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24

MB. JO W. FLUX, M.A., ON CITY GOVERNMENT AND

somewhat exoeeded <£6,000,000.

The liabilities on Capital

account stood at a little under <£5,000,000. The outlay for ordinary maintenance and the administration of the department has averaged about £50,000 during the last five financial years, in addition to an average of £24,560 for chief-rents, rates and taxes, and tithes; and the outlay for sinlcing funds and interest on loans about £199,000 per annum. There has been, also, an average surplus of somewhat over £11,000 in the last four years.* To turn to the other side of the account, the receipts by Manchester for water used for manufacturing purposes, by hydraulic power, etc., supplied by meter, have averaged £121,000 per annum, of which £22,000 was for supply outside the city. Receipts for water sold to other authorities or to companies outside the city and from water-rates inside and outside the city have averaged about £155,000, of which supplies outside the city accounted for £84,000. It is only with the first of .these divisions of receipts that any comparison can be made with Copenhagen. For ordinary purposes water is there supplied and charged for on principles similar to those adopted.for supplying light in the public streets and meeting the cost of that service. For exceptional supplies of water, such as that needed for manufacturing purposes, extra taps, fountains, public buildings, etc., charges are made. Rather under a quarter of the total supply is used for such purposes, and the proportion, so used appears to be increasing. The income from this source to the city was, on the average, £10,300 in 1885-89, £12,300 per annum in 1890-94, and rose to over £16,000 in 1898. The net outlay on revenue account for water supply to the city is thus reduced to a quite small sum. It would appear, therefore, as if the net cost of water-supply to the inhabitants of Copenhagen, including interest and amor­ tisation of Capital, amounts to about one shilling per head per annum in addition to the charges for special supplies for other * The transactiona of the year 1894-5 are involved in paymonts of interest on Capital during the Construction of works at Thirlmero. The omission of that year in estimating the average surplus seemed the less doubtful course.