Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-08-23
METER PROGRESS
ABOUT FORTY HOUSES NOT YET
ON WATER METER QUITE A
PROBLEM CONFRONTS DEPART
MENT.

How many houses are supplied with
water meters now"
The question was put directly to Sup
crintendcnt Frank II Williams the sup
arintcndcnt of the water aud light de
partmcnt. by a reporter.
IN reply the superintendent repJrted
that about six hundred houses in
Brownsville are now on the meter SyS-
TEN, about forty being still without met
rrS As soon as more meters are received
those which are still on the flat rate will
bc placed on the meter.
The superintendent has cn .ountcrcd
some difficult problems in the work of
installing meters Many Of the house
still without meters are IN the business
district, where il has been found very
expensive ID install the meters. To 10
So ncceSSitatcS the cuttNg out Of a con
siderable piece OF cement paving. which
has u be replaced. the expense beng
heavy. compared with the usual cost cf
installing mc.trs. Mr.. Williams states
that il would cost the department about
a thousand dollars 10 install the meters
necessary in the downtown houses
which are still without them.
III some Instances. the department has
found two or more houses being sup
piled from single connection. which
would throw the meter expense all on
one person These the department. is
Obliged to require to install separate
connections 10 the mains, which is Of
trlrSe I'm additional expense ITO the
owners. and causes much objection. In
cottages on q single connections. Before
these honSeS can bc connected with the
sewer system and supplied with meters.
il is necessary TO make independent wat
cr connections for each house. Here
more objections are encountered
Indeed. the objections encountered in
the work Of placing the city on the meter
system for both water and light have
made the superintendent anything but
bed Cf roses. Almost daily objections
are heard to meter readings, either be
cause the individual believes ms meter
has been read wrong and he j. over
charged or because his nrighbOr, who
uses al the water he wants much more
than We dos not charged az much. or
perhaps is not OH the meter at all.
IT generally turns out either tnat the
ncighb0rS house is one of the those
od are not vet supplied with meters. or
else the complainant has on his o'r'
premises some lcakV hydrantS or sewer
connections. The patrons are apt to
forge. that 4 leak even aS small aS the
lead i'm a pencil viii DISCHARGE as much
water as nine thousand gallons i'll /;
month. adding considerable to the siz
I of the bill. AT one house. occupied by
Il moderately small family. The bill foI
one month showed 7200O gallons Of wat
ar consumed III one month. The owner in
diguantly refused to pay. vet the super
intendent had some time before pointed
nj 10 the occupants of the hon
there was Il leaking hydrant in theil
yard which was carving off IN i'm
mense amount of water. 4 washer
would have stopped it,
Almost all of the houses in the city
aw now supplied with electric light
mcrers and the department has succeed
ell in checking the eXtravagant use O1
electricity 10 Su.h an extent as to lesser
very considerably the hnrfcn on Tho
power plant.
There are now 500 electric light meters
AID about 20 yet to be supplied.