137

A.—4,

necessary public works, and for purpose of water-supply the Council may levy a water-rate in addition to all other rates, but " not exceeding one shilling in the " pound on the assessment of the rateable property of the Municipality, and may " be assessed upon such property according to such assessment on any other scale " which the Council may by such order determine." The water-supply to the City of Melbourne and to the other towns in Victoria is undertaken and maintained entirely by the Central Government, and is under the management of the Board of Land and "Works established by the Public Works Act of 1865. Although this can hardly be called a branch of local Government, seeing that the whole management is vested in a central department, yet, as the object is a purely local one, and is attained elsewhere by local institutions, some notice of it may be thought not out of place in a notice of the local bodies of the colonies. The supply of water for Melbourne and the suburbs, and the Town of Geelong, is provided for by "The Public Works Act, 1865," by which all the powers usual and necessary to extensive undertakings of this nature are vested in the Board of Works. The Board is empowered to sell or lease the works to the Corporation of Melbourne, or in default to any other person, but these powers have not hitherto been exercised. The Board may supply water for domestic purposes on a scale of rates, and for domestic and other than domestic purposes, by agreement in proportion to the quantity supplied by metre. After notice has been publicly given that a main is laid down in any street, the inhabitants are liable to rates whether they avail themselves by laying service-pipes or not. The rates and charges do not appear to be fixed or limited by the Act, but are made by the Board. Water must be supplied by the Board, unless prevented by drought, or some unusual accident, for cleansing the drains and sewers, for watering the streets, for supplying public hospitals and charitable institutions, and for public pumps and warehouses, on conditions to be arranged with the City Council, Water for putting out fires is supplied free, but the fire-plugs are maintained at the expense of the city. By " The Waterworks Act, 1865," the Board of Land and Works are empowered to construct waterworks for the supply of water to thirty-nine boroughs and districts named in the Schedule, out of loans to be raised for the purpose; but the Governor in Council must be satisfied that 6 per cent, on the cost can be raised by the water-rates and charges in each case. The limits of the districts to be rated, and the amount of the rates and charges for the water supply are to be fixed by the Governor in Council. The valuation of lands and tenements for the purpose of the water-rates are not to exceed those made by the Borough or Shire Councils in the same district, and no rate is to exceed 5 per cent, on the valuation , but the total charges and rates must not be less than 6 per cent, on the cost of the works. All the moneys received on account of any of the waterworks are paid to the Public Account, and are subject to the provisions of the Audit Act, and all such moneys in excess of 6 per cent, on the cost of construction, after paying the expenses of management and collection, are required to be invested at compound interest, and to form a fund to the credit of the works. Any waterworks so constructed, may be sold to the local body for not less than the cost price, and in such case this accumulated fund is to be credited off such cost.

Water Supply.

The government of local bodies in Queensland is provided for tinder two Acts i the Local Government Act of 1878, and the Divisional Boards Act of 1879. The former appears to be taken in almost all important particulars from the Local Government Act of Victoria of 1874. The Local Government Act empowers the Governor in Council to constitute any town or country a municipality A town, so constituted is called a " borough;" a country district is called a "shire." The constitution of both is the same; but 18—A. 4,

Queensland.

The Local Government Act.