The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-14
POLITICIANS OPPOSE METERS.
MAYOR MYERS HACKERS WON'T
STAY IN THE HARNESS.

] 10 mem TIC Jaw
cal Internationally VIII Never
Do" They say-AIderman Dixon
Takes an Unexpected stand
Against Evangelical Waste Is
Not by the People, Directly, 1t Is
| Claimed. But Through Old Style
water Closets which Allow the
| Escape of over 100000 Gallons
DaiIy-stand Mayor Myers Will
Take q Matter of Interest.
The far-seeing politicians who backed
Mayor Myers in his race for the mayor
atty have combined against any movement
| looking to the adoption of the water meter
! system in Savannah. They look upon It
as a hazardous undertaking for the POI
litical future of their side. One man said
he felt sure strong opposition would arise
in thc ranks against taxing the people
with water meters at present.
"A movement of this kind will be de-
cisive blow against the administration"
said an administration man. IF the peo-
pc are stinted in the free use of water,
and a siege of sickness visits the city, the
first hue and cry would be that Council
smut OlL litE AlC6 hSb vi NdNNI ny idAd-
ton and meters, and that this kept the
people from preserving due cleanliness.
This meter business will never do. The
people are not ready for them"
Mayor Myers position that the people
are wasting water by carelessness seems
nation obtained from statistics of the wa
ter department. The entire waste seems
to be through imperfect and unsatisfactory
plumbing fixtures, and especially the old
hopper and globe-valve water closets,
which allow the useless escape of large
quantities of water daily. A stream is
constantly passing through these closets,
of which there are said to be over 200 in
Savannah. about 500 of each kind.
To get at the amount of waste from this
| cause, the Morning News made inquiries
| yesterday rs to the average amount of wa
ter that passes through them. The esti-
mates varied from 5000 to 5000 gallons
| very twenty-four hours. II will be seen
readily that 100000 gallons of water are
| lost through these fixtures daily on the
| minimum estimate. The city is now con-
Stunning about 100000 gallons, and if the
first estimate be true, the 100000 gallons
| of waste deducted from the amount
| consumed.
With some of those who already have
meters in their places the agitation has
met with favor, but there is much oppo-
| sition by people who have never used
| them. 1t does not seem that the time is
| ripe for a change of this kind and the
| chances are that when the matter is
| brought TO an issue, it will not only be
strongly opposed by the politicians, but
! by many others as well.
Alderman Dixon thinks the meter sys-
| tenn a good plan for the city to adopt In
selling water, but he does not think the
| time is ripe for their introduction, and
therefore says he will oppose any move
| ment in this direction. 1t will be remem-
| bered meters were last introduced largely
through the efforts of Alderman Dixon,
| but il seems he has come to the concu-
| sion property owners do not want them
now.
Mr.. Cecil Gabbett, vice president and
| general manager of the Georgia and Ala
| bama Railroad, thinks the people of Sa-
vannah should have free use of water. He
pointed to the fact that Savannah is like
| New Orleans and other Southern cities in
being deprived of the blessing of natural
| drainage and for that reason he thinks
| there should be no unnecessary limitation
| of the water supply. The city has already
bought and equipped magnificent pumping
stations, he said, but if they are not suf-
flcient, invest In another rather than stint
| the people. Water is an important ele-
ment i'm the preservation of the public
health, Mr.. Gabbett said, and this fact
| should be fully recognized when any
| change looking TO a reduction in the sup
| ply is contemplated.
| The former administration recognized
| the fact that there was an unnecessary
| loss of water on account of ancient closet
I
| by Alderman Smith providing for the sub
| stitution of modern f1ush-tank closets in
lieu of the giobe-valve and hoppers The
| plumbing ordinance the present Council
contemplates putting with the water de-
! partment was before the former Council
al that time, and a compliance with its
| provisions made plumbing work costlier to
| taxpayers, Alderman Owens objected to
| the Smith ordinance, on the ground that
| the removal of all old-time closets would
be too great burden. For this reason,
| and not for want of merit, the ordinance
| was defeated.
1t has been suggested that the remedy
| for The waste water question is not meters,
but a gradual substitution of modern fix
! lures or in other words the strict en-
forcement of the present plumbing ordi-
nance. mo water closet known as a pan,
nlunger, or valve hopper" the plumbing
ordinance says, shall be used in plumb
ing which may be constructed or recon-
strueted after the passage of this ordi-
nance: those used shall be the style known
as tank closets"
Mayor Myers has assumed an entirely
independent stand in his administration
of the city's affairs, which makes it al
| most certain that he viii not be baffied
in his intentions to put the meter question
before Council by the conclusion the poll
| ticians have reached. Ii is an admitted
fact that the politicians have correctly
diagnosed" public sentiment, and are act
| ing in accordance with it. They say Coun-
| cl should be governed in this matter Soc
~ by the expressed will of the people.
Mayor Myers takes che position that the
benefits to be derived from meters, as
against the present system. will commend
them when the people become thoroughly
familiar with the advantages to follow. If
he and some OF the aldermen are made of
"sterner stuff than the politicians, there
is apt to be breezy time in Council IN
! the near future.