The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-03-25
THE CITY D|SCR|M|NATES
AGAINST SMALL HOME
NEW METER ORDINANCE is GOOD FOR BIG PROP
ERTY OWNER-EMPTY FOR SMALL MAN

At Is cents per 1000 gallons the
large users of water. such as the
apartment house owners, the office
buildings, stores and large dwell
lings, in majority of cases, have
been getting service cheaper than
the small householder. where
meters were used. The ordinance
passed by the city council last
night gives the same large water
consumer one-third lower price
and cuts out the man with the
small home i.om the opportunity
of saving mIch. The owner of
the four room house or shack is ig-
nored in the new dispensation.
AS originally presented the new
meter proposed to make mini
mum for the use of the meter of
so cents per month. This would
give the man with the four room
house a chance by economy to
save a little on his water bill, as
the present minimum under the
flat rate is so cents per month for
four rooms or less.
Instead of passing the ordinance
as originally drawn the minimum
was last night, at the request of
the water department collection Of
flee. raised to so cents per month,
practically cutting off the man
with the small house from any
participation in the benefits of the
meter.
When a family pays SO cents to
81 per month for water under the
present flat rate and 81 to SO per
year extra for lawn rent, it is not
going TO pay SIS to install meter
with the sole incentive to economy
being the possibility of saving the
lawn rent. 1t may pay a family
with a six room modern house or
larger to make the change, but not
the man with the cottage. Hence
the new meter ordinance means
the saving of tens of thousands of
dollars a year to the large property
owners, who will get their water
at the expense of the little fellow,
for whom the meter offers no in
ducement. This assertion is made
because on investigation it Will be
found that rs per cent OF the
meters in large properties at 10
cents per 1000 are saving money
over the present flat rate. The
flat rates are unchanged in the new
ordinance.
Councilman Ostrander was the
chief advocate of the new meter
ordinance, although it was intro
duced by Councilman Mohr. with
a 50-cent minimum. Ostrander had
the ordinance amended at the sug-
gestion of the water department,
and it was passed without an OPP
posing vote of the city council.
It~might be mentioned in this
connection that at the meeting last
Tuesday night Ostrander submit
ted the meter ordinance TO Gordon
c. Corbaley for his approval. Mr..
Corbaley is connected with the Ar
thur d. Jones company, owners of
the Cannondale water system,
which has oppressed the people IN
most outrageous manner.
The ordinance provides that the
property owner shall pay for the
installation of the meter. estimated
at So to SIS; that the smallest
rate under the meter shall be so
cents per month, under which a
minimum of 5000 gallons will he
allowed: that the rate per 1000
gallons shall be 10 cents; that the
meter rents shall be payable
quarterly in the residence DISTRICTS;
that a consumer with a number OF
houses together can use water
from one meter, but that there
shall be a minimum of so cents
on each house. Under the old rule
such property owner was required
TO install a meter for each house.
The new peter ordinance is es-
sentially a rich mans ordinance.