65
No. 1930.
HONG KONG.
INFORMATION COLLECTED FROM BANGKOK, COLOMBO, MANILA, SAIGON, SHANGHAI AND SINGAPORE IN THE MATTER OF THE CHARGE MADE FOR WATER AND THE STEPS TAKEN TO CHECK WASTAGE OF WATER.
Addressing the Legislative Council on 23rd September, 1929. His Excellency the Governor (Sir Cecil Clementi) said: "I am informed that the price of water in this Colony is cheap by comparison with prices charged elsewhere. I am collecting data on this sub- ject and will place the statistics, when procured, before this Council". The information now appended, with a covering minute by Mr R. M. Henderson of the Public Works Department, is required primarily in connection with certain proposals for General mete- rage in Hong Kong which are now under consideration, but is published, together with a short account of the existing Hong Kong system, in accordance with the undertaking quoted above.
Hon. D. P. W.
I attach herewith a resumé of the information regarding the waterworks of the Cities of Bangkok, Colombo, Manila, Saigon, Shanghai and Singapore which has been re- ceived in reply to the letters of enquiry despatched last year.
It is impossible to tabulate this information owing to its diversity, so I have arranged it very shortly under general headings.
With one exception, Shanghai, all the Systems under review are directly con- trolled by Government or Municipal Authorities and, without exception, give a continuous supply throughout the twenty-four hours inside houses. The only restriction admitted is by means of a reduction in pressures, a method which can only be adopted by cities having alternative supplies.
It would appear that with the exception of Colombo, all Authorities are moving towards General Meterage while one, Singapore, has already reached that position and three others, Manila, Saigon and Bangkok are already very largely metered.
Each city has its own problem to solve and the Rates and Charges vary very greatly accordingly. Thus in Shanghai and Bangkok where the supply is taken from large rivers and is therefore more or less unlimited the metered rates are designed to en- courage consumption there being a fall in price with a rise in consumption. On the con- trary Singapore, which is supplied from costly Reservoirs, has made the rates for large consumers high to encourage economy.
The charge for water in Colombo is almost entirely included in the rates, but trade supplies are metered and many additional charges, such as for motor cars, are levied.
The charges in Shanghai for domestic supplies are largely based on Assessinent, being unmetered, but trade supplies are metered and are charged for at unit rates.
The charges in Bangkok, Manila, Saigon and Singapore are almost all by unit as these cities are very largely metered.
In Colombo, Manila and Saigon accounts are rendered quarterly, but in Shanghai and Singapore accounts are rendered monthly. In Bangkok large accounts are rendered nunthly and small accounts quarterly.