The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-19
|CUT IN THE RATES
City Water Department Be-
lieves This Could Be Done
Ii Everyone in Topeka Was
Placed on the Meter.
NO MORE So DEPOSIT.
Commissioners in Favor of Abo..
ishing This.
Change in Policy of Waterworks
Is Scheduled.
A big cut in water rates.
No more flat water rates.
Adjustment of 60 danoS;.

| NO more Hat water rates
Adjustment of 81 deposit.
! These are the three important
changes in the policy of the citv water
department that the city board of com
mlssioners are planning at this time.
From the statement expressed by the
| mayor and the commissioners If is
probable that the new schedule in the
water department will be drawn nm he
Z, fore fall.
| since the recent discussion in the
State Journal regarding the two dol
| lar deposit that water onsumer nust
| make before he is given city water
privileges, the city commissioners have
taken up the matter in an informal
way and 1T is found that majority of
| them are in favor of dropping this
| scheme of water contracts.
| 1t is commended that the city water
| works department would lose very little
| II they abolished this plan. If a per-
s~n refuses to pay a water bin and
| moves to another part Of the city the
department can refuse to supply him
| with water unless the old bill is paid.
II they move out of town-and people
! course, 1t Is direct loss, but it could
| be for over months bill at best.
| Commissioner Miller, who is in
charge of the waterworks, declares
that the city would lose 81 900 a year If
| this two dollar deposit is abandoned
He says that hundreds of people at
| tempt to beat the water company out
| of their bills. But the other commits
| sioners are of the opinion that the loss
would not be as large this and they
believe that the city is able to take
care of them.
| The cutting of the water rates de-
ponds upon the decision of the COM
missioners on the meter question. If
| the city officials decide that everyone
| in Topeka shall use meters on their
water and if the flat rates are all re-
moved. the waterworks experts claim
| that the drain on the system will be
| lessened to such an extent that. the
| running expenses. the operation ex-
penses and the general expenditures on
| the water plant will be diminished and
| the rates can be lowered
| There are about 35 per cent of the
water users in Topeka on fiat rates
| the other 65 per cent are on meters.
| s'This means" said Commissioner Hol-
| man this morning, that the SIS per cent
are paying the bills of the 35 per cent
land the latter are getting all the
water ..
| A fiat rate user may allow his water
| to run all day and all night on the fat
rate and he pays very little more than
! the man next door who pays by the
measure. The fiat rate consumers use
| 100 per cent more water than the
meter users in the city, says Mr.. Hol-
man. Very few, if any, however, are
so wasteful as the commissioner sug-
gests.
The waterworks officials say only the
richer class of people have the fiat
rates. In other words, they claim that
| the poorer people are paying for the
water used by the better classes. This
| Is obviously a mistake. People who
| have built houses or made new con-
nections have been compelled to put in
meters and most of these belong to the
we'll to do class
eff we had everyone on meter
there would be less water used. the
pumps would not be taxed to their ca
pacity and the city would be able to
| cut the existing water rates half in
two." This is what a waterworks off,
cial said, but why should less water
| be used? Why should not the plant
be run to its full capacity during the
| hot months?
1t is the general opinion that almost
every one would be willing to use a
| meter If the cost of making the change
was not so heavy. 1t costs about SO
to change from the fiat rate to the
for the meters-and it costs them
$7.S5 to buy them at wholesale-so the
Commissioner Tandy says:
"This commission form of govern
ment was created to remedy such evils
mean to correct the old customs.
am in favor of cutting out the two dol
| lar deposit and in placing everyone on
meter
| Commissioner Holman:
ST think everyone should use meter
| it would give the city better service.
AS it is now, the meter users pay for
the water used by the fiat raters. I
think the 81 deposit is a thing that
could and should be abolished"
Commissioner Miller:
| st will do whatever is right and
whatever the commissioners set down
as the law. 1 am willing to run the
| water department according to all
plans and specifications, so to speak,
Commissioner Bone was not feeling
we'll this morning. ct don't think any
thing a bout it, he snapped when ques-
| toned.
Mayor Billiard:
Meters for everyone. No fiat rates.
No more deposits unless necessary"