Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-01-17
The Water Meter Question.

tGtfGf St0r;-lf you VIII please notice IN ny
article OF Monday, said In relation to meters
''aS the service now stands SC. OF course.
Know that ultimately new mains VIII have TO
be iaid-they ought to be down now-as the in
creased demand for supply has about exhaust
ca the powers OF the service 10 furnish the
amount needed. though q much better supply
could bG had il all would unite With ;he depal t.
lnent i'll its efforts to that end The point i;
Just this, in favor OF fmeteIS:-HOusekeepers are
economical in their use of gas. why: because
they have to pay for every foot consumed.
There Is no waste; no burning all night unless
necessity cOmpels; no cooking done, or rooms
heated by it without having an increased bill at
the end Of the month. If the gas company fur
nsned no meter bui charged for the number OF
rooms or burners at so much per day. the COM
pany could not supply the demand But having
these CheckS-meterS-a consumers are sup
piled. probably as we'll as in any city, and at as
moderate a rate. Now then apply the same
argument in favor OF water meter and the
same result will follow. | am not one OF those
who believe that water meters cannot be had
that VIII register as accurately and uniformly
as gas meters are said to do. and | believe they
can ne bad as reasonable. The proper way
would be for the department to furnish them as
tie gas companies do, and thus have entire
control OF them. so FAR as incurrDg additional
expense. believe the same force OF inspectors
ROW employed could be used to examine them
1or the purpose of ascertairing the amount OF
water consumed by each householder.
III every city III this Union the water rates
are higher and the supply per capita smaller
than in Washington, and the rules against
know that but few cities have great river Ike
ours from which 10 draw their supply. but you
must bear in mind that While water itself on ght
to he and is as free as air, the cost OF bringing
il within your reach is not II is the cost OF Law
Ing mains, erecting fire plugs, hydrantS and
fountains, ard keeping them in repair, necessl-
Eating the permanent organization Of skilled
force OF officers and employees. which makes it
SCelQ expensive.
There are over %, II, houses in Washington,
15,G00 Of which are supplied with water, gov
tIi mot jnh ITl,F,n
day new applicants ask to have their houses
supplied. New houses are constantly being
erected. most OF which introduce water as soon
as completed Now enongh water passes
through the mains every "a hours to give these
1900 takers. allowing five persons to house.
nearly two hundred gallons apiece day. and
this at a cost OF a trifie over one rent day for
each householder. 80 much for its present
cost.
There is one feature connected with the pres
ent method OF charging water rates the meter
system would abolish, and that Is the apparent
ly unjust charging by stories and front feet.
Take house four stories high and twenty four
feet front, supplied from top to basement with
water; the tenant pays no more than his
neighbor next door, whose house being Just as
large, has only a hydrant in the yard. Now it
stan ds to reason that in the former case more
water is used aud wasted than in the latter, but
they both pay the same A meter would change
this and operate greatly in favor OF the poorer
classes, who now pay as much, though using
less, than their better-tO- do neighbOr.
have no meter, am not interested in any, di-
Tectly or indirectly. nor have any future pros
Eect Of being so interested, save so far as be-
iieye they would solve the difficulty our system
now seems to labor under
Let me quote in conclusion the last para
graph OF Mondays article, which, it seems TO
me, e,nbodieS the giSt OF the whole question:
1.-The fact of the whole matter is, our pipes for
supply are unequal TO the demand made upon
them. and until a need made more urgent by an
increased consumption and raste is met, the
same trouble will always exist" And ! add
let us by all means spend the quarter million
In laying new mains to get the required amount
needed 10 make up an ever growing deficiency.
Pee.