Water-Rating. 427 



(see Figs. 3 and 4, showing statistics from Atalanta and London 

 Companies). It is therefore not correct to say the expenses are in 

 proportion to the quantity supplied. 



When tolls were taken on the turnpike roads, an endeavour was 

 made to charge travellers in proportion to their use of the roads. 

 This system has been given up, and the present method of 

 assessment is not considered unjust. 



Water Consumption. 



We shall now consider how the water sent into town is used 

 up. Towns differ so much from one another that the particular 

 figures of one town will not represent an average, and it is not 

 suggested that average figures can be made to apply to any individual 

 case. A fair consumption in Britain is about 35 gallons per head 

 per day, allocated as on Figure 5. Waste appears to be excessive, 

 but engineers have to admit that it is difficult to keep it lower. 



In 1902-03 the Johannesburg Waterworks sold 76.4 per cent, of 

 what was pumped. In 1903-04 the Johannesburg Waterworks sold 

 78.7 per cent, of what was pumped. This year the Johannesburg 

 Municipality sold about 80 per cent, of what was bought. 



The point to be noted is that the metering of consumers' pipes 

 only puts control on a certain portion of the total consumption, and 

 this is not a very large portion. Consider the case of a town with 

 35 gallons per head per day consumption (which is a good average 

 for Great Britain), and with a proper water carriage sewerage 

 system, where the sanitary arrangements are provided with 2 -gallon 

 flush cisterns. The amount sent down the drains from these cisterns 

 is at least 6 gallons per head per day. There is no control over 

 this. Municipal and trade supplies may be put at 10, and waste 

 at 8, gallons per head per day. The balance for domestic use is 

 only II gallons, and this is the item on which the consumer can 

 save. In a warm climate the amount used is much greater. Take 

 Pretoria, for example; baths, stoep washing, garden watering, etc., 

 raise the consumption to about 80 gallons per head per day for 

 domestic purposes, the remaining 24 going to street watering, trade 

 consumers, etc. 



Water Consiimfiion in United States. 



The return of water used in American towns shows a consump- 

 tion per head per day of anything up to 300 gallons. Consumers 

 taking such quantities must be considered as drawing in bulk. 300 

 gallons per head per day for a family of six means 54,000 gallons 

 per month, while many Germiston families are content with 600. 

 Such figures are only accountable to English engineers by admitting 

 that the waste is enormous. Meters have been largely adopted in 



