Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-06-04
June /. 1915.


bers.
Chamber of Commence OF Honolulu,
Honolulu. HaW1ii.
Gentlemen:
Your Committee on County and Nj
nicfpal Affairs promptly took up on
Saturday last the subject OF the pro
posed new water rates recently ere
ated by the Board Of Supervisors o.
the City and County Of Honolulu.
which matter was referred to its at
tention on the 27th.
Supplementing the meeting OF the
Committee on Saturday. your Chair
ference with members OF the Commit
tee the result OF conversation with
Mr.. Murray, Superintendent of the
Water Works.
Your Committee now reports as fol
lows:
We find that the minimum charge
effective July |, 1915, is $500, which
is the same as before, and that the
advances above the minimum are
found to be necessary to bring in suf-
fcient revenue to make the water de
partment SelI-SuSt2mlng.
Replying to the contention of many.
your. chairman among them, that be-
fore any advance in rates is made, all
arbitrary rates now in vogue in many
instances should be abolished and
rates computed by areas substi-
tuted, the Superintendent assured
US that he already had in effect done
exactly that thing, i. e., he had already
applied the old tpresent) area rates to
all water privileges and had found
thereby that the total income would
not be sufficient. 1t was only. after
so doing that he proposed the ad-
vanced rates since adopted by the Su
pervisOrs. He. therefore. feels that
unless We can ourselves, as Com
mittee, go over all the data relative
to possible income to be derived from
all privileges, and after so doing be
able to point out that an increase is
not necessary, that we should not OPP
pose the new rates adopted by those
who have so investigated the matter.
The superintendent also points out
that the individual increases will be
very slight, i. e.. S4.S4 more per acre
of irrigated land, which will be only
1922 per year more than the present
rate on the average residence lot look
200 feet While the individual in
creases will be slight it is pointed out
that the aggregate increase in income
for the department will put it on a
self-supporting basis. 1t is further
pointed out that should the new rates
accomplish an income more than nee
essary, that the rate may readily be
reduced before the next water paying
period falls due, so that if the new
rates are actually found to be too high,
only one such slightly unnecessarily
high payment will have been made by
consumers.
Regarding meter installations, your
Committee recommends that meters
be installed for all water privileges
coming under Section of the .Ordi-
nance entitled Resolution No. 127,"
so that there will be no more arbitrary
ratings, which at best are very unsat-
isfaetory. In other words, your Com
mittee recommends that the holders
Of all water privileges other than for
private residences, be metered, and
that the present rates be allowed to
be in force until such meters are in.
stalled, which should be done as soon
as possible. In other words, that on
July 1st, Section of the new ordi.
nance be held in allegiance, or changed
to read that those privileges be put on
meters as fast as possible and that
they must pay by meter thereafter.
Of course, meters should be install.
| ed land the Water Department is glad
so to do whenever asked for by any
consumer
There has been considerable con.
troversy over the inaccuracy land in
some cases total failure) of the me-
tiers already installed. They have
been frankly admitted by almost every
official, and most consumers paying
| by them. to be a failure. Some off
Gals claim the fault is because of in
jury to the meters by the composition
| of our water Others claim the fault
| is in having installed small meters
| to do the work of larger. with the con
| sequent overload" and rapid wearing
out of the smaller meters. But what
i SfCi tic w uSluSI IL DS I'LL
| proper size of meters, or meters o
! poor material and workmanship, Of
meters constructed on a poor design
! your Committee does not profess tt
know. but the matter of determining
definitely this point should receive ex
haustive study before more are boueh
by our taxpayers, only to be scrap
! ped year hence.
To sum up the whole matter, there
fore, and as the recommendations o
your Committee, we suggest the fol
lowing:
First. That we should not oppose
as the Chamber, the increase in waite
rates as adopted by Resolution Nc
127." excepting as applied in Section
Second. That We recommend tn
Chamber to endeavor to secure tn
change of Section I SO that the waite
privileges mentioned therein, and al
privileges other than residences,
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