The Washington times., 1917-11-03
COMMISSION
WILL INSPECT
YOUR METERS
IF BILLS SOAR
Mechanism May Initiate the
Charges, or inexperienced
Readers Charge Consumer
Too Much, Company Admits.
By BILL PRICE.

Many washingtonjans who are COM
bills for October, together with the un-
usually large number who were dis
satisfied with their September bills, rem
dered at the close Of that month, have
q recourse to determine the correctness
Of the bills and the accuracy Of the
meters in their homes.
By depositing small fees with the Utili-
ties Commission the experts Of that or
EAniEation win examine the meters care
fully. II the meters are what the ex-
perts call fast, and you have been pay
ing more money than you should, the
fees viii be returned and the charge for
the work will be imposed upon the gas
or electric light companies.
Rates For Examination
For examination Of gas meters upon
which complaints are made the utilities
commission charges 50 cents for a meter
Of 6o-liEht capacity, that is used in near
ly all the homes Of Washington. and 81
per meter Of more than 6o-light capacity.
The charge for each electric meter not
usa, Is 81; above that capacity g
Complaints were very frequent in
early October about the size Of the
bills for September, many Of them
being made to The Times. They
are again piling up az to the October
consumption Of electric light and gas
throughout the District
Ofncials os the lighting companies
admitted that meters might be wrong
or that the many inexperienced young
men who have had to be "rung in"
for reading the meters may occa-
gionslly make mistakes. II mistakes
were made In the reading. they say,
they viii appear at the next reading,
or new readings will be made on
complaints. II the meters are not
running right the companies will
make examination on complaint to
them. or patrons have the right to
ask the Utilities Commission to make
the examination
p2S Complaints In 1915.
The Utilities Commission has sta
tistics of the examination of meters
in the calendar year 1915. Against
the electric light company that year
forty-four complaints were register
ed by consumers. Examinations re-
ing fast against the consumer and
three were registering slow against
the company.
The company itself made tests of
2,071 meters about which there had
been complaint OF these thirty were
running fast, to the detriment of the
consumers pQcketbook, and thirty
hve were running behind. to the loss
OF the company. There were about
2s,oO0 electric light meters December
81, 1916.
The Utilities Commission tested ss1
gas meters on complaint during 1916
and found 362 Of them registering
fast against the consumer, 55 being
slow. The gas company made tests
Of 40 upon complaints to II, finding 10
Of that number registering against
the consumer. December 81 last
there were 69,650 gas meters In the
city. The number has greatly in.
creased since that time.
Quality Complaints Cost Nothing.
Examinations Of complaints as to
the poor quality of gas are not
charged for by the Utilities Commits.
sion, which requires the company to
investigate the pressure and correct
II, II necessary. At this time OF the
year gas may DoCOHIe pOOE O"iHB 10
localized conditions in any particular
house.
All electric light bills rendered
since August l last ought to contain
stamped notice by the electric light
company as to keeping the receipted
bills for possible refunds to consum-
ers II the courts fail to upnold their
appeal against the reduced rates or
dsred by the utilities commission, ef.
feetive August 1 last.
The company is required to keep on
its books the collections at the old
rates, which are still being charged.
and what the price would be at the
rates hIed by the commission, so that
proper refunds may be made. To in
sure these refunds, the company was
required to give heavy bond.