El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-01-25
MINIMUM RATE FOR ALL CONSUMERS
IS BLOW To TENEMENT FAMILIES
MeXicans in Southern Part
Of Town Will Feel It Most.
Rooming and Apartment
Houses Affected.

In the Tuesday morning mail water
consumers will get their first ilIustra-
ton Of the practical working of the or
der Of the United States district court.
which gives the International Water
company, through its receiver, ]. NJ.
Wyatt. the right to charge 80 cents per
month TO each consumer or unit occupy
ing a house. Notices to this effect
were sent out in the mail yesterday
! from the office of the water company,
together with an estimate of the num-
Der of consumers in each house which
comes under the minimum unit rule.
This estimate has been prepared by the
water company officials, and the notice
includes a request to give the company
the correct facts, where it is in error,
regarding the number of consumers that
any property accommodates.
Renters to Correct Estimates.
That the water users will not be slow
in correcting the water company on its
estimate is to be expected. A howl that
is expected to extend from river to
mesa is expected when the notices are
received informing the owners of tene-
ment houses, rooming houses and the
Mexican community quarters in the
south part of the city that they will be
charged at a rate of 80 cents a month
for each family occupying the house,
unless the maximum consumption of wa
ter as shown by the meter reading, and
estimated at 20 cents per 1000 gallons,
gives an amount greater than the sum
of the minimum charges, in which case
the bills will be rendered on the meter
readings.
One little crumb of comfort is thrown
to the consumer in clause OF the no
tice which says that when any part or
the property subject to the minimum
charge is vacant for an entire calendar
month, and this fact is shown the COM
pany. no minimum charge will be made
for such part in that month.
Rooming houses, apartment houses
and houses having housekeeping suites
rented, will be Jared by the ruling Of
judge 7. S MaXey. But the owners or
these houses will be able to stand the
raise in rates. as the rentals will doubt
less be boosted to cover the increase In
water rates. These tenants, in turn,
will have to cut out a few downtown
dinners each year to make up the
amount of the water rent in the family
budget and all will be we'll.
Hard on Mexfcans.
But with the poor Mexican families
it will be different, it is said These
families live in community buildings on
the south side, sometimes as many as
II and II families living in the apart
ments of a building. AS each of these
families will come under the classified
ton OF the court as units for which
the minimum charge can be made, the
owners of the tenements viii be forced
to charge the tenants an additional 80
cents each TO cover his own deficit. To
many of the Mexican families. 80 cents
a month is the difference between exist
ence and want, and should the rate be
IL the Mexican 5 quarter the
effect is expected to be hard on these /.
people.
In defence of the ruling the officials
Of the company say that the owners OF
the various subrented buildings have
been charging extra for water service /
for years. and chat the water company /
should be getting such revenue, instead J
of the landlords.