Evening Post 25 Feb 1887

The City Water Supply. A Grave Charge by Councillor Petherick.

Before the ordinary business of the City Council was proceeded with last evening, the Mayor said he desired to make a few remarks with regard to an article in yesterday’s Evening Post on the city water supply. It was an unusual thing for the Post to make misstatements. The article stated that in the Wainui-o-mata race there were several large cracks, one of them 25ft long, and that the Council was aware of the fact. The statement was totally untrue. The person who had supplied the information to the Post had misled the paper.

The engineer reported there were leaks in the race. He (the Mayor) went out to Wainui, and from what he saw he was of opinion that there was sufficient water to tide over any difficulty. So far as he was able to gather, there had been leaks for a long time. A few days after the first report, he went out in company with Councillors BenZoni and Smith, and gave instructions to the engineer that at any rate leaks ought to be stopped. The chairman made a visit to Wainui, but it was only yesterday he discovered there was a crack 25 feet long. His (the Mayor’s) opinion, as well as that of the engineer, was that it was desirable to draft off the water for a time so that the crack might be caulked. During the time the supply would be cut off the wells would fill up.

The statement with reference to a water famine was misleading. In the Polhill Gully dam there were at present 9,000,000 gallons, or sufficient to give 40 gallons per head for 60 days. In the face of that fact he did not think there was any likelihood of a water famine. It had been suggested that larger pipes should be laid down in Polhill Gully, but as there were no pipes available that work could not be carried out just now.

Councillor Danks expressed the opinion that if larger pipes were laid down in Polhill Gully, a pressure equal to that of the Wainui supply would be obtained from the Karori supply. The speaker said that if there were no pipes, it would be desirable to purchase some at once.

Later on in the evening the following report from the Engineer was read:

“I have to report yesterday I had the concrete race at Wainui-o-mata opened up for a portion of its length where the most serious leak was making its appearance, and found that for a length of 25ft, in a place where a small gully had been filled in, the invert of the race had settled and parted from the sides, caused partly by the subsidence of the ground over which the race had been placed, leaving a crack on each side of the race varying in width from 1 to 3in for the length above stated (25ft), out of which the water was flowing very freely. This leak was temporarily stopped before I left, and men are now opening up and temporarily stopping the worst of the numerous leaks along the line of the race, which is 96 chains long.

Late last night a leak was reported in one of the 34-inch mains on Petone beach, and on examination it was found to be from a blowhole which has a defect in the casting, and the water was cut off from Wainui-o-mata in consequence, and was turned on again at 3 p.m. to-day. In order that the pressure from Wainui-o-mata — which has fallen very considerably during the past few days, owing to the ordinary flow of the river not being sufficient to keep the well full, in consequence of the enormous consumption in the city — may be maintained, I beg to recommend that the water from Wainui-o-mata be shut off altogether from the city from Saturday, 12 o’clock noon, till 8 a.m. Monday, so that the water may have a chance to rise again in the reservoir, and thus keep the well full. I estimate that the present flow of the river would completely fill the reservoir in three days. As I reported on Monday last, the supply from Polhill Gully has been assisting the supply from Wainui-o-mata from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily since Friday last.”

Councillor Petherick said that some time ago he spoke in the Council about the condition of the Wainui race. He had been very much abused for what he had said, but recent discoveries proved that his statements had been correct. It was a well-known fact that a crack existed a long time back, and it was also known that the work was defective when the Council took it over from Mr. Oakes.

Councillor Coombe — A libel.

The Council had now to admit that it had made a mistake in taking over bad work. It was a mistake to build the race as it had been built, and it was liable at any time to break.

Councillor Coombe — Another libel.

Councillor Petherick — I wish, Mr. Mayor, you will call Councillor Coombe to order. If he has no sense it is not for me to give him any. (A laugh.)

Councillor Petherick, continuing his remarks, said that if the Council did not do something to the race at once there would be a serious breakage in the winter. He asserted that for a long time past Councillors had known there was a leak in the race.

Councillor Danks — No.

Councillor Petherick asserted that Councillor Danks, as well as other members of the Council, had known for some time past that there was a leak in the race. The job was a most slovenly one, and he considered that the gentlemen then in office did not look well into the work before they took it over. The ratepayers were now reaping the penalty of that bad doing.

The Mayor explained that had he known when the work was finished that there was anything wrong, he would have seen that it was rectified before the contract was taken over. It was all very well for Councillor Petherick to talk now, but he should have spoken before.

Councillor Petherick asserted that long ago he had pointed out that the race was defective.

The Mayor pointed out that Councillor Petherick had made grave charges, and should be prepared to prove them.

Councillor Petherick said he could prove them.

The Mayor considered it was moonshine to talk about the dam washing away. He thought it was unfair for any Councillor to make a statement which would mislead the public.

Councillor Petherick said that he had referred to the race and not to the dam.

Councillor Danks questioned whether a better race had been constructed this side of the Line. It was an easy thing for a man to say what he would do in certain cases, but it rarely happened that those people showed what they could do. Whatever might be said to the contrary, he would say that the Wainui Waterworks had been as great a success as any similar undertaking in the Southern Hemisphere. Anyone who knew anything about those matters knew that there would always be a certain leakage.

If Councillor Petherick could prove that he had stated some time ago that there was a leak in the race, he would be entitled to the thanks of the Council, but if he failed to do that, he would be branded as a great storyteller. (A laugh.) If Councillor Petherick proved that he had made the statement in the Council, he (Councillor Danks) would express regret that he was in the Council and took no action in the matter.

Councillor McKenzie, who commenced his observations with the quotation, “A Daniel come to judgment!”, said that it was all very well for Councillor Petherick to make his statement after the leak had been discovered. The statement made by Councillor Petherick was hardly fair, and so far as he (the speaker) was concerned it was not true.

Councillor Young said that he had recently been out to Wainui, and so far as he could see it would take about £200 to repair the race.

Councillor BenZoni thought it was possible there were more leaks, which the Engineer could not at present discover.

The Mayor remarked that Councillor Young’s opinion ought not to be set against that of more competent persons.

Councillor Young retorted that His Worship might know a good deal, but he did not know everything.

Councillor Smith said that he was out at Wainui lately, and was of opinion that there was no fear of a collapse.

Councillor Coombe thought it was very wrong for any person to come to the Council and use his position to undermine the character of a gentleman who was not present. It was his opinion that by to-morrow night Councillor Petherick would have to make a most abject apology for the language he had just used.

The Mayor mentioned that he saw the concrete for the race being mixed, and had never seen better concrete in his life.

Councillor Young observed that in the concrete work he had noticed stones as large as his fist.

The report of the Engineer was adopted, and the subject dropped.