LXXXII. T. W. KEELE. 
The press states that this communication will be con- 
sidered at a meeting of the Water Supply Committee, and 
it will probably come before the Board at the meeting to 
be held on Tuesday week. In the meantime members of 
the Board are being confirmed in their opinion that it is 
not equitable for them to be called upon to pay for the 
water at its source, in view of the fact that about £36,000 
worth is given to the Government free every year for use 
in Government departments. That sum does not include 
either water for flushing channels, watering the streets, 
supplying gardens under the control of the Government, 
nor what is used in extinguishing fires, for all of which no 
charge is levied. i 
*K * 
It will be seen that these conditions are very stringent, 
even at one million gallons per day so diverted from the 
Acheron into the Watts’ River watershed, the cost will be 
for the necessary works £6,000, and for water at 1d per 
1,000 gallons £4 3s. 4d. Very little is known about the: 
Acheron, and as to what quantity is available. The area 
above the pointof interception of the water is only about nine 
Square miles, and the long continued drought has no doubt 
affected that stream in a similar manner to the Wallaby 
and Silver Creeks, which Mr. Ritchie has already stated 
are diminishing quickly. In view also of the ground water 
in the Watts’ River catchment area being at a lower level 
now than ever before, since records have been made of the 
rainfall, it appears to me that only a small proportion of 
the Acheron water discharged over the mountain side will 
find its way to the aqueduct situated at the lower levels. 
The probability is that a considerable part of the water 
will be absorbed on the way down, and although it will not 
be actually lost inasmuch as it will be stored underground 
to ultimately assist in feeding the stream, it will.take a 
long time to gravitate to the point where it is now so 
much needed. 
