The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-12
Wafer Question
Up 10 This Dale
Editor of The Tribune

Editor of The Tribune
Sir: have read with interest the edi-
torial in todays Tribune, on THE Water
Question" and | cordially concur in it's
views. After showing the undesirabillty
of municipal ownership in Scranton un-
der present local conditions, and the folly
of the ordinance now before council fix
ing the water rates, The Tribune says
"Thc conditions governing the domestic
use of water evoke no complaint The
charges for commercial and Industrial
and chiefly for industrial, use are alone
in question. The board of trade has un-
dertaken to convince Mr.. Scranton that
it would be advantageous to his Water
company to quote to manufacturers cas-
Ter terms on a water supply. 1t is going
to send a committee to hin! to have
talk on the subject"
From this / perceive that the city press
is not aware that the interview with tie
board of trade committee referred TO has
already taken place. 1t occurred last
Friday morning, Nh inst. l am not sur
prised that the papers have not heard
of it, Indeed, | do not wonder that the
board of trade do lot care to say much
1bOut II. one Ol lne committee, 41T,
Lansing, stated that he had been on the
board of trades committee on manufac-
lures for many years. when asked to
give the name of some of the companies
prevented from coming here Dy the high
water rates. the vast and mysterious
cotton mills referred to by young Mr..
Henshaw, the dates, The amount Of water
they would have used, the number Cf
hands they would have employed. where
they have since gone to, and tie wafer
rates in their present loCatiOaS--in short,
the data nee eSsary tG sustain the allcrA-
tiunS Of the iOard of trades secretary
In his letter of Nov. 20 to the D arc ON
which the boards resolutions were based,
namely, that "the water rates in Scran-
ton are almost prohibitive to its further
development along industrial lines he
could not give one single name 1t will
be three weeks tomorrow night since the
board of trade held itc historic meeting.
Though repeatedly called upon to do so,
they have not yet given the public one
single fact to prove their assertions so
materially affecting the value of a prop
erty which has cost millions. Under the
circumstances, | respectfully submit that
the board of trade at present stands in
the eye of the public in an even worse
prediCament than Colonel BOies for ii
must be admitted that the gallant Colonel
did at least attempt to back up his
speech.
When pinned down, the boards COM
mittee could only say that, somehow,
they had a feeling that our meter rates
were high. Now, while the water com
pany's directors are entirely open to con-
viction in this meter matter, they really
must ask for something a little more def
mite on which to base reductions than
that sort of airy talk. The whole com
munity also has feeling that the price
of butchers meat is high. But that don't
seem to have much weight with the mar
ket men, nor does 1t diminish the cost
of bringing meat here. When shown a
carefully prepared list of the meter rates
prevailing in the fifty-four largest cities
in the country, from New York down
to Hartford though rates in a few, more
favorably located or receiving city aid,
were lower than in Scranton and there
were many more in which rates were
higher, the committee could not show
that meter rates here were in any way
excessive when fairly compared with
those of other places nor had they any
thing to suggest, except to say that they
wished rates We're lower.
O.
The only thing at all approximatinG IA
real point which Messrs. Lansing and
Dale tried to make, was, that they
thought we ought to give new manufac-
lures coming here, a specially low rate.
Our reply to that is, that we do not
think it would be good policy or fair to
our other customers, For instance, would
it be fair to oul customers, the Sauquot
ha che
give a lower rate to a new and rival silk
concern? We think not. 1t has been our
uniform policy to treat all customers,
without exception, alike. If we were to
give rates to people, based simply on
whether they could or could not make
money, we should indeed, have our hands
full and as many different rates as we
have customers 1t is only necessary to
state such a policy to show its absurd
ity. The Water company is not a char
liable institution. The new manufacture
coming here, depending for its success
on charity, will be of no value to this
community. AS for any MILL employing
1900 hands, being deferred from coming
hero by a water rate, which may possi-
bly, equal the wages of two or three
workmen, every business man knows that
is nonsense. We cannot ask whether our
In Scranton, as everywhere else, meter
bills are large or small, according as the
customer uses more or less water. How
much water does a customer use? That
Is all we do, or can, or ought to look at
| Whatever other changes this company
may from time to time make, one thing
may be considered settled. We do not
| propose to change our policy of treating
all our customers alike, Neither shah
we give a lower meter rate to one man
| than to another of the same class. Meth
! er have we now, nor shall we hereafter
have, any free list, And the customer
who don't pay his bills within reason
| able time will have his water cut off
! And 1t will make no difference whether
! he is a Judge on the bench, or mayor of
| the city or a councilman, or a member
! of the board of health, or the owner Of
! q newspaper, whether he is rich or
whether he is poor, whether he Is pious
or whether he is an Atheist. ! hope this
| is plain.
The real fact is that meter rates here
! are not high, have not prevented manu-
! factures locating here, and are IN no way
| whatever an hindrance to the City's
| growth. All such statements are abso-
| lutely false, and mainly put out by par
! ties, who hope TO gain little popularity
| by fomenting, through Misrepresentation
| and lies, the temporary scare, which has
| invariably at first attended the introduc-
tion of meters everywhere, till the justice
OF the meter system is seen, and the
| fact made clear that no one is hurt by
1t, We were told that the brewers here
| would be heavily injured by II. Though