New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-01
Indicators Cannot Be IN
stalled Without Alder
mems Approval.
INSTALLATION BILL
PASSED THIS YEAR
Advisory Council Tells
What Other Cities Have
Done on This Question.

A matter Of the utmost Importance
70 property owners in the City Of New
York is the proposed plan to meter
water, says the Advisory Council. a
bill providing for the installation Of
water meters was approved by Gov
ernor Whitman at the last session OF
the Legislature. These meters, how
ever, cannot be installed in tenement
houses without the consent OF the
Board of Aldermen.
The Council says: ain the early part
of the year, when the executive com
mittee Of our organization was study
ing the question as TO whether Vs.
600 900 should be appropriated for the
development of the Schoharie water
system, which Appropriation was Iater
approved Of it became apparent that
eithec vee city must add without limit
and ra great expense TO its water sup
ply ~ II must begin 10 reduce the
waste Rn6 leakage throughout the city.
Whether this can be accomplished by
meters or not may be open TO question,
but meters have been employed to ad-
vantage in other large cities. The city
will spend approximately Sl6O,OOO,OOO
for a water supply, which in 1925 Will
give us about 1,000,0 100000 gallons OF
water. The Water Department main
tains that the use of 1875 gallons per
capital could be reduced to 65 gallons
per capita, and conferences are now
being held between the members of the
executive committee OF the ADVISORY
Council of Real Estate Interests ana
officials of the Department OF Water
Supply, Gas and Electricity"
1.-The Advisory Council has in this
connection prepared brief draft OF
voluminous report on the water waste
in Chicago by special committee on
water supply for that city. TINS report
states that the only relief in sight Tor
the promiscuous waste of water is
through metering. During the last
seven years, while Chicago has grown
in population l9 per cent, the water use
has increased 35 per cent. In Boston
and it's suburbs there has been an in
crease OF IL per cent in population and
an actual decrease in the consumption
of water OF Il per cent. While Chicago
has increased her per capita pumping
from 900 gallons per day in 1907 to 2o4
gallons in 1914, the metropolitan dis
trict Of Boston has decreased its con-
sumption from IFS gallons TO "a gal
Ions, simply through increasing its pro-
portion of metered service from per
cent TO 63 per cent. Cleveland, IN the
eleven years ending with 1912. IN
creased her population 60 per cent and
her punipage only per cent. In fact,
1912 was the first year Of the eleven
year period in which the total pumpage
was greater than in 1901. The expla-
nation that is offered Tor this is that
during that period, from there being
almost no meters in 1901, Cleveland
went over at once to universal meter
ing. and her per capita consumption
declined from l69 gallons per day per
capita in 1901 TO 10 gallons in l9lE,
and continued the same in 1914. Mil
waukee has had a similar experience.
With the increase of meters from 1926
in 1899 20 36.415 in 1903 the per capita
consumption fell from 1l2 gallons daily
to so gallons Pittsburgh, with only
0 per cent of her service metered. sup
plies 238 gallons per day, or about the
same as Chicago. Buffalo, with less
than per cent Of the service metered,
pumps over 300 gallons per day per
capita. Philadelphia, with per cent
of the service metered, pumps over 200
gallons per day per capita. Greater
New York, with about one-half OF her
services metered. and with some atten-
ton 10 underground leaks, supplies less
than 1875 gallons"