The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-11-18
FAVORABLE TO MANKAT0.
Comparison Of Meter Charges and
Water Rates With San Diego.
From Wednesdays Daily.

rIOM C0AOO10y .
When c. H. Austin of San Diego, CAL,
was in the city recently it came to the
attention of the board of public works
that he was making the statement on
the streets that water consumers at
San Diego only had to pay S. for their
water meters. City Engineer Thompson
wrote to the water department of San
yesterday received reply from the chief
clerk, as follows:
Replying to your letter of Oct. goth,
1904, regarding the kind and style of
water meters that we are using, l would
say that the sizes range from one
half inch to two inch meters. The
one-half and five eighth inch are mostly
what we use. The kind of meters are
the Tool Co., Worthington, Nash, Lam
bert, Trident, Columbia, Thomson and
Bee. We find that the Nash and Lam
bert are more satisfactory and get out
of repair less quickly than some other
makes. The city owns the meters and
collects S. from the consumer who so
desires to pay by the meter, the same
being a fee for maintaining and keep
ing in repair the meters. The prices of
meters are: One-half and FIVE eights
inch size, $40 each; three-fourth inch,
$l2.6O; one inch, $l6.S0; and two inch,
$50. l enclose copy of water rates
that are at present in force. Yours
very truly, Lou B. Mathews, chief
clerk"
1t will be noticed from this letter
that the city of San Diego buys and
keeps the meters, placing them where de-
sired by consumers, and charging the
latter S. for keeping them in repair.
How long before the consumer is charg-
ed another S. for this purpose is not
stated, either in the letter or in the
copy of the meter rates.
The city allows the consumers to have
either meter or fiat rates, but the
charges for both are much higher than in
Mankato. The charge for meter rates
is twenty cents thousand gallons, while
the minimum rate is one dollar month.
In Mankato the rate for each thousand
&c fho mi,
rate is fifty cents month, or just half
what the people of San Diego have to
pay. In other words, to take water in
San Diego under the minimum rate
costs $l7 the first year and SIP year
thereafter. In Mankato it costs Sc a
year. The property owners buy and
own their own meters and the city takes
care of them for ten years without any
extra charge whatever. At the end of
ten years it will have cost the San
Diego water consumer $l37, provided the
city does not charge him another So for
taking care of his meter, and then he
will not own his meter. In Mankato,
for the same period, the consumer will
have paid $72.40 land will own his meter
This is quite difference in favor of
Mankato.
At San Diego the minimum rate al
lows the use of 5000 gallons of water,
and in Mankato the minimum allows d.
l66 gallons, so there is little difference
on that score.
President Porter states that all of the
meters used at San Diego except the
Bee have been used in Mankato, but
none of them have given the satisfac-
ton that the Crown meter has. They
are all what is called disc meters, which
are of cheaper construction than rotary
meters to which class the Crown meter
belongs. The disc meters are said to
get out of order much sooner than the
rotary meters. The cost of the disc and
rotary meters is the same in Mankato as
of Con D;aoo