Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-02-06
METER RATES
ADOPTED
The Water Commissioners Held Regular
Meeting Monday.

| 1ue w dteI COIlullSSlOLeTS Helu d reg
ular meeting Monday afternoon with
a full board present. Pursuant to &C
ton of council looking to the adoption
of fixed water rates for heavy consum-
ers the Commissioners Monday took up
the subject of meter rates and agreed
upon figures which will raise 1he price
of water considerably where used for
| manufacturing purposes.
Heretofore it appears, the charges
made for operating motors, fans and the
like have only been nominal and the
borough has been very greatly the loser.
Before fixing rate, however, several
neighboring towns maintaining muni
| cipal plant were communicated with.
The rates finally adopted were the low
est in the territory, those paid at Har-
risburg, which does not filter its water
and consequently has an advantage over
| Danville III that the water needs to be
pumped but once
The meter rates adopted Monday.
|
are as follows:
Where daily average of less than
5000 gallonsis used s cents per !, ZOO gal
Ions.
Where the daily average is between
5000 gallons and 5000 gallons, cents
per 1000 gallons.
Where the average is between $1,000
gallons and 10000 gallons cents per
1000 gallons.
The new rates will no doubt meet
much opposition from manufacturers.
But the Water Commissioners insist
that the advance is wholly justified and
adduce figures to show that it costs the
borough cents to cents per 1000 gal
Ions for pumping the water. Besides,
the rates here even as raised are low in
comparison to prices paid at Milton,
Bloomsbury and Berwick which for the
largest consumers are cents, II cents
and 10 cents per 1000 gallons, respect
lively
The water meters, which cost any
where from $40 to $50 apiece, add very
much to the expenses of equipping the
water department. At many towns
water takers are charged an annual rent
for meters, where installed, but in Dan
vile they are furnished free. AT some
places two meters are necessary under
the peculiar arrangement of the water
and this very much increases the tax
upon the department 1t was the sense
of the commissioners that in all cases
water should be brought into the prem
ises under one meter and that where
this is not done the water taker himself
should be obliged to pay for one Of the
meters employed Action in the mat
ter, however, was postponed until sub
sequent meeting.
The Water Commissioners also con-
template a change of rates in the matter
of fans installed at the various hotels,
confectioneries, &c. These, heretofore,
have been an inexpensive luxury-the
large ones costing their owners only $11
to ST and the small ones used on the
counters, but ST. so for the entire sum-
mer.
1t was estimated Monday that one of
these large fans consumes 10 gallons Of
water a minute. For the day of 12
hours this would bring it in under the 5
cent rate. The cost therefore according
| to the above meter rates would be 35
cents per day or $50 for the season.
1t is not likely, however, that any
such rates will be adopted for fans. But
that some figure higher than what has
been paid previously will be established
seems positively decided upon. Due
| consideration will be given the matter
between the present and next meeting,
when it will again come up before the
| board.
The Water Commissioners are in fav-
or of installing meters wherever large
quantities of water are used. This
would seem to be the only fair measure.
as water with each succeeding year is
put to greater variety of uses.
Jeweler Henry Rempe, who contem-
plates installing dynamo for the pur-
pose of lighting his store with electric
ity, appeared before the Water Com
missioners to determine the cost of wat
er power.