WATER SHORTAGE.

Northern Advocate, 8 February 1913, Page 3

WATER SHORTAGE.

THE EXTRAORDINARY SUPPLY

In illustration of the foregoing statement, the following report, prepared by the Town Clerk, was circulated amongst councillors:— Re Shortage of Water. —I have prepared a list of the consumers outside the borough and the extraordinary supply users inside th:> borough, and the quantity of water used by them respectively. A number of purely do-

mestic supply consumers are supplied by meter within the borough, and 1 have not taken them into account. I find that the outside consumers use 525,000 gallons per annum, or 1439 gallons per day, for which we receive £69 13s, or an average of 2s 7d per 1000 gallons.

. The extraordinary supply users in the town use 7,526,000 gallons per annum, or 24,044 gallons per working day. The yearly income from these is £260, at an average price of Sd per 1000 gallons.

Under Section 237 of our by-laws

the supply of water is not guaranteed. Under Section 235 extraordinary supply shall, subject to the provisions of Section 236, be terminable by one

month's notice in writing.

Section 236 reads: "The Council may at any time, by resolution publicly notified and until a further public notice of the -decision of such resolution has been given, prohibit the use of water for 'extraordinary' supply, and may similarly prohibit the hand hose watering of grounds; and it shall be an offence for any person to use water in the manner so prohibited."

Extraordinary supply is not defined

in our by-laws, but Section 235 o:

"The Municipal Corporations Act, J 908," defines it as "Water supplied for

the use of railways, manufactories, machinery, pi blic baths, aud washhouses, breweries, chemical works, livery stables, cattle, gardens or ornamental purposes, or for any other purpose defined in any by-law in that behalf and any- water in excess of the ordinary supply, shall be deemed an 'extraordinary supply.' "

Both Section 238 of our by-laws and Sub-section 3 of Section 241 of "The Municipal Corporations Act, 1908,'' require three months' notice in writing to be given of termination of supply to consumers outside of the borough.

I would suggest that before any

notices are given of discontinuation of supply that the borough solicitors' opinion be obtained and they be requested to prepare a sample form of notice.