6465
180
No. 130..
Acting Governor Sir G. BOWER to MR. LYTTELTON.
(Received 10.15, a.m., February 23, 1904.)
TELEGRAM.
[Answered by No. 131.]
Referring to your telegram of 19th February,* further papers sent to you 10th February.t May I now proceed with Loan Law for drainage, £23,500; Mare aux-Vacoas, £17,000; rolling-stock, £17,000?
6465
No. 131.
MR. LYTTELTON to ACTING GOVERNOR SIR G. BOWER. (Sent 6.25 p.m., February 25, 1904.)
TELEGRAM.
[Answered by No. 135.]
Referring to your telegram of February 23, you may proceed with Loan Law, drainage, waterworks. As to rolling-stock, await my despatch, February 8§; cost should be met without recourse to loan.
7544
No. 132.
ACTING GOVERNOR SIR G. BOWER to MR. LYTTELTON. (Received March 2, 1904.)
(No. 41.) SIR,
[Acknowledged March 8, 1904, No. 57: 7544: not printed.]
Government House, Mauritius, February 1, 1904. I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 253, of the 3rd November last, approving of the necessary expenditure-£16,000-to meet the cost of certain improvements to the Mare-aux-Vacoas Waterworks being in- cluded in the loan to be raised.
2. With regard to the question raised in the 2nd paragraph of your despatch, I consulted the Board of Commissioners of the Mare-aux-Vacoas water supply on the subject, and I enclose a copy of their reply.
3. I laid the matter before the Executive Council on the 29th ultimo, who concur with the Board of Commissioners that it is not advisable to raise the water rates.
4. I may add that I concur in these decisions. It seems to me that it should be the policy of the Government to encourage the poorer classes to use pure water and that an increase in the water rate would tend to aggravate the present deplor- able sanitary condition of the island.
181
Honour the Officer Administering the Government with their views on the question raised by the Secretary of State in the second paragraph of his despatch, the Board beg to report as follows:-
The rates are charged as hereunder :-
For domestic supplies :-
Below the filter beds Above
"
"
For non-domestic supplies:-
For 1,000 cubic metres per quarter
Below the filter beds Above
31
35
From 1,000 to 2,000 cubic metres
Below the filter beds
Above
"
11
Over 2,000 cubic metres :-
Below the filter beds
Above
29
33
Per cubic metre,
5 cents. 10
4 cents.
8
11
3 cents.
6
31
2 cents.
4
""
For the last ten years the revenue has been on the increase as shown by the following figures:-
In 1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901 (six months)
1901-02
1902-03
Rs. 15,876.90
15,354.82
17,495.60
22,370.19
25,791.87
27,474.19
28,947.37
27,194.41
17,253.52
30,701.21
40,117.55
Experience has shown that there is very great difficulty to obtain from the population, in the different villages crossed by the Mare-aux-Vacoas mains, to take their supplies therefrom, and it is only in course of time that people see the necessity of using it. Further, being given the general circumstances of the Colony, and the expenditure which the consumer has to incur to bring the water to his premises, the Board do not deem it advisable to raise the rates.
It must be borne in mind, when considering the question of revenue derived from the waterworks, that many civil establishments use the water without having any payment to make, and that the consumption in that respect for the last ten years has been on the increase.
G. A. RITTER,
Chairman.
January 26, 1904.
8290
No. 133.
I have, &c.,
GRAHAM BOWER, Administering the Government.
Enclosure in No. 132.
SECRETARY.
CHAIRMAN, Board of Commissioners, Mare-aux-Vacoas Water Supply, to COLONIAL
(No. B.L. 15.)
January 26, 1904. Adverting to your letter, No. D./253/03, dated 17th ultimo, transmitting a copy of a despatch from the Secretary of State and asking the Board to favour His
ACTING GOVERNOR SIR G. BOWER to MR. LYTTELTON. (Received 1.15 p.m., March 8, 1904.)
TELEGRAM.
[Answered by No. 137.]
Referring to your telegram of 4th February,* my telegram of 6th February
and to your telegram of 19th February,t papers re railways called for in Council of Government. I propose to give your telegram of 4th February* and my telegram of 6th Februaryf textually and to omit confidential portion(s) of your telegram of 19th February. Do you approve?
• No. 128.
† No. 140.
‡ No. 130.
§ No. 126.
No. 111.
No. 124.
† No. 125.
‡ No. 124.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
PC.O. 882
ˇ ˇ | | | | | | | | | |||||
8
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
182
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.