WATER SUPPLY AT PORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 February 1922, Page 5

WATER SUPPLY AT PORT.

REVISION OF THE CHARGES. The supply of water to the New Plymouth Harbor Board by the Borough Council and the question of charges is dealt with by the Borough general manager (Mr. F. T. Bellringer) in his monthly report. He states: In 1915 an agreement was entered into with the Harbor Board whereby the. council agreed to supply the board with water at 1/- per thousand gallons. The agreement was for a period of seven years and expires on March 26 next. The Harbor Board resell to shipping at a considerable profit, much of the water supplied under the agreement. After setting out the amounts paid .by the board and the revenue received by it from the resale of the water during the last six years, the general manager expresses the opinion that the position was sufficient to justify the council in completely revising the charges to the board.

He concludes: “I would recommend that in arranging a new agreement provision. be made for two meters—one to gauge the water supplied for the board’s own purposes and the other for the supply to shipping. There seems no real reason why the board should receive water at a less charge than that provided by the by-laws, and water supplied for the ‘board’s own purposes should be charged, for at the rate of 2/per thousand gallons. Water for shipping should be charged for at 4/- per thousand gallons, the board reselling at, say 5/- per thousand gallons, in order to cover cost of supervision and. attention. The above recommendation i«s based upon me assumption that the Harbor Board charges water for shipping at 5/- per thousand gallons, which [ understand is actually the case.”