BOROUGH WATER SUPPLY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 253, 24 September 1929, Page 2

BOROUGH WATER SUPPLY.

LOAN PROPOSAL FOR ' RATEPAYERS.

£14.000 FOR ARTESIAN SCHEME.

A special meeting of the Palmerston North Borough Council was held last evening when the reply in connection with the water supply improvement schemes was received from the Local Bodies Loans Board. Opinion on the matter was divided but after a full discussion, it was decided to submit to the ratepayers on October 30 a proposal involving an expenditure of £3500 on the sinking of an artesian well and the installation of a pumping plant, and £10,500 on improving the reticulation throughout the borough.

LOAN BOARD’S REPLY. The Borough Council had. applied for sanction for tlio submission or alternative proposals to the ratepayers —one the artesian scheme and the other involving improvements to the existing gravitation supply, the latter at an estimated cost of £3J,UUU. The board, in its reply, had stated that the council, not the ratepayers, should decide which scheme was the better and, therefore could only submit one proposal to the ratepayers. From reports received, the board w r as of the opinion that the artesian scheme was preferable and, accordingly, gave the council sanction to place tins and not the gravitation proposal before the ratepayers. His Worship the Mayor Mr A. J. Graham, presided over the special meeting of the council last evening and there were also presentCrs. Eliott, Hodgens, Mansford, McLeod, Guy. Low, Clausen, Fitzlierhert, and lremaine. , . The Mayor stated that, a reply having been received from the Loans Board, it was the council’s duty to put the artesian proposal before tho ratepayers. . The matter was one of urgency. He would point out that the greater part of the expenditure of £l4 000 would be on the reticulation. He was confident that, if the ratepayers supported the scheme, the supply of water would bo adequate for their needs for some years to come. He, therefore, moved that tho artesian proposal be put before the ratepayers at a poll on October 30. Cr. Mansford seconded the motion. CR. ELIOTT IN OPPOSITION.

“The question of improving the water supplv is of the utmost importance,’’ stated Cr. Eliott. “When these schemes were last discussed by the council considerable difference or opinion was expressed, some councillors favouring one scheme and some the other. Finally, it was agreed that the onus should be placed on the ratepayers of deciding which, or neither, or both be favoured. However, the Loans Board have decided that they will not agree to alternative schemes being placed before the ratepayers and have, therefore, in the meantime agreed to the lesser of the two estimated amounts. They are trying to 'keep down local body borrowing. Cr. Guy: Quite right. * ‘This does not '■mean that they consider that the artesian scheme is the best, quite the contrary, continued Cr Eliott. “The-Public Works Department engineers., I understand, favour the gravitation supply, and, if application.is. made by the borough for the larger sum required for gravitation, then I am convinced that this would receive the approval of the board.” . , Cr. Manson: Question 1 The Mayor pointed out that the Loans Board’s communication expressed no -actual opposition to the gravitation scheme. There was no doubt, he added, that the board was becoming alarmed at the extent or local body borrowing. . Cr. Mansford: So is everybody else.

“However,” went on Cr Eliott, “the point is that, if the present scheme (as granted by the Loans Board) is decided on at this meeting, it deprives the supporters ot the gravitation . scheme ot the opportunity of obtaining the ratepayers approval or otherwise. “The artesian scheme, if successful—and there is an if—can only be considered as a temporary alleviation of the position and sooner or later the gravitation supply must be augmented. . “Are we justified, therefore, incurring an expenditure ot £osuu tor well tank, pumps and land, and shelving indefinitely the supply cn which wo will ultimately have to depend? I say, ‘No.’ “The reticulation costs in the artesian scheme fit in with the gravitation supply and this to my mind is the only argument in favour of the artesian proposal. The statement that it anything happened by which our present supply was cut off the artesian water would safeguard the town will not’ ‘hold water,’ as, at its best, the artesian supply, if successful, woulu only supply 3U,000 gallons per hour om of the 90,000 gallons • required.- Onethird of tho town would have some water; the other two-thirds none at all. That is not a safeguard.” Cr Fitzherbert: To the extent ot one-third it is. FIGURES ANALYSED.

