The San Francisco call., 1897-02-24

| response 10 the D0drQ inquiry as TO tue
legality of fixing the rates later than Feb
ruary. The writer stated in effect that
| though the board might be prosecuted for
malieasauce in Office should the fixing of
the rates be delayed the possibility of SUI ch
| procedure being resorted to could not af-
feet the legality of the action or its neces-
| sity and that the investigation could be
continued up to the last day of June.
DR.. Clinton said he was pleased to hear
! this, because as chairman of the commit
tee he would not be ready 10 offer report
| this month. The more he saw of this
! question the more momentous it seemed
to him. He had not yet had chance to
! visit either the company's Office or the
various sources of supply, which was a
duty he hoped the board would assist him
to undertake at an early date. He need
not repeat that it was the desire of the
committee TO deal fairly by both the COM
pany and the people. He moved that the
communication be received and filed.
DR.. Rottanzi from the chair warned the
board of the risk it was assuming in de-
laying the investigation beyond February.
The motion subsequently carried and
the board resolved itself into committee
of the whole, with DR.. Clinton in the
chair.
DR.. Rottanzi moved that any report or
comm unication from the company be
! forthwith read. He believed he made a
motion at the last meeting requesting the
secretary to supply the committee with a
statement concerning stocks and bonds.
The clerk said that no communication
had been received.
Attorney Kellogg informed the board
that the secretary would be sworn to give
the necessary information.
Rottanzi preferred TO postpone the
| hearing of the secretary's testimony and
! proceed with the examination of Engineer
! Schussler. He wanted written state
ment.
Mr.. Schussler again took the stand and
| Supervisor Lackman resumed the in
| quiry with the following question: "What
proportion of the company's receipts are
obtained from private consumers and
from meter rates and what proportion
from special and general rates?"
The witness said he was willing to give
all the information in his power but
asked the committee that he might be
permitted to finish his answers without
being constantly interrupted, as such in
terruptions interfered seriously with his
answers. He could not reply to the
above question definitely, but the book
keeper could. He (Schussler) could only
| give the total income of the company from
private consumers and from the City.
In the absence of the bookkeeper the
question was passed over.
What" asked Lackman, "was the
number of hydrants placed in the City
during the last eighteen months, or from
| July !, 1882"
The witness thought he could closely
approximate the number set in 1895 and
1896. During the second half of 1895 the
mum Der was greater than during the first
half, owing to the urgent request of the
Fire Department. The company could
hardly keep pace with the demand from
the department and the board, in addition
to which the former would not consent to
the hydrants being attached to 6-inch
pipes, so that the company had to Law
fresh pipe. He believed that the exact
mum ber set in 1895 could be obtained from
the Fire Department. The total, he
thought, in that year was 1896, though
some had afterward been taken up and re-
placed. There were possibly 1000 hydrants
now, in round numbers. About $40 or $50
were set in 1895 and from 475 to 400 in the
whole OF 1885, or about 1000 for the two
years.
''The hydrant rate was increased from
81 80 to $5. was it not?" asked Lackman.
Yes, replied the witness, land upon
that we have spent many thouss nds of
dollars in accordance with the request of
the Fire Department, especially south of
Market street." The City, he continued.
has less hydrants, in proportion to the
number of miles of pipe, than any large
city in America.
"They did not increase as rapidly when
the rate was 81 502" suggested Lackman.
NO" replied Mr.. schussler, because
when the rate was increased We could af-
ford to increase the number of mains &"
The Board of Supervisors in office in 1895,
! he said, in order to decrease the water
rates on private consumers and to meet
the urgent demands of the Chief of the
Fire Department, increased the rate from
81 30 to $5, and thereupon the company
went to work and resystematiZed their
main system and placed hydrants thereon.
1.-THE last report" said Lackman, Estates
that the lowest rate for meters is 81 so.
Are there not many consumers who do
not use so much water?"
The witness said he knew nothing about
that. But the total revenue from water
sales by meter was 22K cents per 1000
gallons; or II one divided all the money
received from water rates by the amount
OF water sold through the meters they re-
ceived on an average about 221l cents, and
that was ldentically the same price,
within fraction, as the total revenue for
wafer sales-viZ.: 221z cents.
Supervisor Britt-You said that several
changes were made in your water system
in the southern portion of the City after
the large fire. Are you prepared 10 give
US an idea OTTO describe and illustrate
the changes that were made there and the
size of the mains2
Mr.. Schussler here produced two large
maps showing respectively the entire pipe
system of the City and the work done in
1895 and 1896. The pipes marked in red.
he explained 10 the Supervisors who
crowded round him to inspect the maps.
were laid in 1895. and those marked in
blue in 1896. The pipes in the vicinity of
the recent fire were only large enough to
supply the wants of ordinary consumers
and were rapidly exhausted.
"Who was to blame for this state of af-
fairs?" asked the chairman.
"The City was to blame" replied the