The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-08-14
IT IS PROPOSED
LIFT The METER
RENIE apRDENs
Board statfs It vii Give the
Matter Deliberate consid-
GRAFTON hnd AvoidlAny Has
ty Actions.
A MINIMlM CHARGE
clhusE IS INSERTED
PaIIadium's \ Assertion That
Company Is Great Money
Maker Shown by Readiness
To Reduce Rates.

No charge will be made for meter
rental, II the proposed contract be-
tween the city and the Richmond City
Water Works company is entered in.
TO. The company has supplied the
board of works with copies Of the con.
tract, 1t would like to have adopted.
The board has not had time to give
the matter definite consideration, but
took up the question at once. The
mayor and city attorney were in In
formal conference with the board this
morning.
The company asks for a contract to
be in duration twenty-five years. The
contract now In force and the one that
preceded 1t was for but twenty years.
There is strenuous objection to the
city being tied up by any long time
contract. In larger cities it has be-
come the custom to limit contracts to
fifteen or twenty years. SO as to keep
the city better protected.
OF Public Interest.
The abandonment of the meter rem
tai of IS cents per month is one of the
principal items Of public interest In
the proposed contract. It is step
which tho city attorney has said he
would demand before accepting any
kind of contract with the company.
He has declared this rental unsupport-
ed by law and unjustifiable.
The board of works will give the
contract proposed deliberate consider
alton. After becoming thoroughly IA
miliar with the changes made from
the old contract. the board probably
will set forth an outline of a contract
.embodying what phases different from
Fthose in the company's contract it
believes ought to be included. 1t will
take some time for the board to do
this. as 1t has stated it intends to pro-
ceed with extreme care.
A minimum charge for water of
seventy-five cents per month is made.
This clause is inserted to eQualize in
q measure the loss of revenue by the
enforced use Of meters. It means that
every user OF water by meter must
pay at least Is cents. This is in ac-
cord with the same principle as the
electric light companies use.
its Water Rates.
The company makes reduction in
Its water rates, also. The fact it deems
e expedient to do this is further proof
OF the Palladium's assertion that the
company is great money making pro-
position. It Is argued that II the COM
~pany can reduce its charges and at
the same time make a profit, the own
ership of the plant by the city would
be an advisable investment.
The company offers to put In an ad-
ditional main sixteen inches In diam
eter from its source Of supply to the
city. There is question II such a
main would be large enough to meet
! the requirements.
It offers. also. to increase the vol
ume Of water. This could be done by
the installation OF another small pump
The company now has two pumps. one
furnishing 100000 gallons and the
other 5000. 900. An increase to a.
100000 gallons, the figure specified
the addition Of another small pump
would be all that Is required or the
substitution Of larger for one Of the
pumps now In use.
Propose New Main.
The proposition to put In additional
mains 10 not greeted by the board OF
works 40 anything In the nature of an
offering from the company. It is be-
1ieved these mains are proposed solely
% meet the increase In the demands
from the public for water supply.
The company is more generous In
some Of IT. offers to furnish water for
park and fountain purposes than un-
der the old contract. It agrees to
supply al the fountains In parks. as
gsll . the drinking fountains about