WATER CHARGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 6343, 17 March 1882, Page 6

WATER CHARGES.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —It is comparatively immaterial from whence Mr Boardman obtained his figures, which indeed he could hardly obtain from.any other source than the one named. It is to some of the deductions he makes therefrom that exception may be fairly taken, for while he is prepared to make the most of the profits, he mates little or no provision (in the face of an avowed intention on the part of the City Council to reduce consumers' rates) for either depreciation, wear and tear of pumping plant (no small item), particularly many miles of mains and service pipes, proportion of departmental expenditure (hitherto charged to municipal account) or sinking fuad for the large loan borrowed for the undertaking, and he makes the mistake of estimating that the working

expenses must necessarily not exceed that of ! previous years. Large consumption means 1 larger expenditure, and, indeed, with a pumping supply it is difficult to say what the expenses may or may not be. Probably ■ it would be as well to wait anil get a few years' average before we are too sanguine on this point. Your correspondent denies that the water used free is not used free by consumers. May I ask if the water used for fire extinguishing purposes, street-watering, washing channels and sewers, is not used equally for the benefit of the consumer as the non-consumer, and no inconsiderabl portion of the supply pumped is used in this manner. The positive surplus for the year is shown by t , h lfr t3 ' 1 read - t0 b e a little under £-000, the remainder consisting of balances brought forward from previous half-years rents, (instead of the imaginary £4500). Your correspondent states he has no sympathy with the owners of allotments unbuilt upon. Probably Auckland is better covered with buildings than any other town in the colony of its size. At all events, even Rome was not built in a day, n and there is evidently no lack of buildings going up at present. It is even thought by some that we are likely to overdo our wants in this respect. Even this is very possible. Probably if Mr. B. owned allotments in streets distant from the main thoroughfares, he would sympathise. With reference to the non-laying of mains in a number of streets (few of the thickly populated but are provided), your correspondent is probably unaware that a number of the streets are as yet unformed to their permanent levels, and that to put mains down to supply a few and scattered dwellings would, in some cases, be almost an impossibility, while in others it would be only incurring considerable expense, involving, when the streets are formed, the whole being again lifted and re-layed at a large outlay. As to the £1000 surplus on the rate and assumed profits, perhaps it would be as well to wait until the next accounts are published before we assume these roseate balances. The money allocated out of the consolidated loan for Town Hall, Free Public Library, Baths, and Municipal Offices, can hardly be devoted, as your correspondent must be well aware, to other purposes by the Municipality, however desirable. In writing of the special rate, Mr. Boardman is apparently unaware that this rate is levied for giving security to the bondholders of other loans than the one raised for waterworks purposes, and therefore his remarks are out of place, and serve no object in the present instance, nor is it possible to always foresee what may bo the increase in the rateable value of any district. Instances have occurred where, from circumstances, property has largely depreciated, for which the Municipal Corporation Act makes no provision, while special rates can be reduced when circumstances fully warrant. —I am, &c., Fair Plat.