The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-08
AS a Result, it Is the Intention
to Increase the
Rates.
COUNCIL COMMITTEE TO
MAKE RECOMMENDATION
Large Consumers the Only Ones
Materially Affected by
the Raise.

Salt Lake City's waterworks depart
ment Is not self supporting and the
waterworks committee Of the city coun-
Gil is wrestling with the problem of
putting the department on self-sus-
tanning basis.
To this end tho committee will rec
ommond to the. city council within
week or so that the water rates over
the city be. advanced. 1t will be recon-
lnended that the gradation system,
which provides for charge ranging
from 10 cents thousand gallons for
consumption of less than. 1000 gal
Ions daily to SO cents thousand gal
Ions for $4,000 gallons daily, be abol-
ished, and that fat rate Of 6 or Z
cents thousand gallons daily be estab-
Gshed. that the small consumers on
meters be advanced from a minimum
charge of 81 cents month to rs cents
a month, and that house consumers pay
ing .S4. 80 a year for five rooms and a
small additional charge for extra room
be slightly advanced.
Effects of Change.
The proposed change in the rates, If
carried out, will affect every water con-
sumner In the city, and especially the
heaviest users. who are given a big dis
count under the present system, For
1000 gallons daily pays 20 cents, while
the consumer who uses $4,000 gallons,
seven times as much, pays only $l.50,
little more than twice as much as
the small consumer pays.
1t is the contention of the committee
that there is no good reason for the
discount to the heavy consumer, since
there is no profit TO the city for the
increased amount used over the small
amount.
SIT is not intended to work hard
shin upon anybody, - said E. G. o Don
nell, chairman OF the committee. Satur-
day night, "Dor is it intended to accu.
mulete wealth, but we want to put the
waterworks department. on self.sup
time it is not actually self.sustaining.
Last year it ran behind approximately
$4,000, and it is to overcome this that
the advanced rates are contemplated.
There is only small amount in the
sinking fund against bonded indebted,
ness.
Hits Heavy Consumers.
The heavy consumer would be the
hardest hit, of course, while the small
consumer would not be seriously affect
ed. The small user, who is now paying
q minimum of So cents a month. would
be raised from S4.20 year to 50. The
house consumer would be increased only
50 or So year. The actual monthly
cost 10 look after and read the meters
of the small consumers is AZ cents, Mr.,
O'Donnell says, which is a clear loss of
cents Il month on each of the 500 mo-
tcrs in use. This amounts TO the not
IN. To- i,le nf SSOn on
this alone.
The proposed change will have to be
made by ordinance, and it cannot be
put into effect before the first of the
year at the closest. 1t is highly prob
able that the small consumers on meters
will be the first to be advanced The
next step will be the abolishment of the
gradation system and the adoption OF
fat rate charge of or z cents for
each 1000 gallons consumed daily.
The committee held a meeting Satur-
day morning. at which it was decided to
recommend TO the council an increase in
rates, Another meeting will be held
Friday night.