The sun., 1906-02-25
THE COURTS TOOK AWAY METERS
Dy Ruling That Apartment Houses Are
Private Residences.

Private HeSiuences.
Water Commissioner Ellison in a state
ment issued yesterday, referring to pub
lished report that the city is losing millions
of dollars by theft and waste Of water and
that politicians have used their influence
to have meters removed so that water
might be used without adequate payment,
said among other things
My opinion is that many meters have
been removed after their installation and for
various causes. I believe that the courts
have ordered the removal OF some OF them
and that the Department heretofore applied
those rulings and removed others. This
arises because of an attempt some time ago
to generally meter apartment houses. which,
a. understand it. have been treated as private
residences, and as such are not within the
provisions of the law requiring that they be
metered. In this connectio 1t should not
be forgotten that private residences are
exempt and the courts have construed the
Law to be that apartment houses in their
strict sense are private residences | think
that the specific instances referred to in the
published articles will be found to rest upon
the proposition that they We're apartment
houses. and as such private residences
so far as concerned the statement that
many big buildings that should be metered
have been overlooked, | can only say that
believe this to be fact, and the explanation
offered to me upon my taking office was that
an insuf1ciency of help which prevented
the Water Register from making the nspec-
tions that he would otherwise have desired
to make had led to this result. Almost at
the inception OF my administration efforts
were begun to reach these buildings and
very substantial number of them have al
ready been reached Under the admnistra-
ton oil Mr., Padden as Water Register, if I
recall the figures correctly. he has already
ordered the installation of something like
l5O meters. His activity in this respect is
entirely satisfactory to me and is along the
linea Of the policy that desire to follow.
To help Water Register Padden In his effort
to meter all places in which met ers should
be installed, | have. at his request. asked for
| the transfer Of ten additional inspectors from
| Brooklyn to the Borough of Manhattan, and
| these men l expect to have subject to the
| Water Registers instruction by the first of
| the week. The order for the transfer Of
| these inspectors was made yesterday. after
| a consultation with Deputy Commissioner
/ Cozier of Brooklyn. who assured me that
| they could b" spared for Il time. at least
! 1t is mS intention to take up the boroughs
| separately and give the matter Of meters
! the best of my attention. To accomplish my
! purposes I will transfer from the various
boroughs for temporary use. all such help
| "a feel that | require.
! That the metering of every structure in
| the city of New York would save water enough
| to render it unnecessary to increase our
| supply is entirely falacious. in my opinion,
| and ! doubt whether or not We will save 20
| Per cent. by the most com Dlete system Of
| metering and the prevention of waste in
I every other way.