The San Francisco call., 1899-03-05
ROOM FOR WARM FIGHTING
THE "soLID SIX" WERE NOT
PROMINENT.
Earl Submits a Long Array of Prices
and Offers a Resolution That
viii Doubtless Meet With
Strong Opposition.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
4 n s-nll 4

SUS bTOduNdSs MAI III L
A comparison Of the water ordinances
for the past four years shows that more
ingenuity can be put into a schedule regu-
lating water rates than almost any other
document on earth. The ordinance passed
by the Non-Partisan Council in 1895 is the
lowest ever heard Of It places the rate
for a house not occupying more than 40O
square feet of one story, at 80 cents. The
ordinance for 1897 gave such house 81
cents, and the ordinance of last year,
about which all the trouble occurred,
placed the same sized house at % cents.
1t is not in the ground area OF houses
that the rates cut any figure. 1t IS in
the additional charges made for every
purpose TO which water can be put. AS a
matter of fact, the % cents is merely for
drinking water, and at meter rates would
permit any one drinking or using for cook
ing purposes 1850 gallons per month.
The Non-Partisan ordinance, as that of
1897 is known, only produces about three
fifths of the income which would be OBJ
tanned from the 1898 ordinance, and yet
the 1898 ordinance is said by water COM
panies to be actually lower than its pre-
decessor.
1t is difficult for one not acquainted with
the manner in which such documents are
juggled to get any understanding or sat
isfaction from an Oakland water-rate
schedule. To look at last years ordt-
nance, a man with a medium sized house
of two stories would find that his bill
should be 81 90 In fact, he finds it to be
about s4 and on looking further along in
the ordinance he discovers that he has TO
pay for each bathtub. for each drain
Closet, for window washing, irrigating
lawns. closets, washing sidewalks, for
horses, cows, and also for a permanent
boarder
The inequality of this ordinance in one
respect can be seen at a glance. The rate
for a family of ten persons in any house
is less than the. rate for two persons who
may have a permanent boarder, there be-
ing no limit to the term single family.
The NOn-Partisan ordinance took it for
granted that there would be at least one
bath and closet in an ordinary house ana
did not make an extra cnarge for it. II
also fixed the rates for hydrants at 81 20
per month. The ordinance or last year
doubled this allowance for hydrants, and
in addition the city pays for placing and
repairing them. These figures compared
with the ordinance, which will be intro
duced next Monday night, viii give an
idea of what water users may expect to
Something has evidently gone wrong
with the programme of the solid SIX
in regard to fixing water rates. There is
vast difference between the ideas of some
members of the six a year ago and now.
At to-night's meeting of the Water Com
mittee of the City Council there was
bare quorum, but there were some sur
prises.
Councilman Earl presented an ordinance
that was mainly remarkable for the con-
tract regarding fire hydrantst when COM
pared with last years. Earls ordinance
only allows 81 70 for each hydrant, and
requires the corporation to place and keep
them in repair. Last year Mr.. Earl
worked and voted for an ordinance that
gave the company So so per hydrant and
required that the city pay for all repairs.
Mr. Upton introduced an ORDINANCE that
cuts the hydrant rateof last year cCRlsider-
ably, but which Is much higher than Earl S
ordinance, fixing it at 81 Is. Councilman
TTpIon'S ordinance makes no changes in
the ground area rates from those now
existing for houses and dwellings occu-
pied by a single family, and public and
private buildings not including other spe-
cited rates. Where the dwelling is occu-
pied by more than one family the rate
for each additional family is 80 per cent
of those rates; for churches and halls
used for religious purposes so per cent
of the present rates; for water used in
public and private schools, slaughter
houses, breweries, and for other purposes
not specially rated in the area schedule
and requiring large quantities of water
the following meter rate Is urged by Up
ton:
For the first 2OOO cubic feet used per
month, 26 cents per hundred cubic feet;
for the next 5000 cubic feet, "a cents per
hundred cubic feet; for the next 5000 cubic
feet. % cents: the next 10 900. 21 cents, and
20 cents per hundred cubic feet for water
used in excess of 10000 cubic feet per
month. The minimum meter rate is given
as 81 25. Water used for street sprinkling
to be charged according TO the foregoing
meter rates. and the same Tor hushlng
and cleaning sewers.
raise the rate on ground area for dwell
ings Occupied by single family, various GUS.
ly from q to 40 per cent, and on larger
cett: for irrigation of lawns and gardens
a charge of mills per square yard per per
including water for washing one vehicle.
30 cents, the same in livery stables 25
cents; for each car, stage, saddle or draft
horse, 20 cents; COW, 10 cents. In Earl S
ordinance the meter rate is fixed at the
fiat rate of 20 cents per 1000 gallons.
Councilman Earl also introduced reso-
iutjou fixing the water rates in accordance
with his ordinance. Ordinances require
the Mayors signature, whereas resolu-
lions do not and water rates can be
esfa ablished either by resolution or ordi-
nance. There were but three members of
the Water Committee present At the
meeting tonight. and both ordlnances
recomm endation.