Morris tribune., 1906-06-02
THE WATER
METER QUESTION
CONSUMERS OBJECT TO MINlr1U1
RATE IN ORDINANCE.
Urge that the Expense of Installing
Meter Will be a Hardship to
the SmalI Consumer, Without
Amy Compensating Advantage.

The much discussed subject among
water consumers Of the city the last
lew days has been the proposed water
meter ordinance. The small con-
sumers have especially objected to
the expense of installing meters when
they cannot see that they will receive
any compensating advantage in a
cheaper rate on account of the mini
mum rate in the proposed ordinance
being fixed at $6 per year, the same
under the fiat rate. The expense of
putting in meter will be heavy for
those who have only yard tap, as it
Will be necessary to put in a frost
proof box AROUND the meter.
However, the ordinance is still in
an unfinished condition, and the city
officials have been seeking informa-
tion from other cities. They find
that the installing of the meter system
has been the means of putting the
waterWorks system on a business
basis, and all the citizens of Morris
appear to agree that the WaterWorks
system in Morris should also be put
on business basis, and have no OBJ
lection to the meter system itself.
The council is commended for their
efforts to put the system on a busi-
ness basis, and the only objection, as
before stated, centers on the mini
mum rate. The council learns that
some other cities have no minimum
rate or a small minimum rate, and it
is probable that the ordinance will be
modified in this respect.
Many .cities-in fact most cities,
charge minimum rate of $5 or more,
but it is presumed that in most Of
those places the meters can be Install
ed much more cheaply than they can
here. Very many consumers in Nor
ris either have a yard tap, or the
water is carried into the house in such
a way that the meters would have to
be placed outside. This makes it
much more expensive for the con-
sumer to install meter than where
the meter can be placed on the water
pipe in the basement away from the
frost.
The following letter from City Clerk
Fl. E. Roberts, of Moorhead contains
much valuable information on the
meter question. He says in a letter
to City Clerk Burpee:-
:tYour favor of the 28th inst. to the
Mayor of the City of Moorhead has
been handed to me to reply thereto.
In reply will say that we have all our
water consumers metered and are
using the ''AA" Grown Water Meter.
We install these meters free Of charge
to the consumers but charge each
consumer monthly rental of twenty
five cents on each - meter and rem
tai in proportion to the cost of larger
meters.
"These meters have given us very
good satisfaction and we find that our
consumers are better pleased with the
meter rate than they were with the
old fat rate.
"When we first installed meters we
installed them on the business houses
in the city and found that we reduced
our pumping with these meters in
stalled, about fifty in number, from
100000 gallons per day to 100000
gallons per day. The majority of our
consumers on our present meter
rates are not paying as much for
water per month as they did on the
old fiat rate for the reason that they |
are more careful with the water on
their premises and allow none to
waste.
eve are very much pleased with |
the water meters as we'll as with the
electric meters and think it the only
way in which to sell water and cleo
tricity for the reason that every per-
son pays for what he uses.
nYou can readily see that in reduc-
ing our pumping at the plant we re-
daeed our operating expenses &C.
cordingly and will say that our rev.
enue did not change materially in fact
il anything we received more money
after we installed meters than we did
on the old fat rate.
ST enclose herewith copy of our
water meter rates, also copy of my
annual report for last year. i
eff can give you any further in
formation will gladly do SO upon re-
quest"
Mr.. Roberts also encloses circu-
lar issued to water consumers Dec