Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-25

tax. According to the chief Of the bureau
they take no account of the cost of the
collection of water rents, which Is per-
formed by another bureau of legal services
from the clty's law department, of free
hospital service to the employees Of the
Water Department, ETC., nor, on the other
hand, Is any credit given the Water Bureau
Tor the $4,000 fire hydrants throughout the
city, for free services to schools, police sta
ttons, city hospitals and public buildings,
street cleaning and flushing, or for the MAIN
tenance of high-pressure system.
But while the latest statement Of the
Water Bureau gives only the figures of
revenues and expenditures for the three
years ending 1914, there are some startling
figures on this subject in that wilderness of
finance, the "City Controllers Report for
1915"
CONTRADICTORY FIGURES.
In that report sandwiched between such
correlated subjects as Election Expenses
and Interest on Bank Deposits" (Page 3S)
VIII be found the extraordinary statement
that In 1915 there was decrease in income
from water rents of S142,934.77, while the
expenditures increased In the same time by
s644,27S.51 Even these figures significant
In themselves, arc of no value to the intelll-
gent citizen who Is trying to analyze his
water tax, as the Jackpot" principle of
general fund, general appropriation and
general Sinking Fund swallows them UP
In the general mass with the figures of the
Highway Department and the shade
Tree" Department and all the others.
Imagine modern department store con-
Quoted on such principles as this $60, 900, 900
property.
There is not a modern department store
today where the head could not tell at tho
end of each day or week or month how
much each separate department is making;
whether compared with the previous day
ALI
year or TWO years previous, II is gaining or
losing, and If there is weakness, where II
exists so as to remedy 1t.
Such a system can be established in con.
nectton with the Water Bureau, so that the
taxpayers, who are also partners in
this S60,00O,000 enterprise, can tell il IL is
earning or losing money. or whether they
are paying not only Just tax for their
water supply, or If. like their gas consump
tion' they are also paying the city a super
tax for every gallon of water they consume
1t is only fair to say that this condition
OF the finances Of the Water Bureau Is not
the fault or the present administration, but
Is legacy handed down from a long line
of previous administrations
It does. however, give a splendid onno--
tunity to the present administration. whose
publicly expressed ambition Is to give to tha
city of Philadelphia the best business admin
istratlon of its affairs that the city ever has
experienced Ihere Is no more important
city department than the Water RureaI'
none that more directly affects the health
and life OF its citizens, none on which an
administration determined to give the hest
business demonstration can show more Ell
feetiye results than the segregation of the
nnanees OF this department from lack
pots" general funds and general annro-
prlations, so that the taxpayers-its owners
can find out at any time whether or NOT
they are paying more than their water ac.
tually costs, or less than 1t costs, and n
more, how much more, and IL this sunerta1
is being used as Is the supertax on thsir 80, 80
consumption to reduce other items Of
taxa ton. "a