Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-08

occupied for the present b!
two people only and ther
( again every room may contain roomers
The number of rooms is a fixed basi:
[ and, taken as an average, the size O.
the house presumes the size of the
occupancy, hence the consumption OF
water. In every case where patrons
! are hit by this inequality they can es-
cape by resorting to meter and al
of them are perfectly able to put in the
meter for the reason that the poore.
people occupying small and rented
houses generally enjoy but one faucet
service, for which they are charged
only So for the entire year.
The editor of the T.-R. heard the
alarming reports concerning the new
water rates and hurriedly looked UP
his individual case before his creditors
= could begin involuntary bankruptcy
proceedings. Living in seven room
house with bath tub, wash basin and
closet UP stairs besides the kitchen
service and hose in summer he has
been paying s14 per year. Under tho
new fiat rates based upon the number
of rooms and faucets the city clerk
.
with a desire to get the closest figure
possible he found that he could pay
$3.50 to the plumber for installing a
city meter and $40 per year rental
to the city for the meter and still hav :
left $9.S5 with which to pay for water
at meter rates, which would entitle
him to 200 gallons a month or 80 gal
/ Ions per day. The next year, with the
meter already installed, he would have
| a margin, as compared to fiat rates, OF
S12.35 for water which would entitle
! him to $500 gallons per month, III gall
Ions per day, and the city clerk says that
with meter on his service he has been
using all the city water he needs with
practically the same sized family and
the same conveniences as in the editors
case and a little over 500 gallons per
month supplies him. He insists that
he is fully as temperate in his habits
as the average man and uses an aver
age amount Of water. If anyone is dis
satisfied with his flat rates the council
has intended that he should put on
a meter. But" says south side
citizen, Il can't use meter. I must
let the water run all winter to keep it
from freezing Yes REPLIED a
councilman. and you must let it run
all summer to keep it cool. You are
just the fellow we are after"
After careful inquiry among dozens
and dozens of citizens who have paid
their water rents under the new rates
the only criticism that seems to be held
tenaciously by the public is that the
a
Ia to 71s cents per thousand gallons, is
rrohibitive and the new ordinance is
going to drive factories out of town.
Two of the railroads have been paying
cents per thousand gallons and one
only 81 cents. Among all the replies
received from cities in Iowa only one
reported rate to it's largest consumers
as low as cents. This was the city of
Oskaloosa, which replied your ridicu-
lcus price of 31a cents has forced us to
concede 5-cent rate to the Iowa Cen
trail" A resident of this city, who has
had large experience in pumping water
for great factories in the east, says that
he knows that no individual consumer
can pump water for his use even into
the millions of gallons for less than 20
cents per thousand, and he is authority
for the statement that the lowest rate
for water, in the great city of Pitts
burg with two magnificent rivers to
pump from and consumers using mill !
lens upon millions of gallons of water, T
is 10 cents. He suggests that MARSHALL |
town may have to come to this rate /
some day, but the council had consid- I
cred a jump from 31s cents to 71a cents
long enough to begin with.
SIS
The water committee has planned to
curtail the waste of water. The meter
rates are purposely made the cheaper
and more desirable, to encourage the
Use Of meters. At the same time it is
Intended to raise a revenue from the
water service that will not only pay
he cost Of pumping but pay off the
bonded indebtedness in time and make
t possible to extend the water mains
o parts of the city now poorly pro-
yided. If the new rates should do more,
Is some critics claim, the council at the
beginning of any quarter can make
sreater discount for prompt payment
which will in effect reduce the rates and
viii apply to everybody fairly If the
Whole body of consumers can once be
often upon an equible basis. The room
'asis and meter system will do this
nd, in the judgment of the T.-R., the
elbow who is doing the kicking toda,
S either the one who has not been
aging in the past what he ought to or
he one who can escape an unequal
barge by renting or buying a meter.
We invite discussion.
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