stable and satisfactory affair. Ho thought they should have a reservoir, as in a

long line of pipes there was always a chance of earthquakes, or something else affecting the line. He would prefer to see a 3.000,000 gallon reservoir, as the consumption of water was close on half-a-million gallons per day. but there was not room. In reply to the Mayor. Mr. Marchant said that he thought the work ought to be done for about £7OOO. according to the details, but perhaps less. The supply would be vastly improved by having a reservoir to store any surplus water from the mains. KAITARATAHI GRAVEL. He had looked carefully and critically at the Kaitaratalii gravel, and considered it t-o be very good. They had a good plant, but wanted to take out everything up to half-an-inch, which would be set apart for footpaths top-dressing, etc. He advised that the lugger stuff he screened and put through a crusher. He would suggest that they should screen the gravel at the t-own end, as the expense of doing so at the other end would he out of reason. They should abandon all idea of using "VVaihirero stone for pitching, hut should spread the Kaitaratalii gravel on the roads to a depth of sin. rolled and shaped up, and then covered with Gentle Annie metal, which, he considered, one of the best metals ho had ever seen. The point for laying such a foundation was that in doing so the metal would wear down to the last before the road would yield. His suggestion would save thousands of pounds,

but iu side streets tbev would only want 3 or 4 inches of Gentle Annie metal, and in the main streets about 8 inches. The Gentle Annie quarry was one of the most favorable sites ho

had ever seen, and the stone was of excellent class. The position was most favorable, and all they would have to do would he to erect crushers, supplied from a shoot from the drive, and from the crushers into storage bins, as recommended by Mr. Jarrett. He entirely disagreed with the tramway proposals, and be thought that the system of St raker haulage proposed by Mr. .Tnrrett was a most excellent one. He had no hesitation in endorsing Mr. Jarrett’s propositions in regard to the Gentle Annie quarry. He was to meet Mr. Jarrett in Wellington, and until he had discussed matters lie would not like to say too much on the question of screening. His own idea would he that they should use the trucks the same as used by the railway department for ballasting purposes, with the gravel failing into a pit, and then elevated hv a small engine. To the Mayor: He had no doubt in recommending them to dispense with the using of AVailiirere spawls, and if the Kaitaratalii gravel was properly rolled it would make just as good a road, under Gentle Annie metal. Ifat any time, the metal got worn out, they had a good surface underneath by using the gravel, screened, and he strongly recommended the screening of the gravel. Screenings could bG used as top-dressing for footpaths, and for blinding the streets, to give them an even surface. He would not recommend Napier cshingle for use in tarring, as the chips of the Gentle Annie stone would be vastly better. He would advise them to get a tarring machine, worked with a small petrol motor, and like a water cart. If they wanted to organise the whole thing they would have to do so by mechanical means, and he would urge them to go in for all the labor-saving machinery they could in reason. He thought that £250 at the outside would buy one of the tarring machines. He did not suggest making any streets out of Kaitaratahi shingle without metal, but if they had such a road they could not go wrong with tarring the surface. In tawing a gravelled road they should not use the screenings from the Kaitaratahi gravel, as lie did not think there was much wear in anything of less size than half-an-inch. They might use it, however, if they took out the dust and dirt, and got the shingle between. a quarter and half-an-inch. On hack streets ho thought Kaitaratalii gravel was quite good enough for light traffic. It was an exceedingly hard sfone, but he would not advise them to put anything on the streets unscreened. If they screened it he was sure there would be great wear in it. Thev had not reached the best of the Kaitaratalii shingle yet. He was quite satisfied with Mr. Jarrett’s recommendations. Mr. Jarrett was a very experienced man in that particular work. ELECTRICAL SUPPLY.

