COSTLY WATER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 131, 26 February 1908, Page 7

COSTLY WATER.

~XITY COUNCIL AND HARBOUR BOARD AT VARIANCE.

THE ADMIRAL'S REMONSTRANCE. 'At yesterday's meeting iof tho Harbotu' Board the secretary read somo correspondence that had passed between tho City Corporation and tho Board relating to tho charges mado by tho Corporation for water supplied to tho Board. . , Tho Chairman (Mr. T. M. .Wilford, M.P.)' prefaced tho reading of the letters by remarking that tho question was an important ono for tho Board. ' They wero paying on an average 4s. 4d. per thousand 'gallons for ... water from tho city mains, and last year they j paid altogether £4377, and yet he understood that tho. City Council was contracting to supply Miramar with water nt 9d.'per thousand gallons. When tho letters had been read the Mayor would perhaps say something on tho subject. ~

THE BOARD'S WRITTEN COMPLAINT. Tho following, letters wero then r^adFrom' tho Secretary of tho Harbour Board to the Town Clerk. - "Tho attention of a committpo of the ..Wellington: Harbour Board has been, drawn, to a .statement'in tho local Press . that your Council havo arranged to sell , water to the Mirariiar Borough Council • at tho rate of 9d.. per thousand gallons, and I am directod' ;to' request that the Wellington Harbour Board limy bo placed x ' i on equally favourable terms, both as ro- [' gards the.'water which it purchases for ■ its own- use' and that, which "it purchases for salo to shipping. Tho committee, desire mo to point out that any reduction • mado_in .the cost of-water'to bo supplied . to shipping!, will be" allowed to tho ship- ' ■ ping by a corresponding reduction in the ' rates charged to the ships, and in connection with this matter lam to point ' out to you that tho Admiral commanding tho Australasian station has, through His Excellency tho Governor,, recently ap- - ' proiichcd the Board, : complaining as : to . tho high rates charged for., water'at Wellington. The rates at present charged , are based on an agreement entered into;! iir 1892, and in-tho sixteen years since then and terminating September 30 last, tho Board has paid, the Council tho sum . of £43,500 for water, tho amount paid ■ during last'! year.- having been.. £4377- ! 19s. 2d. ■ As the total quantity,'purchased was 23,080,250. gallons, the averpgo price charged to itho' Board 'per. thousand .-..galjons amounted to 3s. 9sd. : Tho Board' paid tho Council at tho rate: of Is.-per • thousand-gallons last, year on 3,652,000 gallons (£lB2 ;125.) used for its own pur-----poses for-hydraulic plant, offices; ,closets, etc., and,4d. on 56,000 gallons (18s. Bd.), . \used for smithy/blast, etc.',.on' tlio whole '.of tlio; water, used by Itself. For water . supplied to shipping, tho Board'paid. the. /■' Council: On water for''men-of-war, 2s. per thousand gallons, 298,850 gallons, £29 v l7s. 7d.; on waicr for shipping at ss;-,'' per thousand: gallons, 7,000,000 gallons,. ' < ', L i 81750; on water for shipping at 4s: per ■; thousand; gallons,. 12,073,400 gallons, V ' ■ £2414 10s. lid.; or 19,372,250 gallons for ': £4194 Ss. 6d., being an average of nearly ! 4s. ■ 4(1: per thousand gallons. . Tho com- ■ mittoe aro of, opinion-that tlio Board and ■ the shipping ought hot to bo charged so ' , high a rate if tlio Council can afford to sell t<j> the suburban boroughs at 9d. per -' ; , thousand gallons,- and 1 am: instructed r?to point out;:'tbat, tlio' reveuuo derived', from tho Board would pay interest and V • ' sinking fund on a loan sufficient to instal . an independent wator 1 supply." ■ •' From the -Town Clerk, 'in reply ;.';.'•'•l havo to inform,you that the WeJ-i' i; li.ngton .City Council regret .that they aro . - ; unable to reduce,tho prico : of water to' .! :tho Wollington'-Harbour Board." '. !,

