Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-06-28
THE EVENING STAR.
DO q BL E SHEET.
SAB ORDAY june lS 1879.
The Water Rates.

/
upon inquiry at the Office OF the District
Commissioners our reporter gathers the 70 -.
lowing In regard to the water department. an d
Inc necessity existing for an increase OF water
rates, which have remained UNCHANGED from,
| tnose originally established by the city council
An act of Congress prohibits the c,t,eS n,
washington ana Georgetown from maSino
prom out OF the supply OF Potomac water. hnS
autno,zes tne ievying OF such tax as may be
REQUISITE to pay the expenses Of the water de-
partment eei NC
In 1879 the legislative assembly authorize d
~ s1 issue OF wafer iund certificates amounting
per cent. interest, and also authorized the mr.
tner issue OF similar certificates by the commits
the amont tn e, SINKING fund to be based upon
mains unpaid on the list Of July OF each yesr
Cneleafter, and pledged for payment of such
G arin an receipts from special tax for
laying water mains OF IA cents per square foot
OF rea or lots bounding on streets In which
Such mains are laid, which is authorized tn he
ve I'm IN same act TINS tax being payable in
I'VE instruments bearing per cent interest,"
ihrs the water certificates bear per cent. in
Ierest, and the tax pledged for their payment
was only per cent. --0A'
IN 1878, all the certificates issued under thar
authority became due and were paid aIthouph
more than $4,000 OF the assessments for iayi,er
wafer wafer mains pledged for the payment of the
y Ihe denclency had to be made up either
from the money collected from water rents or
1ona Ine general 1und OF the DiStrict.-Act OF
Congress, July Ia, 1870 u
IN 1871 the legislative assembly authorize
Tue laying or o S6-inch main from the distrbu
Ilng reservoir to the city OF Washington. and iu
author1Zed the issue OF $780, 900 of water STOCK
bonds bearing per cent. interest; and also nro.
rlo VICE ior Inc annual payment OF SIS 900 sinking
Ing fund were made payable out of the watnr
fund OF the District. '0A
In 1873 further issue of S35 900 was author
q COZ
OF I per cent. bonds and Imposing a charge
upon the water fund. for the first year nnterest
ano sinking fund). OF $4s,95O, to be reduced an
nually only In proportion to the interest on tho
sinking fund paid. No provision by increase Of
water rent or tax Of any kind was madeto meet
THIS heavy charge upon the water fund.- fund
aer1ved from rates established originally as SUI
1clent for the water department when no In
debteness existed and no expenditure for lay
Ing mains from the reservoir had become neces-
saIy: Thus; In fact, prior to the first OF July
last the excess OF the expenditures over receipts
OF the water department fell upon the general
fund OF the District, in the absence OF power In
the Commissioners to levy water tax Sufficient
to maintain the department..
The present amount of interest and sinking
fund upon the water debt is 81, 600 per annum
which Is about the amount Of the Increase In
the receipts OF the water department, the Com
m1ssioners find 1t necessary to provide for un-
der the authority now given them by Congress
Much OF the force Of the water department. has
t peen on !priough without pay for some time,
because there has been no money to pay them
In order to have the benefit of the experience
OF the water departments OF other cities, one OF
the commissioners visited several Of them and
personally interviewed their officers as to the
MODE OF assessing water rates, &c. Different
methods prevail In different cities. Water me
tres are used In some cases, and provide the
only absolutely correct method OF deter
mining what each householder should pay; all
other systems are necessarily only approximate.
the force OF public sentiment in Washington
Is SO strong against the metre system that it
cannot be adopted In Boston the basis of
charge is the assessed valuation OF house and
grounds Other methods including that of
Creating the number of spigots as measuring
The amount OF water used were discussed,
as also was the plan OF per capita charge
None OF them seemed to meet the circum-
Boston method, emitting the valuation OF the
ground as having no relation to the cOnSump.
ton OF water The amount of water used is
dependent not SO much on the number of Ak
lures ln the house as upon the number OF per-
sons living In 1t and their general style OF nv-
lng. IN the small and inexpensive houses In
Il small incomes and few or no servants are en-
ployed, the general style Of living involves
necessarily smaller use OF water. In the
large and more valuable houses several SER
wants are employed, and the style Of living
involves more extravagant use of all
the necessarieS OF life, water included. Basing
the rate OF revenue upon the assessed value OF
hGuses-not the land-will, in most cases, fairly
represent the probable difference in use OF
water. and more fairly than would charge
based upon the number OF fixtures or the num-
ter OF people. And an examination OF the num-
Der OF houses assessed under 1880 will show
That per capita charge would throw the en-
| the burden upon the poor. An entire family
may use single bath tub each, and II there
are several 1t Is not probable that the members
| VI the family would battle much more fire.
quently on account OF greater bathing facllf-
ties 1t was found that in the two cites OF
Washington and Georgetown there were, for
example, over 5000 houses assessed between
$500 and 81 COO; only little over 1000 between
| sl,0O and 81 500; about 1900 between 81, 500
aid 81, 900; and about 600 each for each 81 900
OF valuation between 1900 and 1000.
| Between 81 600 and s., 600 there are 6477:
between 5000 and $1,000, 329; between 5000
and s, co., 1sS; and 81 900 and over, 612-makiug
| q total OF 1858 houses assessed over $500
There are just about Is, 900 private residences
| taking Potomac water. Thus two thirds OF all
the houses taking water are valued between
$500 and s., 900, for which the lowest rate is S.
and the largest 81; the rate for all under $500
| being only s..
The scale the Commissioners have adopted
| adds 81 per year for each $500 Of increase I'm
assessed value for all houses up to q valuation
Of $1,000. Between s. 900 and 81, 900. 81 is added
for each 81 900; between $1,000 and $4,000, 81;
| and all over 10000, whatever their value, pay
SIS; thus making $15 the highest rate to be paid
| Hence the owner OF the valuable house pays
| about three times as much as the average house
| holder.
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