Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1906-12-22
METER SYSTEM
IS The CHEAPER
DR.. Vincent Tells How II
Operates in City Of
Pendleton

1t is now definitely understood that
the city will install meters on all the
service pipes ON the water system as
soon as the work can be done. In
doing this they are conforming to the
custom elsewhere. where experiences
has demonstrated the efficiency Of the
method.
An experience directly in point is
that OF the plant in Pendleton, where
several years ago the meter system
was inaugurated. DR.. F. w. Vincent,
manager Of. the Northwest Gas =
Electric Co, was mayor Of Pendleton
at the time and recently gave to the
Portland papers an interview on the
success Of the method. In the course
OF the interview he said:
1T is the only just way Of paying
for water" he said yestarday. 1T Is
cheaper for the average consumer and
It equitable to everybody. as you pay
for exactly what water YOU use.
when it was announced that, the
consumers would have to buy meters
there were many, protests at the ex-
|pense, but people now understand that
II IL cheaper for them to have meters
and they are well satisfied. Under the
old system o. MT rate the minimum
charge for q dwelling was $3.50. Nov
it Is 81. and hardly q house in town
pays more than that. As remember
ii. the meters cost about -, and every
consumer in Pendleton had to buy one.
which was supplied at cost BY the
city, Z
THE city owns the water system and
the well from which the water IL
pumped. The Northwest Gas 4 Elec-
trio company contracts to pump the
water into the mains at the rate Of 1
cent per 1000 gallona There Is q
wastage which lie hard to find, but to
learn just what It Ii we will put q
meter at the pump and the difference
between the total amount shown by
the consumers meters and the pump
meter will give the rastage.
Decrease in Price.
I'VE pump 100000 gallons daily,
more or less, That costs the city $500
Ia year. The two men employed cost
the city $165 a month. Allowing for
depreciation, the water can be sup
piled the consumer at less than cents
per 1000 gallons i understand that
your heaviest consumers here pay for
water 7h cents per 1000 gallons.
while the small consumer pays 80 to
so cents per 1000 gallons. 1t seems
to me that water supplied by gravity
as yours is heer can be furnished even
cheaper than 1t Is handled by power,
as at Pendleton. I can see no reason
why your rates heer should be so high.
But 1t Is necessary to put meters
on every service pipe; you can't meter
some consumers and not all of them.
don't take any stock in the proposed
scheme Of paying water rates by taxa
ton. There isn't a single good reason
for 1t.
''As to sprinkling. it is impossible to
force people to sprinkle only during
certain hours. Under the fiat rate sys-
tenn in Pendleton sprinkling was per-
mitted only at certain times and as a
result nobody got any pressure and
the lawns dried up. There were too
many people drawing from one main
at the same time.
Under the meter system you can
sprinkle at any time you wish and
there is pressure enough for every
body. And the water hog does not
hide his hose under the bushes and let
Il run all night-not IL he knows he
must pay for every gallon he uses