, MR. MACDONALD INDIGNANT. The Hon. T. Kennedy Maedonnld' said ■ •that as, the Mayor; had inot risen, lie would it'akOi this opportunity'.'ofsaying that ho. . considered that tho Council had treated tho Board in, iv very cavalier manner. If a ■ suburb, could' obtain water at 9d. per 1000 - ' gallons,:; surely. ; the interests of shipping t should be. studied;, quite as'.much.', It was not tho way that 'tlio Board:-.'should bo ' treated in such <an important matter. Ho thought it would be bettor for tho Board to ;' have. . its ;o\vn . supply. 1 ' This would be. a' public .benefit,'-' as tho City Corporation, did not seem able to copo'with tho water supply .question. Ho understood that evon now tha V; Hutt Borough ;Council was prepared to como to its rescue and'put half a million gallons into the city mams'; Hei hoped he had sue- : - ceeded iu drawing the Mayor. THE MAYOR'S REPLY. Tho Honl T. W. Hislop said he was-just' considering' what. ,to say when ; Mr.- Mac- 1 . : donald rose to -make- his conciliatory, , speech/ If otlier- members made" equally conciliatory speeches ho thought tho-Har-bour Board would be put : to the necessity - of installing a water supply of its-own, as had been suggested.; Ho was 'surprised that - - : a man of jli\ .Macdonald's- abilities could not see how' improper it was for tho Board . to; approach the Council -and, say that they -had; heard -that, water;; was."being sold at such and such a price, and".they.'wanted tho • same ; treatment. . ' It' - was . not truo. .thatv '■% Miraniar was being-supplied at 9d., biit it 1 had been decidcd that in about two years' , : time Miramar should be supplied at tho same ■ prico a,s the city itself, because it was recoguised that the city had appropriated tile sources from--which Miramar might havo' drjiwu ; an, independent supply. j Ho would advise the Board to, write , to .the City . '. Council and give reasons why the prico of tho water should bo reduced below tho rates-previously agreed oil. Tho Board was asking that tne fprice of. tho water' should be reduced to though it' had not been shown' that ships had been paying more; ,. I ', here, than at other ,ports. Tljo Admiral ouly came here about once in 12 months, and if hp had asked 1 the City Council . for frco •water,' such a request would probably liavo .. • received :favourablo' consideration; : The reduction asked-for was not for, the benefit of . the BAard itself, but the Board, seeing the . Council acting in , a proper 'maimer towards an adjoining- borough, came and asked; that strangers should have tho .water'at tho 'samo rate, Tlio- Council would not deal unfairly. : with tho Board or with, anybody else.

OTHER MEMBERS' VIEWS. Sir. Jones said ■ho had: obtained, informatiou.from other ports, and found that' shipsword;' charged 2s. at Duncdin, and Is. 9a. at another port. Ho understood that ships liero wero charged 6s. Bd. per 1000 gallons.Mr. Cohen urged that a high; charge for water to the ships would bo.prejudicial to the port. He hoped, tho City' Council .would favourably ■.consider any - proposal; for • tho cheapening of'the port. . Mr. Harknoss said that his' own Borough of Onslow liad ; recoivcd water from tho city for" tho , last . six .years at 9d.. per 1000 gallons. /This was admittedly cost price, and tho' city must bo making a largo profit by soiling it to the Board for 4s. 4d. Tho MayoV: You don't got it reticulated at Onslow. : : : ' ■52>0 Chairman said that water for hy-draulic-and sanitary purposes was supplied to tho for Is., and lio thought that might well be. the all-round rate. Tho.sum now being; paid annually : amounted to interest ,on a loan of £80,000, arid though a special water supply for tho Board would bo a big undertaking, involving probably tlu sinking of a well at Alicetown, or tapping tho river at' Akatarawa,. alterna tivo was open to;tho Board. Ho moved:— "That the secretary be instructed to ■ ■enter into correspondenco with tho City Council with a view to getting a reduction in tho charges for water." > This was carried on tho voicos.