Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-06-21
MAY CHANGE
SEWER RATES

IT does not seem unlikely that there
may he a radical change i'll sewer rates
in Danville. raising the tappage fee
somewhat and wholly eliminating the
annual rental. The general effect
would be to lower the cost of using
the borough sewer. Heavy pressure is
being brought by the property owners
to effect a change in rates and coun-
Gil, it would seem, is pretty evenly
divided
At the last meeting an opinion of
the borough solicitor was read, which
advised against such a change. At the
same time it was decided by council
to take the matter up and to investi-
gate it in all its bearings. In few
days a joint meeting of the sewer
committee, the committee on ordin-
ance and police and the borough solic-
itor will be held to decide whether or
not a ehange shall be made in the sew
er rates. This may result in wholly
new ordinance relating to sewers
At present in addition to the tap
page fee of ten dollars additional year
ly charges are made for each cOnneG
tion, which are i'll part rs follows
For each dwelling, store, shop. or
office, three dollars per year; for each
public hall, each restaurant, or bott-
ling works, five dollars per year; for
each hotel, ten dollars per year The
highest yearly rental is for breweries,
twenty-five dollars.
1t is to the yearly charges that OBJ
lection Is urged. These together with
the tappage fee, it is claimed, make
the cost prohibitive with people of
moderate means The idea is to elm
mate the annual charges and to raise
the tappage fee. A reasonable limit of
S25 or $50 would be set for the latter,
so that while the advance of tappage
fee would to some extent compensate
for the loss of rental, the burden of
the property owner who availed him
self of sewage would be materially
lightened and he would not for all
time be burdened with heavy rental.
No one can be compelled to connect
with the sewer except where it can be
shown that without such connection
the premises becomes nuisance. Only
those voluntarily make connection
who can afford to pay any price for
the luxury As one of the members in
favor of changing the rates put it, a." A
tax is thus placed upon good santa
ton with the result that the splendid
sewer which was designed for general
use is limited to a few.
1t is true that at each meeting of
council there is one or more applica-
tions for sewer extension. But it is
shown that while two or more, who
are generally the prime movers, get
onto the sewer as quickly as possible
the rest Of the signers are slow enough
in connecting and often do not con
meet at all. 1t is held that with the
yearly charges out of the way and with
tappage fee fixed to cover merely
the cost Of labor and material in max
ing the connection the sewer would
come into general use and would be as
popular in the second and fourth wards
as it is in the first and third wards
1t would not be long before the sewer
would begin to pay for itself by the
increased revenue from the water de-
bers of bath rooms and like convent
ences that follow in the wake of the
sewer
Those opposed to the change of sew
er rates advance many arguments.
Any ordinance different from the pre-
sent, they urge would not be fair to
/ the citizens of those wards into which
| the sewer has not yet extended. These
citizens having none of the benefits OF
the sewer should not be expected to
bear the burden, which rather should
be distributed among those who direct
ly share the benefit. 1t is especially
urged in defense of the yearly charges
that these are needed to meet the after
expenses of extensions and of keeping
the sewer in repair.