1907.] 



British Crops of 1907. 



527 



valves and hydrants, with installation charges, will be about 

 £940, and the annual charge, including interest and sinking 

 fund at 7 per cent., together with repairs and wages, about 

 £95, which gives per head of population a capital cost of 

 £1 zy.s. $d. and an annual charge of about 3s. g\-d. 



For an oil engine installation the capital cost would be about 

 the same as for the mill installation, but the annual charge 

 would probably be about £30 higher owing to cost of fuel and 

 insurance, and these figures would give charges of £1 17s. 5^. 

 and 5s. per head respectively. 



The capital cost of a gas engine installation should be about 

 equal to the foregoing, but the annual charge would, of course, 

 largely depend upon the price of gas in the district ; assuming, 

 however, that 3s. 6d. per 1,000 ft. would represent the average, 

 £125 per annum is probably a fair estimate, and in this case 

 the capital and annual charges are again £1 lys. $d. and 5s. 

 per head respectively. 



Suction gas plant, the latest innovation for pumping, is 

 doubtless more costly at the outset than the other means 

 referred to, but the economy in fuel over either the oil 

 or ordinary gas engine goes far to balance this initial dis- 

 advantage. With such an installation the capital cost would 

 probably reach £1,100 and the annual cost be reduced to 

 £80, thus giving rates per head of £2 4s. and 3s. 2\d. respec- 

 tively. 



No provision has been made in the foregoing estimates for 

 costs of supervision other than those which would fall naturally 

 under the heads of construction and periodical repairs, it being 

 assumed that an unpaid committee of the Council concerned 

 would discharge such duties. 



THE BRITISH CROPS OF 1907. 



A preliminary statement of the estimated yield of the cereal, 

 pulse and hay crops in Great Britain was issued on 20th 

 November, and that relating to roots and potatoes on 3rd 

 December. The average produce per acre in the present year 

 of each of these crops is given in the following table, which 

 shows also the excess or deficiency as compared with the result 



