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cent of the total Pokfulam supply. A mere dribble amounts to 1,000 gallons a day. Waste may be prevented, with more or less success, in various ways. An intermittent supply cannot be numbered among these, because it rather increases than diminishes waste, besides being most inconvenient and insanitary."
*
*
5, Mr. Chadwick then dealt with the several ways in which economy in the use of water might be attained. He favoured meterage. "Under the meter system waste
The minimum amount of inspection is necessary. cures itself.
* The con- sumer is free to use as much water as he pleases; when and how he likes. The check is the account at the end of the quarter. * * * I therefore recommend the adoption of the meter system for the City of Victoria, and generally throughout the Colony of Hong Kong".
6. His proposals in brief outline were:
(1) All house services to be metered and a meter rent to be charged.
(2) Water rate to be levied on all tenements which can receive water, and a free allowance of water to be made to each tenement based on its water rate.
(3) Public taps to be erected at convenient distances along the streets. Occupiers of premises not provided with house services to obtain their water supply from these taps.
7. The draft Ordinance had contained the following clause (Clause 16):
"The Water Authority may direct that the supply of water taken or used by or through any service shall be measured or regulated by means of a meter or otherwise as may be provided by any regulations made hereunder'.
8. This clause had been approved by the Sanitary Board and the Executive Council, but as it was regarded as indicating the Government's intention to insist on the general use of meters it was opposed by the Unofficial Members of Council on the ground that it would inflict a hardship on landlords who would have to pay for water wasted by their tenants. The draft Ordinance was therefore amended, and a free unmetered supply continued to be given to all rated tenements. The water position was, therefore, not materially improved, even with the addition of the Tytam works, and the Colony had still to be supplied for a great part on the unsatisfactory and wasteful intermittent system.
9. In a report, dated 7th August, 1894, Mr. Chadwick again thus reverted to the question of waste:
“It should be made clear to the public that the scarcity of water which has occurred, and the demand which has consequently arisen for the expenditure of large sums of money for new works, sums which will have to be paid by the people, arc mainly, if not entirely, due to waste of water; a loss of public property which it is in their power to prevent"
10. The position continued to grow more serious from year to year. Water famines had occurred annually with three exceptions ever since the opening of the Tytam Reservoir, and at length, when a water famine of great severity prevailed in 1901-2, while Mr. Chadwick was in Hong Kong (he having been sent out by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to report on the Sanitary Condition of the Colony), he was requested to submit also recommendations on the best means of conserving and augmenting the Colony's water supply. His Report on the Sanitary Conditions in the Colony, dated 10th April, 1902, was published as Sessional Paper No. 17 of 1902. In that Report he again stressed the importance of waste prevention and the general introduction of meters. Though the gross consumption of water is not great," he wrote, "especially for a tropical town, and though there may be but little negligent waste, there is evidence to show that there is much wanton waste. Now, inspection, no matter how perfect, is practically impotent to check wanton waste * The only way to check wanton waste is to measure the consumption of water in each tenement, by means of meters, and to charge an adequate price for all water con- sumed, over and above a prescribed quantity. * * * I venture to believe that if meters were introduced, together with a proper scale of charges, the consumption