Short of a conference with Messrs Niven and Co. he thought they could deduct £2OOO from their sewerage loan if they installed an independent .system of electricity to supply the requirements of a sewerage system. Nothing should be done to instruct Messrs Nivens to prepare final plans until he had conferred with them. This was a saving in machinery and the Council should understand that in his sewerage scheme he had allowed £4oo' for electrician’s salary and the occasional use of the gas plant, and this would be eliminated. Under the electric light proposals they would have to keep a stafF, and the sewerage scheme would cost nothing for maintenance except £l5O or so. Messrs Niven proposed to use a storage battery, and if they installed electric light the maintenance of the sewerage scheme would be reduced to about. £l5O. He thought 25 horse power was quite sufficient for pumping sewerage; At night they wanted next to nothing, but more in the day. The average demand would be about 5 or 0 horse-pjwer per day so that 25 horse-power was unnecessary, at least for the present. On the whole he thought it was an excellent thing to instal electric light. There was no doubt that the installation of electric light, where gas had been already installed, made good and

healthy competition. If they were going to have tramways, the independent motor would be the best scheme for them on account of the great cost of the overhead scheme. The putting down of gas mains under the footpaths was under some circumstances a merit. The time might come when they would wooden-block the street, and thus all the mains would be better put under the footpaths. He did not, on the whole, see very great objection to the mains being laid down under the footpaths. He did not think that the Borough would require the footpaths for their own exclusive use. They ought, however, to insist upon tho laying down of all mains before the street and footpath work was completed. He would recommend that the out-

side edge, if any. of the footpath bo granted, hut he did not see why they wanted to use the footpaths. With two mains the footpath was undoubtedly the best place for them. In answer to Civ Collins Mr Marchant said that with screening at the railway station 25 per cent, of the screenings would not bo fit to put on the streets. He knew nothing of quantities, but lie held that it would be advisable not to screen at Kaitaratalii. Waihirere he had abandoned, as it was not fit for the roads. He thought Kaitaratahi gravel would make a better road, nor was it, in bis opinion, so absorbent as Waihirere metal. If they put down a road of Kaitaratalii shingle they could have no better foundation on which to place Gentle Annie metal. He would advise them to put down such a road as a permanent work. He disagreed with the tramway scheme on acount of the enormous outlay for a comparatively small quantity of stone. If they allowed a street to be 22ft yards of Gentle Annie metal would do G miles of streets. Cv Collins: But we have 25 miles to do.

Councillors: No! No! Some of it is to lie done in Kaitaratalii gravel. Mr Marchant further said, in answer to questions, that he had no hesitation in saying that they should use Kaitaratalii gravel for some of the streets. It would be absurd to go te the expense of doing all of the streets with Gentle Annie metal. He thoroughly agreed with Mr Jarrett’s proposals, and considered that with Kaitaratalii and Gentle Annie metal they could get just as good roads as they had in the south. He thought, if there was little difference in the expense, it would be better to use all Gentle Annie metal, but the difference must be immense. If they could afford it all Gentle Annie metal would be the best, but on the score of expense he would not recommend it for a town of the size of Gisborne. If the County Council went in with them he thought a tramway would be the best means to adopt. He would go into and check Mr Jarrett’s figures after meeting him in Wellington on Thursday. ' It would be wasteful to use all Gentle Annie metal. With a reservoir they were making the waterworks safer than they wore. They could not say how long the long stretch of pipe lines might last, and if anything happened to the pipe line they would have an independent supply for emergency. It was, of course, necessary to have the water mains in all the streets served with the sewerage pipes. In the event of anything happening to the pipe line the reservoir would be a necessity for the insuring of the continuance of the sewerage scheme and also for drinking purposes.

After some further questions had been asked the Mayor moved a vote of thanks to Mr Marchant for the valuable information he had given them. He had given way entirely to Air Marchant on the subjects of Waihirere metal, and the reservoir site at Te Arai. He thought they should all be greatly indebted to Air Marchant. Air Kirk seconded the motion, remarking that Air Marchant’s opinion had confirmed the ideas of the Mayor as absolutely right on the question of Kaitaratalii grave!, Gentle Annie metal and the road question generally. Cr. Pettio supported the motion, which was carried unanimously. Air Marchant briefly replied and the meeting concluded.