Conisborough Water Supply

June 1900

Mexborough & Swinton Times, June 29

The Water Supply of Conisbrough.

Important Parish Meeting.

No Action taken

No definite arrangements has yet been arrived at in regard to providing the parish of Conisbrough with a supply water sufficient in quantity and satisfactory in quality. On Friday evening last week a largely attended meeting of resident and ratepayers called by the Parish Council, was held in the board school to consider a proposal from the Doncaster Rural District Council’s to supply the township with water from the Cadeby borehole belonging to the Denaby Main and Cadeby collieries.

Mr C Holmes, the Chairman of the Parish Council presided.

At the outset of the meeting, Mr Hawksworth, the Clerk, read a resolution, adopted by a parish meeting, held on 12 April 1897. This resolution approved of the action of the representatives of the parish in giving no support to the proposal to supply the township with Cadeby water until the Denaby Main Colliery Company had tested the water by proper means, and grievances have been remedied, and that the District Council be asked to apply to Sheffield for a supply of water.

The chairman said as there was such a strong feeling in the matter they thought it only right that meeting to be held. There was a large number of working present, businessmen and property owners, he should like to have seen present in large numbers, were rather conspicuous by their absence.

It was said that since the  1897 meeting any people had changed their opinion, that whilst there was a strong feeling in 1897 against the borehole water, many of those who took the view were now convinced that it was good water, and held that as it was cheaper supply they ought to have it.

Personally he was bound to admit that the defect in the water noticed three years ago had been to some extent remedied but the same time he believed it was the popular feeling in Conisbrough today, if not the unanimously, that there was a better water supply to be had. The supply to which he referred could not be had as cheaply as the borehole water, but as far as capital outlay went  the scheme was very nearly as cheap a one as the borehole scheme.

There was a time when the only offer the Corporation of Doncaster were prepared to make that was a supply of Sheffield water at Thrybergh at 10d per 1000 gallons. Since then the Corporation had met them. To this extent that they were willing to bring it as far as Hill Top. The cost of bringing the war Sheffield water from Thrybergh, construction of the reservoir, and the laying of the service made, was estimated at £4,600 and the Cadeby scheme was £3,380. The bringing of that water 3 miles nearer by the corporation Doncaster, would reduce the cost of that scheme by £1,200.

Therefore the cost of the scheme would be nearly the same. He had had a drink of the borehole water that day and enjoyed it. But there was this fact to consider. It was a hard water, containing no less than 25°, hard which would entail the considerable expenditure in soda and soap in the use of water for domestic purposes. The Sheffield water had only 3° of hardness.

The District Council had not being very definite in their attitude. He thought they got into a bit of a mess in regard to the infections hospital. here had been a local Government Board enquiry about the virtues of sites the building, and when asked what sort of a supply they had to the proposed sites the answer did not satisfy the inspector, and he said he was certain the enquiry would not conclude that and it would have to be conducted by correspondence with the Local government Board, who would want to have something more definite about the water supply.

He rather thought it was that that alone which had impelled the Rural District Council to take such a hurried step, which was opposed to the will of the people who required the water.

He had hoped the District Council would not carried out a scheme now. They had a firm belief that before very long they would have an urban authorities in the district, and he would rather that the matter be left for that authority to deal with. Then the water the people desired could be made a test question at the first election. The first Urban District Council will have a full knowledge of the wish of the people, and the majority of the urban Council would carry out the scheme they were pledged to.

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