Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-11-26

expressed itself as favorable to wa
ter meters as a solution of the water
question in the city of Lewiston;
believed it advisable to acquire the
water from the Waha springs on the
proposition made by w. P. Hurlbut,
providing this water can be secured
for the same or nearly the same cost
as the present pumping system and
received the report OF the commit
tee sent to investigate the Ellsworth
springs, this report being to the
effect that the water supply IN the
Ellsworth farm was not sufficient for
further consideration.
The discussion on meters was the
,ontgrowth of the proposed change
in handling the city's water bust
ness, and was introduced by R l..
6niker of the Western Hardware
and Implement company. Mr.. Spi-
ker was supported by M. A. Means,
"a. II. Black, president of the Lewis
ton Normal school; M. d. Mills and
upon "a vote on the question was
only aopposedbby Story Buck.
Mr.. Buck ssaid he believed the peo-
pie were adverse to a meter system
for the domestic use. He did not be-
;Ilieve it was because the people
Thought they would be charged more
for their water but did not think
the people wanted the penny pol
| icy of having their water measured
ito them in ,cnpsful or by the gallon.
| The discussion of the evening was
introduced by City Attorney E. A.
+ Cox, who spoke in favor of the new
ordinance now being prepared by
Hhe city council and answered the
\ objections to the new ordinance Of
4 fpred by the Commercial club com
mittee that was appointed to inVes-
it!gGte the proposed changes IN tAe
waiter system.
Mr. Cox stated it was necessary
/ to provide a new plan for handling
! the city's water business; that under
! the present plan it was impossible
to keep a check on the revenues OF
the department and that the vari-
anee in the number of each house
hold resulted in either a loss to the
/, city or an injustice to the person
paying the water toll. He said that
where the rate was made upon the
per capita basis that a hardship was
wrought upon the poorer residents
of the city; that where a large
number of people were living to-
gether in one house the consump-
tion of water per capita was less
than where two, three tor four peo-
pie occupied a house of six or eight
rooms with modern conveniences
rit was admitted that no established
rate could be entirely equitable tc
I4all concerned, but it was believed
the proposed change would be more
equitable than the present system
MIR. Cox stated the proposed rates
were not incorporated in the new
ordinance, because survey was
necessary before the rates were es.
tablisbed and the feature of the
committees report advising the col
lection of water tolls from uneccu
pied property would be an illega
proceeding.
City Controller Nickerson explain
ed the purpose of the new ordinance
was to place the water business IL
such a shape as would enable a com
plete check to be made. That tht
purpose of the survey was to com
pute the entire irrigation area with
in the city and the number of serv
ices now installed. after which thu
rate would be established by a pro
portionate distribution Of tn,
amount of money needed to main
tain the water department ant
which is now received under tn
present system, among the patr7n
of the water department. 4
In answer to the charge that thi
survey would cost vast sum o
money, Mr.. .Niekerson explained tha
such a survey is aow made eacl
spring and under the propose,
change 1t would be made but the on
! time That whenever new servic
was asked, permit would be re
quired and the survey made and rat
established at the time the seryic
was installed.
The discussion of the evenin
drifted from the merits of the pre-
posed ordinance to the installatio
of the meter system, and upon me
tion by Spiker committee compos
ed of 10 people and including tn
! committee of three which made tn
? examination of the Hurlbut propost
> tion was authorized TO further In
: vesti safe the proposed change in tn
water system and TO confer with Nj