Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-25
COST OF CITY WATER A MYSTERY
Jackpot System of Fnancierng Penalties Public Utility
Modern Methods Requisite Before Relief From Water
Scarcity Can Be Found
JXTHAT did your water supply cost you

TTTHAT did your water supply cost you
w last year?
How much did it cost the city to deliver
1t to you?
Is the city supplying you with water at q
profit or at a loss?
Are you paying more for water than you
should?
Whether you are humble householder
using a comparatively small water supply
or a manufacturer using large supply the
above questions must interest you.
You know what you paid for gas last
year. You can easily find out that the city
supertaxed Its gas consumers 1892, 1927
in 1915. You know that this tax meant 20
cents for each 1000 feet consumed, and
you can easily calculate how much of this
supertax you have paid; but do you know
how much the city has supertaxed your
water consumption?
The city of Philadelphia owns but one
of its public utilities-its water supply sys-
tenn. If an intelligent citizen wanted to
figure out through any and all of the
sources of information available to him at
the City Hall whether or not his water sup
ply. based on his pro rata share of the total
distribution, Is costing him too much. he
would find himself up against an unsolvable
proposition. He would find the financial
department of the clty's water bureau Is run
by the rule of thumb" In the present
method of keeping accounts and records of
the various departments of the city gov
ernment connected directly and indirectly
with the Water Bureau, there Is no attempt
at the segregation of the income and ex-
penditures of this most important public
utility from the incomes and expenditures
of the other revenue-producing departments.
There seems to be general Jackpot"
into which are dumped revenues from the
Water Department, from the Department of
from the "Shade Tree" Department, from
the U. G. l. Company; in fact, from every
revenue-producing department And from
this Jackpot" are drawn the various ap-
preparations for expenditures for any and
all departments.
NO EXACT INFORMATION
Should the Water Bureau want an appro-
prlation for extensions or maintenance, IL
Is taken out of the Jackpot" Some of this
appropriation may be money representing
profits from the Shade Tree" Department
or from the gas tax or wharf rents, but
under no circumstance could it be deter
mined at present just how much OF that
appropriation was actually earned by the
Water Department.
But the intelligent citizen who is trying
to analyze his water tax, If he cannot find
exact information. can get unlimited guam
titles of approximate" information
He can find that the collective plants
OF the Water Department, which include the
several pumping stations, the filter beds the
service pipes, the real estate. the reservoirs,
hydrantS, laboratories, etc, have cost the
city Approximately" s60,O0O,OO
He can also fnd that on this great public
utility there Is a bonded Indebtedness OF
approximately" 10000, 900, but let him try
to find out the actual cost of the properties,
or try o find the actual bonded indebted
ness by segregating the dates of issue and
the maturities of this $40 OOD O0O oitstand.
ing; let him try TO find their various rates OF
interest and how many bonds are retired
each year by the Sinking Fund, or how
much of that annual Sinking Fund Is repre-
sented by revenue from the Water Depart
ment, and he will discover another species
OF Jackpot" He will discover that no
bonds are specially marked or designated
as Water Bonds" that all bonds Issued
In the past have been in blocks or blanket
issues covering everything in the way OF
expenditures without reference to the par-
ticular object TO which the proceeds were
to be applied. When the Water Bureau
wanted money for any purpose some of
these blanket bonds" would be assigned TO
IT, and from the same blanket issue the
"Shade Tree" Department or the Depart-
ment of Wharves, or Highways could re-
eeivs its appropriation.
AS to the Sinking Fund. it Is apparently
a 'potpourrt' from every source-another
Jackpot" in which the segregation Of items
would be impossible. Such a system might
meet the requirements Of a city of 5000 10
10, 600 population, but for city Of l 700 600
il Is impossible.
It is true that the Bureau Of Water issues
a report which shows statement of rev
enues" as compared with cost of operation
ana maintenance"
The latest statement available shows the
revenues Of the Water bureau for
1919 ,......s..........S 81, ,94764e