Continuing, Cr Eliott stated that, on the consulting engineers’ estimate, the capital cost of the pumping plant would be £3500. The running costs would be £Bl2 per annum. Inis was made up of £227 interest and sinking fund on tho £3500, depreciation £75 (and in his opinion it should be £150), power £360 and attendance £l5O. This sum was equal to 5J per cent, on £15,000. Therefore, they could spend £15,000 on improving the existing gravitation supply at the same cost as the installation of the artesian scheme. The present cost of water in the taps was 2.6 d per 1000 gallons. The cost at the Fitzherbert bridge was Id per 1000 gallons and reticulation cost l.Gd per 1000 gallons. If an artesian supply were used and less water taken from Tiritea, the cost would be 3.28 d per 1000 gallons. The cost of artesian water delivered at the pump house would be 1.36 d per 1000 gallons which would make 2.96 d delivered throughout the town, adding on l.Gd for reticulation. To this would have to be added the increase of 1.22 d in the cost of the gravitation supply, making a total of 4.18 d per 1000 gallons. How did that compare with 2.6 d per 1000 gallons? If tho £39,000 were spent on improving the gravitation supply, the cost of water from Tiritea would be increased to 3.46 d per IUOO gallons. But if the population increased by 4000 this would be reduced to 2.74 d per 1000 gallons, or very little more than the existing cost of 2.6 d. ARTESIAN WATER DEARER. Putting the position in another way, water from the artesiaon scheme would cost 1.36 d per 1000

gallons at the pump house as compared with the present cost of Id per 1000 gallons. Artesian water would, therefore, cost over one-third more. Surely it was eonimonsonse to augment the present supply, which had proved satisfactory ill *the past, rather than to tinker with an exjierimental artesian well which would cost over £BUO per annum to run.

He had dealt only with tile figures, but the suitability of artesian water was open to serious question. He urged tne council to take the long view and not to bo content witli a makeshift for that was all the artesian scheme was.

Cr Eliott then moved as an amendment that the Doans Board be asked to sanction the submission of the gravitation proposal to the ratepayers.

Dr iuczlierbcrt stated tiiat he was 1100 lo quooLioii dl’ nliolL o nguico. ju.o iiaa ueen a. l'u» uir ox me graViLaaofi sciierue, Onl i> uppeureu mat me raicpajers uiu HUE ti aul lE.

Doumiumg, Cr r itzherburt stateu limp me existing suppiy snuuiu be augmenLcu. ate nuuiu support me mutiun beiure me council for mice reasons: —^a ) me supply 11.,a to uo uugiueineu. (Z) -as a member ox me rne -Liouiu he reauseu mat it was essential mat me pressure oi water must be increased lntmeuiULeiy. xie was sausnecl mat premiums on insurance policies wouiu oe reuuceu. (o; rjuouiu aiiytnnig nuppeu lo tne ll lizneroert oriuge Lbe artesian sememe wouiu be ol gieat vaiue. summing up las views, Cr inaherbert stateu mat, apart irom tne improveu reucuiation, an augnieiueU suppiy was always 01 use, especially in me ngntiug. tins proposal woma snow me peep 10 mat tney were running a serious nsk tiirougn lack or an uuequate water supply. Xney wouiu have to enlarge the gravitation seneme in time, but lie diu not think tiiat tne passing ol the artesian proposal would prejudice the cnauccs ol tile gravitation seneme in tne iuture.

SERIOUS SHORTAGE OF WATER. Cr Tremaine stated that there was a serious shortage ol water and very low pressure tit .terrace End. Tile ratepayers iiad turned down the gravitation scheme and the reason hud been tne suggestion oi an artesian supply. As fur as quality went, samples nad proved satisfactory. The Tiritea Stream could not supply the needs oi the town lor ever. According to various reports, at the town's present rate oi progress it would not last very long. Then they w r ould have to go to Pohuiigina. Augmented, however, by an artesian flow, the Tiritea suppiy would bo adequate for many years to come. Even if the artesian scheme were not successful, tile major portion of the expenditure would be on reticulation and this would materially benefit any further gravitation scheme. He supported Cr Fitzhertbert’s claim that, in tho event of the Fitzherbert bridge being washed away, the artesian supply would be a great help. The main reason he felt that the Loans Board, had taken the stand it did was because of the danger that, if two schemes were put forward, neither would be carried.

Cr. Guy cited the cases of Napier and Christclmrch, both of which, he said, had artesian supplies. As' far as drinkin" water is concerned, there is no doubt as to which was the better. If the scheme proved successful, it could be developed and other wells put down.

“PLUMBERS WOULD WELCOME ARTESIAN WATER.”

“If I were a plumber I would welcome the resolution put to-night,” stated Cr. Hodgens, who added that he put a different construction on the letter from the Loans Board. He did not think that they intended to bind the council to the artesian proposal. If it were tho police of the Loans’ Board to dictate to local authorities, it was time it was abolished. It appeared to be used to keep down local body expenditure and to assist the national government to increase expenditure. If they could satisfy him that artesian water would be -uitablc for general household use he vould support the proposal. Tho Mayor: It will be alright the ray we are going to use it. We are ;oing to put it into the mains. Cr. Hodgens could not see how, if the artesian water was put into the mains at Terrace End, it would find its way down to tho other end of the town. He was far from satisfied that it would not affect steam boilers. “NO TROUBLE AT NAPIER.”

Cr. Guy: They have no trouble at Napier. Cr. Hodgens: Are you sure? Cr. Hodgens was quoting an instance of a corroded boiler at Ivairanga when Cr. Manslord interjected that that was due to the well being too shallow.

