DEVONPORT WATER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 838, 5 December 1929, Page 15

DEVONPORT WATER

reduction possible SUPPLY ACCOUNT REVIEWED In all probability the water charges 1 Devonport residents may bo renext year. u a meeting of the borough council ' evening the Mayor, Mr. E. Ald,a \, e in reviewing the water supply said that when the revenue warranted such action the impost of . a year on water meters would 4 the first- thing to go. He said that there would soon be surplus in the water department’s 4 Hunts, which would make it posA *ble (1) to re< i uce the cost of water SI the consumers. (2) permit the undertaking of new work in bettering " “ ater service. (3) o.r permit a reUM in fit® interest tat*- i>.\ mak- .. the water department shoulder of the annual levy of £ 4,246 now collected by special rate to pay interest Sinking fund on water expend!tU Ue tabled figures showing that the t cr pumped in 1927 was 251,000,000 callon*: in 1928. 200.000.000 gallons; in i9-'9. 194,000.000 gallons: and for six uonths of the current year, 51,000,000 gallons. In that time the draw-off by Takapuna had increased, so that pftvonpart consumption had decreased more than was apparent from the figures. llevenue had, however, remained at about £5,500, us the council was now getting payment for a lot of ivater that was previously running helped out by the reduction in the co9 l 0 f pumping with the new electrically driven pumps. The annual rosts had decreased from £4.320 in 1927 to £ 3,051 in 1929, and for the current half-year to £ 1,492. The council was leaving more water in the lake, and getting more revenue, without increasing the cost of water a thousand gallons. About £7,100 out of revenue had been spent on meters. They were assets that had been paid for without a loan out of revenue obtained from water formerly wasted throughout this borough. The winter demand was about 30 million gallons less than the demand m the six summer months. Councillors expressed themselves as very pleased, and a special vote of thanks was accorded the clerk for his work in compiling the returns.