New-York tribune., 1902-03-13
HAS LOST So, 100000 A YEAR.
DoUGHERTY THINKS THAT CITY HAS
BEEN DEFRAUDED OF THAT AMOUNT
THROUGH "DOCTORED" METERS.

In the next issue OF the bulletin which is pub
lished for distribution among the members OF
the Merchants Association Of New-York Will
appear a statement signed by ]. Hampden
Dougherty, Commissioner of Water Supply, Gas
and Electricity. relative to the frauds in the
water meter service Of the city, which he has
been investigating. 1t appears from the state
ment that Mr.. Doughertys attention to these
frauds was called by reports made to the asso-
citation by Frederick B. De Berard several
months ago. The reports were sent to Mr..
Dougherty by D. lie Roy Dresser, president or
the association. with a letter stating that there
was presumptive evidence that the city's water
meter revenues were systematically defrauded
from 1879 to 1894 10 the extent of from 40 to 90
per cent of the prima face dues, by means or
false returns of consumption; the loss from
that one cause amounting to at least SI5oooo
in one single year namely 1894; that this
method of depletion was checked in the years
1S95-'97 inclusive. actively renewed In 1898 and
is In operation.
In his statement Mr.. Dougherty says thaC
several ''doctored" meters have been discovered
which register only 10 per cent of the water
passing through them. Following is his descrip-
tion of the manner of "doctoring":
Each tooth upon revolving gear wheel within
raeisi@r the psssage of fixed quantity Of water
in nine gears out or each Ten were Iet "a
] II,
should have moved ten points and put one hln9Pe9 ]
gallons registered for each thousand gallons
that passed. Thus the city was detrauded OF ~ per
cent of the proper revenue
Mr.. Dougherty says that the $1,000 water
meters in the city would provide vast field
for secret plunderng of the public revenues. and
he has been supplied by the Merchants Associa-
ton with data tending to show that the s,ortage
in the city's revenue from meter frS1S may
exceed 50, 100000 annually. He declares that he
will push an investigation of the frauds His
statement continues in part as follows:
All meters are assumed TO be securely sealed by
the city with seal impressed upon wax. improve
ments in the method OF sealing, which will render
tampering more difficult and increase the danger OF
detection. now under consideration IN the de-
partment.
have also had carefully drawn and revised bill
70 amend the Penal Code so as TO make II a penal
offence in any manner wilfully to tamper with
water meters TO prevent meters from registering
the actual consumption OF water. This bill, intro
duced in the legislature by Assemblymau Seymour,
OF this city. has recently been favorably reported
by the Assembly Committee Cities, and Will
have the support Of the Merchants Association.
alyses of the Merchants Association that meter
records falsihed to large extent: that the
meter revenues actually collected are much less
than the amount properly due. that the revenues
from the water rates are also much less than they
should be; and that a thorough overhaulng of the
unmetered premises would probably increase the
present revenues from the Croton systm by at
last so per cent.