Continuing, Cr. Hodgens deprecated the risk of fire. In the case of a recent conflagration in the Square there had been sufficient water to put the fire out. There seemed to be an abundance of water.

Cr. Fitzherbert: Ask the firefighters. Cr. McLeod supported the resolution as there was a very real shortage of water on the higher levels. Also, an artesian scheme would prove invaluable if the Fitzherberi bridge supply were cut off. Cr. Mansford expressed the view that the Loans’ Board had been set up to go into various proposals. It had decided from reports that the artesian supply was the one that should be submitted to the ratepayers. Cr. Eliott had stated that the ratepayers would not be given the opportunity of voting on the gravitation proposal. They liad had the opportunity and had voted against it. It had been proved fairly conclusively that the supply from Tiritea was not adequate. The Hutt and Petone Borough -Councils had been advised to go in for an artesian supply until such time as they were in a better position to adopt a gravitation scheme.’ At present, the large expenditure was not Justified. He did not question Cr. Eliott’s figures, but lie was not prepared to accept his

working-out of them as correct. Cr. Eliott:- There is no need to get personal. INSURANCE PREMIUMS.

Cr. Mansford continued with a reference to the fact that insurance premiums were lower in Hastings, where there was an artesian supply, than in Palmerston North. He had collected data on the effect of artesian water on hot water points and cylinders. In every instance, except one, there had been no damage and at the Hutt (the exception) the damage had not been great. Referring to Cr. Hodgens s remarks* ho stated that it was a fact that water front a well in Kairanga U 0 to 80 feet deep would eat a pipe through in a year. The town suppiy was not so wonderful cither as he knew of pipes that had to bo renewee. after seven years. He would nave liked to have seen the two proposals go before the ratepayers because he knew what would have happened to one. Cr. Low stated that lie was not satisfied with the quantity or quality of an artesian scheme. Mas it not true ho asked, that the Railway Department had scrapped their Palmerston North artesian suppiy. Tho Mayor: Yes. Cr Low agreed with Cr Hodgens that if the water were put into the mains at Terraco End it would stay at Terrace End. The town of I 1 rankton had scrapped its artesian scheme. The Mayor: That was solely an artesian supply. , To say that water in Christchurch would not affect boilers, continued Cr Low, had nothing to do with the position in Palmerston North. He took it that the quality of the water varied with the soil. Cr Mansford: With the depth of the W< Cr Low continued that tlio quantity also could not be guaranteed, it had been the experience at Christchurch that, if one well were sunk dose to another, it would affect the flow. WELLS AT LONGBURN. Cr Mansford: That was not the case at Longburn. In conclusion, Cr Low stated that tho flow from wells often decreased. The Loans Board had usurped the powers of the council. It said in one breath that the council should decide on a scheme and in the next breath decided itself. The interest on £15,01)0, plus the running cost of tin pump, would go a long way towards improving the gravitation scheme, a work which would be put off for a long time if the artesian proposal were carried. Cr Clausen was sorry that the ratepayers were not to have the option of the gravitation scheme. There was no better water in New Zealand than the Tiritea. Though the supply was not adequate at present, if the dam were cleaned and deepened, it would serve for many years. However, lie did not feel disposed to vote against the resolution. He discounted the fear of the Fitzherbert bridge being washed away. Cr Low intimated that lie was prepared to second Cr Eliott’s amendment. MOTION CARRIED. The mover and seconder and Cr flodgens voted for tho amendment and the remainder of the council against it. Tile motion'was carried, Cr Eliott asking for his vote to be recorded against it.

The Mayor expresesd the hope that now that the resolution was carried every member of the council would do his utmost to get tho loan carried. In reply to Cr Guy lie stated that he would most certainly call a public meeting. On the motion of Cr Fitzherbert, the engineer was instructed to bring down a report upon the acquisition of lands at the headwaters of the Tiritea at present privately owned.

ARTESIAN SCHEME. WELL AND PUMPS. PROVISION EOR NEW MAINS. The Mayor, Mr A. J. Graham, gave a “Standard” reporter to-day an outlino of the artesian scheme. The proposals were based, lie stated, upon the report of Messrs Vickerman and Lancaster presented to the council in April of last year. They provide for the sinking of an artesian well and the construction of an underground tank, which will act as a sand-trap. Motor-driven pumps will be installed and provision is made for three new feeder mains—a 9in. main in Ruahine Street, a 12in. main in Featherston Street and an 18in. main in Rangitikei Street. The object is to improve the supply of water to the higher levels in the north-western portion of the town. Tile site selected by the engineer, as most suitable for the well and pump house, is on the bank of the Kawau Stream, near the tho intersection of Rualiine and Featherston Streets. The power for the pumps will be obtained from the borough electrical department.