WATER SUPPLY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18222, 5 November 1924, Page 8

WATER SUPPLY.

THE RECENT POLLS. AN "INSPIRED" ARTICLE. It was alleged by Or. 0. W. B. Anderson at the meeting of the City Council on Monday night that a leading local newspaper, in an article relating to the water supply proposals, was wrong in stating that the present water supply area would alone continue to pay for the present headworks in Addition to sharing in the cost of the new headworks, and a suggestion, subsequently corrected, was made from another quarter that the article in question was "inspired." Apparently "The Press" is the newspaper referred to for it was in "The Press" that a critical examination -of the proposals was printed. The article in question was prepared and written by a member of the staff and ww neither suggested nor assisted by any of the Council authorities. The idea- that it was in any- way "inspired" is quite a. mistaken one. It certainly -was stated m the article that should the new proposals be adopted for the extension of the high pressure system the present water supply area would be called on not only to put its present headworks at the service of the new areas free of cost, but would also bave to bear the greater part of the burden imposed to provide the new headworks required by the extension of the sytem to the,new areas of the city at present unreticulated. It was very doubtful whether the present water supply area could be relieved from any of the obligations incurred to pro-vide the present system by transferring a portion of those obligations to the new areas, for part of the money spent ', w-as raised by special loans for the headworks and reticulation combined, and part by annual charges. The loans are now iiv process of maturing and money, other than loan money, spent on the present headworks is done with and cannot very well be recalled in order to get u contribution from a new party. A statement on the matter was, however, made by tjie Mayor (Mr J. A. Plesher) after "The Press" article appeared and printed in "The Press" on the morning of the poll. ■ That statement was «s follows: "For the headworks loan the actual rate levied would not be collected as a special rate, but the outgoings required for interest and sinking fund would, with the .ordinary expenses of maintaining the service, be provided by a water rate imposed on the annual values of the whole city. The.water rate collected would also provide for the interest and sinking ,fund on such portions of the existing loans as were spent on headworks, together with what was spent on headworks extensions out of revenue during past years. That meant that the whole city would pay its fair share of the cost of headworks." That statement went to the ratepayers on the morning of the poll. Ev'en, however, assuming that a port:on of the cost of the present headworks could bo transferred to the new areas, the present water supply area would still be responsible for seventeentwentieths of tlie cost of the present headworks, if ascertainable, and seven-teen-twentieths of the cost of the proposed new headworks required to supply the new. reticulations. The water rates pr annual charges, referred to by the Mayor, are bnsed on capital valuations, and in actual collection give the proportions mentioned above. The present area has a reticulation r-aileage of. 145. while the projected first reticula--tion in the new areas covers a mileage of 62, yet for every £l7 paid annually by the present area for the combined headworks, the new areas would, together, pay £3.