ROYALTY DEMANDED.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 69, 22 March 1928, Page 9

ROYALTY DEMANDED.

WATER FROM ONE TREE HILL BOARD MEMBERS CONCEBHED FURTHER ACTION PROPOSED. "Water, water, all around" was the thought that persisted at the meeting of the One Tree Hill Road Board last evening as the members discussed costs of pumping and distribution, and incidentally expressed themselves on the delicate topic of being called upon to pay a royalty on water which the board proposes to pump from a well on its own property.

The chairman (Mr. R. G. Clark) referred to the recent decision of the board to sink a well in the One Tree Hill Domain, to avoid the necessity for I pumping water from Onehunga.

The engineer (Mr. J. Dawson) reported that the well had reached a depth of 51ft. The lava flow was pierced at 34ft, and a stratum of large red scoria boulders had been encountered.

Reporting on the result of a meeting that day of the One Tree Hill Domain Board, the chairman said that it was proposed to charge the road board a royalty of Id per 1000 gallons for water pumped from the Domain. His owni opinion was that this was too much.

Members calculated that on the basis of the present output in the district this would cost the board about £400 per year in royalty. All agreed wuh the chairman that the position wasi anomalous. They felt that the rights of the board should be tested, and went into committee to discuss the best method of procedure. An informative report on water costs was presented by the clerk (Mr. A. Leese). During the year 87,000,000 gallons had been pumped by the board and 59.768.000 gallons sold. The water lost through flushing of mains, roadmaking, fire-fighting, etc., was gallons. The full cost of operating was £>188 or l/2.32d per 1000 gallons, while the cost per 1000 gallons sold was l/6.84d. The trading account, the clerk 'stated, showed a loss of £554, of which £180 jwas accounted for by concessions to I large consumers. Sales of water were increasing steadily, and it was believed that the debit balance would be quicklv overtaken. n * Members of the board expressed pleasure with the report, and confirmed the deWt WOUld *°° n *