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.WATER SUPPLY..
Evidence Before Royal Com
mission.
Mr. L. R. East, one of the three mem
bers ot the State Rivers and Water Sup
ply Commission, gave evidence before the
Royal Commission on Water Supply yes
terday. He said that he favored the prin
ciple of rating on the unimproved value
or innu lor waier raies. rne cnairman
ot the commission (Mr. Horsfield) ap
proved of the principle, but said that he
had not discussed it with the third mem
ber of the commission (Mr. Trevean).
Mr. East said that in the twenty years
of existence of the State Rivers and
Water Supply Commission no engineer
had been sent abroad to investigate ir
rigation problems. This should be done
at periods, and would result in improve
ments as well as savings.
In reference to the arrears of rates
owing . to the commission, which
amounted to about £800,000, Mr. East
said that they had accumulated through
failures in closer settlement and de
pressed economic conditions. Water users
generally had paid their rates as well as
they were able.
Commenting on the sand drift prob-
lem in the Mallee, Mr. East suggested
the establishment of an equalisation fund
supported by n Government grant. For
clearing the channels or sand £42,000
had been spent this year from the
unemployment funds. In ihe mountain
ous districts the water catchments should
be protected from erosion, and a board
similar lo that formed In New South
Wales should be formed, with represen
tatives of the Lands, Agricultural, Forests
and Water departments Included to deal
with the matter. '
Referring to irrigation. Mr. East said
that It cost nearly £15 to place each
water whcci for users in the irrigation
nrenx. To defray the heavy maintenance
easts a rental of at least 10/ each should
be charged. As yet no charge had been
made, as there wits a doubt as to whe
ther it could be done under the Water
Act. To elfect economies a separate non-
taxing department should be established,
to be answerable for all valuations for
both rating and compensation purposes
for State und municipal authorities, The
suggested abolition of the general' rate
(the stock and domestic rate) would
benefit only the big land owner with
small water rights, who used little water,
at the expense of the- water users who
intensively Irrigated their holdings. If
tlie general rate was abolished the loss
of revenue would have to be covered by
an increase of approximately 25 per cent,
in irrigation charges In all districts. This
would not apply to the Murray River
dried fruits area, where the Increase
would be in tlie vicinity of 5 per cent.
Market gardeners and orchardists who
obtained water supplies from the Mel
bourne and Metropolitan Board of Works
paid 1/ a thousand gallons, which was
equal to £14 an acre-loot. Their com
petitors In the irrigation districts paid
from O'.id. to l'/jd. a thousand gallons.
The market gardeners at Werribec, for
example, paid 12/ an acre-foot, which
worked out at approximately OJ'-d. a
thousand gallons.
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