Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-12-13
Chief Burgess Affixes Signature.

The amended sewer ordinance. which
passed council on the third and final
reading on Friday night, has been
sigued by Chief Burgess Rogers and
all that remains now is to publish it
rs required by law when it will be in
full force.
Although the change in sewer rates
was made to satisfy "a we'll justified
clamor, yet it was accomplished only
after a most determined opposition on
the part of those who arranged the
schedule of charges, which with its
connection fee and yearly rental prov
ed so burdensome and obnoxious to the
people. Another circumstance which
seemed to stand in the way Of any
change in the schedule was the fact
that along the several miles of sewer
age already installed property owners
had paid the ten dollars connection
fee and obligated themselves to meet
the yearly rental for all time. Any
proposition, therefore. which looked
to a change of rates was bound to com
pllcate matters. The advocates of re-
vision, however, saw a way out, and
by making personal canvass of prop
erty owners who had connected they
succeeded in gaining their consent to
fully adjust the matter by paying ad.
ditional what was required to raise the
connection fee paid by them to the
sum called for in the revised rates.
The ten dollars charged for the priv
ilege of connecting under the origin.
al ordinance met with no particular
opposition. 1t was the yearly rental
which was dreaded and which, it was
held, was deterring property owners
from connecting with the sewer, 40
that the splendid utility installed by
the borough at so much expense wa.
in great measure lying idle.
Under the original ordinance every
dwelling house, besides paying the con-
nection fee, was taxed as rental % per
year; the rental for saloon and dwell
ling combined was IS per year rental
for hotels was $40 per year. Factories
were taxed S25 per year.
Under the ordinance as amended and
adopted the connection fee is raised,
but that is the last of it; all rental is
cut off. Neither is the fee for connect
ing exorbitant. Twenty dollars pays
for the privilege of connecting one
dwelling. For each additional house
on the same connection when the own
er is the same ten dollars additional is
charge Thus person who owns a
double house will pay $50 for both; ; or
if he owns a block of four houses on
one connection he will pay $50.
Under the revised ordinance sewer
ace is much less burdensome. While
it is true that approximately mile
of sewer extensions was made last
summer, yet by no means nearly all
the property owners availed them
selves Of the privilege of connecting.
Ine effect OF cutting down the cost
will be to make sewerage more popu.
lar and there is no doubt that in re-
sponse to public demand the extern
! sions next season will have to be car
ried into the fourth ward.
The AMERICAN was among the
first to advocate a change in sewer
rates 1t is perfectly clear that the
borough will suffer no loss in the end,
as the reduction of cost will lead to
the installation of modern convent
ences in great number Of dwellings
| now without them. These improve
ments in turn will increase the rev.
enue in the water department and in
that way the borough will speedily be
reimbursed.