Evening journal., 1913-11-21
WATER METERS
SOON FOR ALL
CONSUMERS
Council viii Provide Bond Is
sue Of $l5O,OOO to Make
Service Cheap
1000 MORE METERS
WILL BE REQUIRED

Councilman Weller Il. Stover, chair.
nan Of the finance committee Of City
Council, before Council last evening said
hat he thought the present Council had
accomplished two things which had been
An advance TO the city. and that il the
jounci did nothing more it would have
accomplished much. These. he said, were /
lhe equalizing of the city assessment \
md the adoption of q resolution pre- I
'ented by Councilman Draper, of the /
Seventh ward. calling on the Water De
Dartment TO install water meters in
avery house in the city, and the eliminat-
my of the proposed new water rents,
which were to have become effective next
January. This had been decided on at a
conference on Wednesday evening.
The resolution presented by Council
man Draper follows;
Whereas, The members of the
Council OF Wilmington are con.
vinced that in order to insure
equity and fairness in the charges
for water supplied by the city's
water department. il is absolutely
essential to install meters on all
services. aud
Whereas, The funds at the COM
mand OF the Board of Water Com
missioners are limited and at the
present rate of installing meters
wonld require a period of not less
than fifteen or twenty years to met
er the entire cityi now therefore
be It
Resolved by the Council of VIII
mington, That the Council Of VIII
mington hereby agrees to furnish
20 the 30 Board Of Water Com
missioners sum OF money not
exceeding ia the aggregate 100000
for the express purpose OF install
ing meters a. aforesaid.
Following the reading of the reso-
luton Mr. Slower said Il was the
outcome of several conferences held
by the Council and the Board Of Wa
ter Commissioners relative TO the
proposed new water rates. Every
one knows that the present water
rates are not fair. and It is a ques-
tion whether the proposed ones
wobld be any better" Mr.. Stover said
"At present" he said, there are
nine thousand meters in use, and II
will require nine thousand more -
Councilman Draper said that when
Mayor Wilson was the city's execu-
tive, Il had been ascertained that the
cost OF water production was 3S
cents per thousand gallons. whereas
I at present, It was claimed that Ger.
tain manufactures were receiving
water at Jess than cost, or thirty-fivi
cents per thousand gallons. Tn
commissioners had complained OF tn
waste. and he claimed that tn
amount of water being wasted owe
the two races could be utilized fwit
a turbine at saving.
Mr. Haney also spoke on the sub
ject. saying that the present slidinl
scale was wrong and under the neY
plan Of installing meters. Council
had sought TO equalize the rates ant
at the same time not injure any one
N The resolution was then adopted
without a dissenting vote. IL was
stated by several members OF Council
! following the meeting that when the
/ budget is made out next year Coun-
ell would allow for the purchasing OF
I the new meters. The Water Depart
/ ment. it is understood, has enough
money on hand to continue the In
stallation Of meters until that time.
When the bills of the finance COM
mittee were presented. there was one
for $4,756 for work done by the three
real estate experts and the field men
In their work OF making the canvass
for the new assessment. or this
amount $500 was allowed the real
estate men and S2.956 was the pay.
roll Of the field men. After the bills
had been allowed, It was stated by
Mr.. White that the work had beer
done in three weeks. Just fifty pei
cent. quicker than had been an
ticipated.
The total number of houses visite'
and examined was 1928 which wa
practically all the dwellings In the city
The total cost OF the work done in tn
three weeks as far as the field mel
and the three real estate experts wer
concerned was S4.065.15.
The finance committee also ordere
that S4.4s paid as taxes on propert
owned by Mrs Annie S. Saring be re
funded. 1t was also ordered that SO
900 be drawn from each of the mac
tive depository. banks and deposited /
the Union National Bank.
The books Of the city auditor show
+ inc a sum of money due the city froI
the Pusey and Jones Company for th
rental OF the wharf at the foot {
\ Lombard street which rental the con
fpanv has refused 20 pay, resulted
Councilman Cock securing an opinio
J from City Solicitor Hastings. This opiI
+ ion was read at the meeting OF CouI
4 ell and the members not being elea
q as to the purchase of the bed OF II
4 street by the company, decided TO II
4 fer the matter to the law committe
4 After the opinion of Mr.. Hasting
y had been read. In which It was int
y mated that the land had been sols
Mr.. Kane asked when it had bee
4 sold. saying he did nor remember tn
sale! Mr.. Slower said the matte
had never been brought before Cour
4 ell, and suggested that the lease /
d cancelled and forgotten
4 Mr.. Zimmerman then inquire
q when the land had been sold. M
n Slower replied "One night whe
you were not here. II was state
however, that on March A. 1912, Il
q company had leased the wharf at
\ nominal rental and afterwards the
secured the bed OF the street. The
then refused to pay the rental for Il
I wharf. It was decided TO refer Il
4 matter to the law committee II
x opinion Of City Solicitor Hastinl
was as follows:
Hon William H. Cook:
Dear Sir-l understand from
your inquiry that the Pusey and
Z Jones Company rented from the
city a small piece OF land and