Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-07-11

lie works to discuss meters and water
 rates attracted the most representa-.
 tive gathering of rate payers evei
 held in the city, and they were not
 all men. either. A few women were on hand and appeared quite pleased
 at the way things went. The big rate payers and the smali ones sat side by side and for once both were of the same mind, as was evidenced in nc
 uncertain way at the close of the session when every mother, son and ] daughter in the building with the exception of Superintendent Kilduff of the street department went on rec. ] ord as favoring no meters in houses where the use of water is confined to domestic purposes and metering all the water sold for other prices, the price to be moderate, just enough tt meet the running expenses of the de- l partment
 It was an orderly meeting and was the first gathering of the kind held since the passage of the act of con- solidation. Some of the speakers were new to the reporters, but the faces Of others were quite familiar and their voices showed that they have lost none of their old time vigor. Some may say such meetings do no good. This is mistake. To be sure, things are said once in while that hurt the feelings of office holders, but good comes from what is said just the same, especially if men confine them selves to the subject as was done last night.
 The full board with Assistant City Clerk James R. Lawlor occupied seats on the platform. Commissioner Walk l CT presided and the clerk read the call after which the chair made few remarks regarding the injustice of the meter system and then asked for | expressions of opinion of the matter ne sald We have 1000 meters and o,oO0 consumers. John Norton didn't think the chairman had said enough | to enllghten the meeting on the uues- tlon and asked for further details superintendent Kennedy was ther invited to come on the stage and say a word or two. He compiled with the first part of the request, but he said nothing until later on, when in reply to Attorney Lynch he stated the price at which water is sold through me- | ters.
 John E. Maher for many years member of the board of relief, was the first speaker. He was opposed to meters because he regarded them as an additional burden which the rate payers should not be asked to should | CT.
 Joseph Corr said he had some knowledge of how water is sold in municipalities, not only in this coun- try, but in the larger cities of Great Britain. He couldn't think of an, place where the injustice to consum. CTS is so great as right here in Wa terbury, where we pay more for, the article than they do in cities where the system is owned by private cor porations. He was opposed to meter. Ing water for domestic use, but has no objection to measuring 1t to those who desired 1t for mercantile pur- poses, the rate to be uniform to all, simply enough to meet expenses, dollar collected above that he should consider extortion. He would abolish the shop on Benedict street and all the high salaried officials and employ half dozen plumbers whose business would be to make regular calls on water consumers and see if any or their faucets or closets were leaking and make repairs where necessary anG collect from the owner, of the build ing. Mir Corr said he isn't paying any thing for water now and he doesn't intend to unless ordered so to do by the highest court in the country so long as one set of men get as much water for half cent as he and oth- CTS have to put up three cents for. Peter Fitzhenry said that he has meter in his house and that 1t costs him considerably more for water than his taxes. Last year he sprinkled the street in front of his property once or twice a day, but he doesn't do 1t now. It costs too much. Last year his water rent amounted to s166.60, while his rate bill was only s135. Mir Fitzhenry didn't see how a man with a family who doesn't earn over s1.50 a day could manage to get water enough to keep himself and his children clean at that price. He cited the spectacle of water rolling over the spillway in tons nine months In the year and yet folks kicked when they saw Perry Morris cleaning the streets with city water. At the way things are going water will soon be SO high. Mr Fitzhenry thought. that it will cost a man at least 10 cents every time he takes a bath. What will this amount to where there are several in the same house? He wanted the meters removed from tenement blocks and people given all the water they want to drink and wash In at a price that they can afford to pay.
 C. A. Coliey spoke three or four times. The gis; of his contention was meters for all places where city water is used except buildings as the homes of human beings. He had a notion that water should be one of the joys of poverty. the same as sum light and air. and added that if some people had their way they. would meter the clouds and create q condi- ton of things which would prevent us from enjoying anything better than Scotch mist. He knew something about the inequality of the water rates because he has q house where the rent of water Is s1o0 a year and another of the same size and having a like number Of tenants and all it costs for water Is $50. In the former case there Is a meter. in the other there is no meter. He said City En- eineer Cairns Is good engineer. but contended that that did not imply