The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1914-12-07
Less NEEDED TO
RUN WATER Dept.

Noauaoeu FROM Ftrat rage
vantage of the discount allowed through
cash buying.
For the fiscal year of 1918 the an.
nnal water department appropriation
was $1S5,1s1.5S or $11,014.05 less
than will be asked for the new year,
so that with the assurance that the
greater portion of the 7,500-to Il, ,
ciiitate cash huying-will revert back
INTO the treasury, the expenditure dur.
ing 1915 should be something like
$4,000 less than was spent hy the
same department in 1913, SAYS Mr..
Bowman.
While reducing the amount of appro
priations in his own department Mr..
Bowman to-day again said he will. il
given the opportunity head the fight
To reduce the city tax rate from nine
and one'halt to nine mills. So far ss
could be learned he declared that no
one city department will have a de.
hcit ut the close of this year; that all
VIII have surplus instead,-notahlv
the health department, which hereto.
fore was troubled with a detieit,-and
II has been variouslv estimated that the
balance in the city general fund at the
close of the fiscal year ON December
81, will be in the neighborhood of $40.
000 or $4,000.
More Using Water Meters
me general cut in the citv water
rates made by Mr.. Bowman lust be.
lore the beginning of the present nine.
month "year,' besides reducing the
Water department. revenues bv between
$4,000 and Sl2, 900, he said to-day.
mas been an indueement to the con.
sumers to have water meters installed
During 1913 exactly 442 meters were
installed, while i'll the last nine months
more than 500 were set up.
Mr.. Bowman said the auto he pro.
poses buying for his department will
not cost more than $1,000 and that he
hlmsef Will drive the ear. At least
three reductions in the water rates are
TO be made under the Commissioner 5
latest plan, all of which will affect
something like 260 consumers, princi-
pally the little manufacturers. or. in
the language of Mr.. Bowman. "the con-
sumers between domestics and the real
| ly big manufacturers.
Where the daily consumption is less
than 5000 gallons the rate of ten
cents per / 1,000 gallons will be cut to
nine cents and for those persons using
between 5000 and 10000 gallons daily
the rate will drop from eight and one
half TO eight cents per 1000 gallons.
\ new system of charges is to be es-
tahlished for the benefit of those using
anywhere from 100 to 2,000 gallons
daily.
Heretofore those using from 1000
to 1000 gallons daily were charged
at the rate of twelve and one-half cents
per thousand gallons and those using
less than 1000 gallons daily paid under
the domestic rate. or twelve and one
half cents for $50 gallons. The new
rate will be twelve and one-half cents
per thousand to all using 1000 gallons
or less daily This will apply only
| to manufacturers.
Other Budgets Lower
1t is believed that the majority of
the Commissioners will have their de
! partmental budgets ready for the meet
| ing tomorrow SO that the annual bud
get may be made up and Iassed finally
within the next two weeks.
So far as could be learned the mS ior-
ity if not all of the Commissioners
| favor a plan to increase the number
of patrolmen. The Mayor said his
budget will contain conditional re
/ quest for salaries for five additional
patrolmen. The request, ne said, will
ne pressed only in the event that of the
city 5 financial standing warranting the
increase. Beyond that, the Mayor said,
mis- requests will in no way differ from
those of year ago.
1t is said that nothing will be done
at this time on the petition to have
the commission create a detective bu-
reau with Joseph Ibach, one of the city
detectives, as head of the bureau.
Twenty additional street lights like
/ ly will be provided for. VI. Harvey
Taylor. Commissioner of Parks. to-day
said his requests will be smaller than
those of year ago. He will. however
ask for sufficient money to finance the
cost of erecting a new fire house for
the Royal Fire Company in the Thir-
teenth ward.
Since it has been found that the
Health Department will have a surplus
in its general fund at the close of this
year, Commissioner Bowman has
deemed it advisable to favor making
cuts in the milk. meat and food license
taxes of from 81 to So.