PRICE OF WATER

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2418, 25 March 1915, Page 7

PRICE OF WATER

FOR SHIPS IN PORT CITY CHARGES TO HARBOUR BOARD TERMED EXORBITANT The 'Wellington Harbour Board buys (Jwater from the Wellington City Council iit the rate of ss. per 1000 gallons, and sells the water to tho ships in port at a rate of 6s. Bd. per 1000 gallons, iA3 tlie council supplies certain local bodies with water at 9d. and Is. per 51000 gallons, the board considers it is icharged an exorbitant rute; and at last 'might's meeting of the board Captain (D. J. Watson introduced a motion {which may be the first step in the board's obtaining an independent supply of its own. { Captain Watson's motion was: "That ithis board shall _ seek to obtain tlie jinecessary' legislation to enable it to {acquire a catchment area for the purpose of providing its own. water supfjply' for tne port of Wellington." The ■'•■mover said that last year the board f.paid the City Council £6739 for water, glf the board, went in for a supply of fats own at a cost of £60,000, tlie annual chaTges would total £6500, allowing 6 per cent, for interest, 2J per jcent. for depreciation, and labour, t The chairman (Mr. R. Fletcher): Bad jswater, too. 1 I Another member: Fishy at times. 1 Captain Watson went on to say that fthe 'board would make a good profit Pout of the scheme, and would be able I'to ■ let the ships have the water at a f'lower cost than they got it, now. At wither places than Wellington the water [was obtainable by vessels at about a quarter' the Wellington rate. j Scheme Should Cost £20,000. \ "I am no engineer," added Captain pWatsou, "but I' don't consider the scheme would cost any more than ft£20,000." •

r' Mr. M. Cohen: Then why do you say &60.000? I Captain Watson: I merely allow for j Mr. Cohen seconded the motion. He that the City Council was knot treating the board fairly by charging os. per thousand gallons when they it to other bodies at 9d. and ■fit Is. per • 1000. The council' seemed | to take advantage of the fact that the [board could not get water anywhere fclse. •

I Mn C. W.; Jones supported the motion, and said that the City Council [treated the board very unfairly, i Mr._ J. W.. M'Ewan thought that Captain Watson's idea was a good one, put, he added, that the board itself jwas not # altogether free from a charge [of exploitation as it had made a profit (of £2532 out of supplying the water to Sthe ships. I Mr, Cohen: What about the cost of the service? ' , < The,chairman: The board is not open {to a charge of exploitation on that ac/count.: •3 Mr. It.A. Wright said that if the .board put into effect Captain Watson's .fee heme, the shipping companies would But would the companies rejjjlnce the freight charges t<s the public? |It would simply mean that a deficiency jpf > £5000 would have to he made up by fthe ratepayers for the .benefit, of. the shipping oompanies. Mr. M. Conen: Then get the cost of tth&' water increased to 10s. a ; thousand.

The City council's Reason. 1 A£r. A. H. Hindmarsh agreed with ;; (Mr. Wright. He thought it would be a pity to have another catchment area jiear the City. There was a good reaIson why the City Council should supply the local bodies with water at a cheap rate. These small-boroughs could ■not b'e' inhabited to any great extent ■without a water service, and as the ■■council, hoped to have the smaller bodies within the City area very soon they ;! did .not wish to see the boroughs constructing: their own reservoirs. Hence the cheap rate to local bodies. The .motion of Captain Wilson, however, was ■a useless, proposal as it only_ said, that •fthe board should obtain legislation to .ienable it to.acquire a catchment area. ■If -the motion was designed merely iHo induce tho City Council to reduce its jrate of charge, he would support it. VOthsrwise he would not. He thought an arrangement could be made iwith the City Council'. The present council might be a little obstinate, but in /■time the difficulty could be overcome. Mr. J. G. Harkness supported the fmotion, remarking that the board was [charged more' than was charged for (trade purposes. The chairman said that in fairness to : the City Council he should point out ithat the cost of the water averaged 4s. i3d. per thousand. : The first 7,000,000 igallons cost ss. per thousand, and after ithat there was a reduction. i "Hie board divided on the question, j;and all members voted for the motion .except Messrs. Hindroarsh and Wright.