Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-02
Looking Out for Uncle Sam.

The attitude adopted by those at the
District building who are contemplating
an increase in water rates in order as
explained. to extend the meter system, so
rs to postpone the need of an additional
conduit. Is singularly marked by an evil
dent tenderness for the federal purse al
together inconsistent with the principle
upon which the organic act of 1873 is
based. 1t would be unfair and unrea
sonable," says one Of the Commission
ers. 10 ask Congress for an appropria-
tion with which to meter the water which
'the government is giving free to the
District The act of 1873 placed the
finances of the District squarely and un-
equivocally upon the half-and-half plan
of federal contribution. The United States
was to pay for half the cost of maintain
ing the schools. as well as half the cost
Of building them; half the cost of police
and fire protection. half the cost of health
safeguards, of administration. of every
thing connected with the maintenance of
the federal capital municipality. 1t was
to pay half the cost of lighting and paw
ing the streets. though the streets were
owned by it and donated by it to the use
of the local community free.
States long ago. in recognition of the
need of a central water plant, installed
the present system. and not from any
particular generosity-for it has never
been subject to the suspicion of being
generous to the District-but from the
plain logic of the case allowed the peo-
pie of the District to use this plant to the
extent of the water not required by the
bne, y,
ing free about the water distributed to
the people of the District They have
paid for every drop they use. and indeed
they have paid for the cost of the dis
tribution of the water used and wasted
by the government out Of their rates
for the maintenance of the system.
Rather than the District getting its water
free, 1t has supported for many years the
governments own plant There would be
no Overwhelming debt against the Dis
trict if balance were struck on this
account
The history of the water department
has not been such as to warrant the
least feeling OF gratitude toward the
United States for the privilege of using
the supply furnished by the plant origi-
nally installed by the federal government
but maintained by the rates Of the local
consumers. The Commissioners seem to
feel however, that 1t will be both i'm
pudent and imprudent to ask Congress
for an enlargement of the system or for
an appropriation to extend the metering
service. So. facing several alternative
plans of securing relief from the possible
need of an additional conduit at some in
definite time in the future, they indicate
disposition to saddle the whole cost Of
the meter installations upon the con-
sumers by increasing the rate, already
excessive in most cases. and so maxim g
the water users pas much more hence
forth for a smaller consumption. They
would have this cost borne not bv the
National Capital partners on equal terms,
nor even by the local revenues on the
whole-cost basis. but by that small and
special class Of taxpayers known col
lectively as water consumers, the metered
and the unmetered alike
II would be gratifying to find the Com
missioners in a broader attitude of sym
pathy with the District taxpayers and a
more definitely insistent position toward
the organic act than this water rates
question shows them to be now occupy
ing The District will never get any
where in the securing of the rights al
ready granted 70 it by statute if the Com
misSionerS continue to avoid infrac-
tons of that statute by proposing whole
CO impositions upon local taxpayers. as
in TIE wa'ar case. or by the even more
ama.ing suggestion of taxing the side
WAX vault, ind giving half the revenue
therefrom - Inc United States.