"RIGID ECONOMY!"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 198, 16 May 1919, Page 8

"RIGID ECONOMY!"

IN THE USE OF WATER THE MAYOR BECOMES EMPHATIC The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke), accompanied by Mr. E. Paterson (assistant engineer) and Mr. J.. Dines (waterworks overseer), motored out to tile Waiiiut waterworks yesterday afternoon, to gain a, first-hand impression of the condition of things as they exist at the chief tiouico of Wellington's water supply at the present critical time. After returning to town the Mayor, who was evidently concerned at tho very obvious shortago shown at Wainui,- stated to a Dominion reporter that on behalf of the City Council ho must urgently ask citizens to do with considerably less water than the quantity they luivo been accustomed to use hitherto. They wore advised by inc. meteorological observer that. itz; was quite possible that the dry spell might be extended for some time, and in ordcf that no one should be unduly inconvenienced or essential industries dependent upon water interfered with, he felt constrained to make an appeal to everyone. The consumption of water per head per day during the recent period hud been as great as during midsummer months, which was not at all consistent with ordinary requirements, and showed that there was extravagance in tho usu of water. "I appeal to citizens to practise rigid economy in the use of water," said Mr. Luke earnestly, j>o that the general health and well-being of the community shall not be jeopardised. If such economy is not practised it will )» necessary (ii the rain continues to hold oft) to place restrictions of a rigorous character upon the public, and.that no one wishes to do." ' Jir. Luke said that when they were at. the Morton Dam yesterday the level of the water was over IS feet below the lip of the by-wash. That meant a very eerioug state of affairs, as the contour of the bottom of the dam being V-shaped the lower half of the <lam held less than a third of the whole. The dam originally had a capacity of 120,000,000 gallons, but it is not supposed to have nearly so much now, as every winter sees a quantity of silly vegetable and otherwise, deposited on the floor of the dam of the stream, which is at present running very low. The Karori reservoirs were in a parlous condition, and not much further help could be expected from that source until rain came. In viewing tho situation generally, !Ir. Luke stated that in making provision for a further water supply tho City Council, must consider the requirements not only of the low levels, but of the high levelsthe future of tho high levels, when there would be few vacant sections at all in our hill-top suburbs. It only needed a shortage such as the city was now threatened with to force home the necessity of pushing forward with supplementary, waterworks. . In connection with the daily consumption in Wellington, the City Council's year book states that the quantity of water used is 03 gallons per head, of population. That did not moan that each person used G3. gallons, but taking in all tho water used industrially, for streets and gardens, and windows, and washing, etc., the quantity worked out at 63 gallons per head—a high average compared with most cities in the rorld • .' ■ '. Our Reservoir Capacity. Our reservoir capacity is as follows:— Gallons., Karori, old 40,000,000 Karori, new 02,500,000 • ■ Wainui. old 20,000,000 Wainui, new 120,000,000 Total 218,500,000 In addition the city has six service reservoirs (.the water for whicli is raised by electrically-driven multi-stage centrifugal pumps) as follow: — Gallons. Kelburnand Northland (2)... 521,000 Brooklyn ■ 422,000 Eoseneath 213,000 Molrose :„...■ 178,000 Wndestown 190,000 Metor All Water, . . An authority on municipal economics states that there is only one known method of making people economical in the use of water, and that is to charge for it on meter measure. As long as the public are awnro that there is a fixed rate which the landlord has to .pay,'so , long will extravagance and onrelessness in the use of water continue, but if-the occupier of each house were charged for water as he is for gas, it would not only conserve the water, but it would make it cheaper for everyone in the long run.