WATER METERS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 126, 24 November 1926, Page 6

WATER METERS

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —It is about time the City Council waterworks regulations were revised, especially one concerning the installation, of u-ater meters. 1 lived at Lyall Bay on a property comprising half an acre of land laid out in gardens and lawns, and in accordance with the regulations had .a water.meter installed at a cost of £5 10s. For fifteen years this meter was read every month, aud.au account posted, and the total amount collected by the council was Bd. I then removed to another residence with a quarter-acre section, and had to again install a meter at. a cost of £5 IDs, and during eight years the council collected nothing. I have now removed to town, and have to procure another meter to cost &4. 2s 6d. The water rate on this property is £3 18s Id per annum, representing an allowance of 213 gallons ■of water a' day. With the use of a hose for cleaning windows and watering a small garden plot there is no possibility of using anything like this quantity of water, and the City Council will still read the meter and" receive nothing. In addition to. this I had to install two meters' in my business premises at a cost of over £1, and the total amount collected in twenty-three years was about 32a, I have therefore been put to the expense of over £25 to enable the council to collect £1 12s Bd. I would suggest it would be a better policy to issue hose licenses at, say, 5s or 7s 6d per annum to owners of private residences, and the council would receive far more revenue and ratepayers would be saved useless expense.—l am, etc., ■ W. H. MORRAH.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Allow me a little gpaee to voice my disfavour in regards to. the restrictions placed on using hoses for watering purposes. These restrictions have been in force for some time, and have been largely .adhered, to. With the Orongorongo water supply about to bo brought into the city, which means a greater supply of water- than ever bofore, we rind the restrictions still enforced on us. They aay wo must install a meter if we-wish' to. use water through the hose. With this additional expense on to our already high rates, one begins to wonder if there is anything in owning property. The point j which strikes me most about th« whole business is, while restrictions are placed on using water through the hose for garden purposes, nothing is said about using the water by other means, snch as the watering-can. Just as much water can be used by this means as by the hose, so where is the saving* To me it appears that as long as a few pounds can be extracted from the public we will have to pay for everything. Last summer it was a common sight to see valuable water being poured on to the Kent terrace reserve, for the same purposes as we would use the hose for. We are paying up to our neck-now for what we own, and it seems that we will still have to pay more if we wish to keep our property and surroundings .in a pleasing condition.— l am, etc., NOT SATISFIED.