The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-10-18
SUGAR HOUSES DEMAND
Street and Water Board Will
Not Reduce Their
Water Rates.

At this afternoons meeting of the
Street and Water Commissioners report
was made relative to the dispute between
the city and the Sugar House people about
the water taxes to be paid by that cor
poration, which thinks it is paying too
much The report came from Com
mittee on Assessments and Extensions
and is as follows:-
'Messrs Wallis, Edwards 6 Bumsted,
attorneys for American Sugar Refining
Company, some time since made a tender
of a certain sum as payment In full for
metred water supplied to said company
by the city, such sum as rendered being
a considerable reduction from the rates
adopted by the city. This tender was re-
jected.
In support of the position assumed by
said company. 1t has, through its attor-
neys aforesaid, since deposited with the
Clerk of this Board an exhaustive brief
bearing on.the subject and purporting to
adduce sufficient reasons why it should
be permitted to use our water and pay
therefor, not at the rate fixed by this
Board, but at rate which the company
claims to be sufficient. The brief SUBJ
mioted bears evidence of having been
carefully prepared, with a view of pre-
senting the best possible case for the
company, but its deductions are not based
on the logic of cold facts. The company s
attorneys quote the total assessable build
ing rate charges for the year 1897 at $460,
1864. They estimate that at present
rates the metred water will produce s304-
36886, making total revenue of $765, ,115. .23
They assume an average daily consump-
tion of 26, 500 900 gallons and deduct 800 600
fire service, and fix a daily average of
25,00o000 gallons as basis for compensa-
ton.
THE amount of metered water sold by
the city is, of course, easy of ascertain
ment, but the assumption that the bal
ance of the 25,O000O0 gallons should be
charged to house consumption is dissi-
pated on analysis. What of the several
which goes to flush our streets and sew
ers. and water lost by leaking and
bursting mains and lost by evaporation?
Must house consumption be charged with
these losses? There are losses which
can be readily tabulated but there are
many other elements OF loss, which, while
we have no doubt OF their existence,
have sc far eluded our efforts to locate
and remedy.
I'VE DO believe that leak or an aggre-
CATION of them exists to an extent which
Wa hardly dare quote. 1t is a matter
which for some time has called for most
serious considera ton of your committee
and we hope soon to pc able to recon-
mend the adoption of a method whereby
all large leaks can be located remedied
and recurrence provided against, mean
while these are elements OF loss which
must be considered in levying assess
msnts and fixing charges. They repre-
sent SO much cost to the city in the pro-
cess Of distribution and must, with the
elements of primary cost expense of col
Jections and the various other items of
expenditure form the basis upon which
our rates are fixed. To eliminate any
of these items when fixing rates for GER
tain classes of consumers appeals to your
committee as Unreasonable.
Your committee would, therefore, rec
omend, that until such time as the mat
ters above referred to have been adjusted
and corrected, that the rates as at present
fixed for metered water be. maintained,
and that the existing rules for their coll
lection be enforced.
Respectfully submitted,
CHARLES HOLLYWOOD,
F. HEINTZE,
ANTHONY HAUCK,
JAMES S. NOLAN.
The report was ordered fled