1908.] Water Supply for Villages. 



353 



a check on the amount of water supplied the consumption 

 and waste at dairy farms may be unreasonably heavy, 

 and this has been met by the introduction of service 

 meters. Precautions are, however, required to secure that 

 the use of the new supply be not made a convenience 

 in the few summer months only and the revenue thus 

 reduced to very small proportions. To meet this point the 

 following plan has been adopted with success. For every 

 farm to which a supply is given a minimum half-yearly charge 

 is made for a fixed maximum allowance of water based upon the 

 assessable value of the holding for special purposes, i.e., land 

 being rated at one-quarter the rate at which the buildings are 

 rated. This basis has been found to work well in practice and 

 has the further advantage of being the basis of a special sanitary 

 rate, as fixed by statute. The quantity of water allowed 

 without extra charge is fixed by the " scale of charges by meter," 

 and should this amount be exceeded the excess is charged at 

 a fixed rate, provided in the " scale." A scale largely in use 

 is as follows : — 



£ *• d. 



5,000 gallons or under per half year ... ... o 15 o 



Intermediate at 2s. 6d. per 1,000. 

 10,000 gallons per half year ... ... ... ... 176 



Intermediate at 2s. per 1,000. 

 20,000 gallons per half year ... 276 



Intermediate at is. lod. per 1,000. 

 35,000 gallons per half year ... ... ... ... 3 I S° 



Intermediate at is. 8d. per 1,000. 

 50,000 gallons per half year ... ... ... ... 500 



Intermediate at is. 6d. per 1,000. 

 100,000 gallons per half year ... ... ... ... 8 15 o 



Intermediate at is. 3d. per 1,000. 

 200,000 gallons per half year ... ... ... ... 15 o o 



All above 200,000 per half year is. per 1,000. 



In some instances all that portion of the scale above 50,000 

 gallons is omitted, making 2s. per 1,000 the highest charge, 

 whilst percentage reductions from scale are made in favourable 

 cases, in one case amounting to as much as 50 per cent. 



Minimum Charge. — The minimum charge and the extent 

 to which it may be increased are of the greatest importance, 

 as it is found that where meters are in use the quantity 

 allowed at this charge is rarely exceeded. The highest mini- 

 mum charge in the author's experience was adopted at 

 Baltonsborough and is a half-yearly charge of is. in the £1 

 (3864) z 



