The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-01-02
WATER RATES.
HISTORY or THE NEW ORDINANCE
RECENTLY ADOPTED BY TIRE
COUNCIL.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS UPON
WHICH IT Is FOUNDED.
Advantages Claimed for II.

/ As the new water ordinance seems f.
/ be so much a subject Of discussion, II
NAV be a matter of interest 20 examine
/ into the new rates and regulations Al
/ the request of the Chamber of Commerce
/ the Water Committee appointed sub
committee and the superintendent, who
were directed TO revise the present rates
and regulations After several months
devoted to the study of the rates and
after careful comparison with the
charges OF seventy of the prin.
cipal cities Of the United States,
they reported the new rates, which we're
on the whole lower than those Of other
cities. the same rate or lower than the
old rates. save in the charge for non
automatic closets and cart sprinklcrs.
The committee in recommending these
rates bore in mind that the only equitable
way for charging for water should be
upon the basis of measurement, rs in the
case Of any other saleable article; this
being impossible they endeayor 10 csiab-
lish a rate equitable TO each and every
water-taker They recommended To
abolish the charge whore a water-takcr
was taxed upOn the value Of bis
property. hut 90 charge instead for
each and every fixture from which water
could be used Starting upon the plan
for dwelling houses. that q hydrant and a
closet were necessary, they established
the old rates of S. and SO for each re-
spectvely. and if parties living in ex-
pensive houses required (as they would
other cOnveniences, they fixed rate for
each additional faucet or closet So. also
in regard 10 lawn and street sprinkling {;
they fixed q rate for each lot Of 30 feet
front, and taxed per foot for each foot
exceeding 20 feet front IN the same
manner the charges for manufacturers,
&c, were carefully examined and com
pared with other cities, and reasonable
rate adopted.
The recommendation of the -ub-cOm-
mittee were carefully gone over 10y the
Committee of the Chamber of Commerce
and were in ali respects commended and
approved The report of the sub.com-
mittee was then referred 10 the City
Council, and lay before them for nearly
q wear for their consideration, and was
published three times February 1898
The ordinance was adopted by the pres
cnt Council October, 1855. 10 take effect
January j 1899 Again the ordinance
was published in the Wing five times
With regard 20 the COmplained-O charge
for nOn-aut0matic closets, the ordinance
heretofore had never prescribed the kind
of closet 10 be used, and every kind OF
cheap and indifferent closet was put
mp. The tenants of houses where
these exist are the sufferers, and
are constantly subjected 20 cost Of re
pairs, annoyance of having water turned
of for wasting or leaking, or fine; all
owing 20 the meanest wafer fixtures
known. These closets are constantly
left running, aud as each one can waste
5000 gallons i'm twentv-four hours. and
there are over 5000. il is fair to estimate
that nearly 100000 gallons of water is
wasted daily by them The public az
large then, too, are sufferers, the pressure
in the mains is 50 much reduced that the
water does not rise TO the high eleya-
tions, and there is weak flow at best
As ii appears from a recent statement
of the Superintendent of Water, the
quantity pumped each day aggregated
l2,0O0,000 gallons, an amount sufficient
10 supply a population Oh %OO,OuO people
With these facts before u.s. it does seem
to us advisable TO strike at one root Of
the evil, and if owners Of property have
seen fiji TO put up "a cheap and Indifferent
fixture, they should 10 least hear the cost
"a very small onel of changing the
closets; or pay charge therefor At
least the new ordinance should De care
fully examined before il is CON
demned, for the water OF our
city and ifs maintenance is one
of much importance, and there should be
Just charges and careful regulations gov
erning its use As adopted by the Com
mon Council and cOncurred in by the
Board this ordinance establishes the /
same rates OF taxation on closets as |
those heretofore enforced; the amend |
ment introduced by Mr. Dickerson and I
referred to the Committee on water pro- !
yided that expense OF repairing broken /
pipes shall rest on The owners and not /
The occupants Of property.