The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1899.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11698, 13 December 1899, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1899.

There arc many points in connection with the proposal 10 borrow £GO,OOO in order to pay off the existing Borough loan and provide moans for electric lighting, a gravitation water scheme, and street improvements, wh'ch will require close consideration on the part of the ratepayers. At first glance the amount of the p r oposed loan appears to be very large for so small a community, but in reality it is a relatively much smaller burden 1 than was the present l.an when it was raised. The popula tion and ratable value of the town have doubled, while the annual chargo on the larger lonn will not be much 1 rcati-r than it originally was upon the. j ns. ut one. On that score we should not be disposed to raiao objection to the proposals. Bjt upon other grounds there is much that ia debatable. Before committing themselves to so heavy a responsibility, the ratepayers should Oist ask themselves what are their most pressing, requirements. To that the answer must be, an improved water supply, hettei streets BDd footpaths, and a system of drainage. One is as important; as another, and none can he neglected. In the proposals adopted by the Borough Council on Monday night there is, however, no provision for drainage. Instead, there is a prdposil to incur a large expenditure in an electric lighting scheme, and it will be for ratepayers to consider whether they wi 1 neglect the one, upon which the health of the town largely depends, for the other, which is more or lees of a luxury, and possibly an expensive ono at that, It is proposed to spend £21,000 upon the water and the electric lighting scheme. Let 113 see what additional water supply this will give us. Our present daily consumption is he tween 250,000 and 300,000 gallons, but the supply is somewhat precarious in that it depends upon everything working smoothly und without serious mishap ; hence the need of an improved supply. The scheme which appears to mat with the approval of the Council provides, at an estimated cost of about £7.000, a supply of 600,000 gallons every 24 houis, double, or rather more tlmn double, our present irqnirements; but it does not include a new reservoir, which, according to Mr Mestayer, ths consulting engineer, \3 unquestionably a necessity, and the cost of which, wilh filter beds, &c, ho estimates at £5400 The electric lighting and power supply portion of this scheme is estimated to cost about £10.000, of which £4,500 is lor power supply, and £5500 for electric plant, &c, but Mr Mestayer suggests alterations and modifications which probably would increase this. Altogpther the consulting engineer considers that the scheme of " Fiat Lux " would cost £18,300, to which has to be added tho cost of a new reservoir, for which tho Council allows apparently) £2700. We have already said that electric lighting is more or less a luxury, and it is worth while to put this aside and examho the cost of simply doubling our water supply and obtaining the security we need against mishap. Some ti-no ago we put down" the cost of a new reservoir and up«4cdate turbines and pumps capable of delivering 50,000 gallons an hour, just about double the capacity of the pumps now in use, at a rough estimate of £550 p. ,( Mr Mesiayer estimates the cost at £4750, to which he would add £IGSO for filter beds, and for which ho estimates to be able to pump 500,000 gallons per day of 1G hours, or 35,000 gallons per hour. It appears to us then quito safe to estimate that the present supply of water can be doubled at an outlay of certainly not more than £7000, while to obtain an equal supply by gravitation will entail an outlay of at least £12,000. Whichever scheme is adopted, tho gravitation or the improvement of tho present works, a new reservoir is required ; to tho cost of this mufet he added, if gravitation is adopted, £7500 cost of intako and supply main, while the new turbinos and pumps, and the filter* beds, needed to double tho present supply will cost £2500 in addition to tho reservoir. Thero is thus a balance of JCSOOO in favour of the improvement of tho present works, while the annual charge for tho engineer would not be increased, as it would be if the gravitation scheme were adopted. Doubling the present supply would give all the additional power that is likely to he required for many years. So far then as we enn judge, it is proposed to expend about £14,000 for power which is not required and for electric light which can well bo dono without. Coming to tho annuol charges in connection wilh tho two pchonie?, in tho enso ofthe larger ono, interest on £21,000 at 4

per cent, will amount to £840; wages _ in addition to present engineer, £250; J renewals and depreciation, £350; total, I £1443 a yenr. Against this it is a estimated that there would be a revenae f from the sale of power and light equal to £750, from which must be deducted the £200 now derived from power, I leaving £550 net to be deducted from j the annual cost of the scheme, thus ! making it £890 a year. The following , comparison will show at a glance the ; difference, the expenses common to botli i schemes being omitted :—: — ' GRAVITATION SCHEME. £ Interest on £21,000 at 4 per cent. ... B}o Additional engineer, &c. 250 Renewals and depreciation 350 ' 1440 ; Dednct increased revenue from power and light 550 Net cost per annum 890 IMPROVING PRESENT SUPPLY. & Interest on £7000 at 4 per cent. ... 280 The difference between the cost of the twosclumes is £610 a year, which is practically the amount we should bo paying for the privilege of having electric light in the town. In reality it would probably bo more than that, for we have allowed no increase of rerer.ua under tbe smaller schemo from motive power, whereas there would be ample power to dispose of. The question is whether the Borough would bo wise in increasing its lighting bill so largely and neglecting so important a matter, as chaining. 'Ihere is nothing to show thai, electric lighting i 3 cheaper lhan gas. In places such as Stratford, where a magnificent natural power is found so cloße to the town, no doubt it is cheaper, but the circumstances there arc exceptional. With all tho modern improvements in burners, which ought to be adopted . here, there is not much to choose between the two in the matter of efficiency. Our figures may te open to correction, but we have endeavoured to ascertain the separate cost of water and lighting, anl we think the ratepayers should ins'st upon an authoritative statement in this connection before agreeing to the loan propobals. Reniirks upon tl.o pioposa'i with regard to street improvements must be left for another occasion.