The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-09-22
Claim 800 Per Cent Raise.

Properly OWneFS, however, take an al
together different view, of the matter
and point out that then water depart
ment will, under the new arrangement
receive pay for vast quantities of water
that are in reality never served and will
net only not relieve the property own
ers of a burden, bur VIII add to the
burden to the tune Of 800 per cent in
some instances.
One property owner who has num-
Der of houses occupied by negroes in
which 20 families are housed, has -four
water meters serving these families
The owner pays the water bill, which
under the old arrangement, was APP
proximately Go cents per month pei
meter and on the four meters the total
bills amounted to approximately "a a
month. Under the new arrangement
she will pay $40 per month and use nc
more water than formerly. This is an
increase of 500 per cent. The prop
erty owner points out that the majority
of the families served on these meters
are negro cooks and servants who use
the houses principally for sleeping pur-
poses and use very little water.
Outlines Views.
4 The Van Court Rental agency, repre-
8 senting a large number of clients, as
\ well as having rental property of its
d own, are among the real estate and
rental interests opposed to the new
views in the following language in d
letter addressed to f. G. Proutt, chair
man of the water commission, after
that agency had propounded series OF
questions to Mr.. Harrison ana had re-
ceived no reply to its letter:
while we are ready to grant that
a raise of water rates6s absolutely nee
essary, we feel that it would be a
great injustice to single out certain
classes of property and raise the water
rates thereon, in some cases as high rs
from 600 to 800 per cent. 1t is true
be largely passed to the tenant, as most
property owners will in ;Gll probability
raise the tenants to cover this increase,
but even in this case it will fall largely
on those least able to bear it, as the
poorer classes naturally occupy the
property on which the raise of water
rates will be the greatest, for it is the
property rented out in one and two
rooms that will suffer the most. On
the other hand. a large portion of this
class of property is owned by women
and constitute their sole means of sup
port. while they can now probably pass
the burden to their tenants, as soon as
conditions become somewhat depressed
this class of property is the first to
suffer from vacancies, and they Will
f fl a the E department ena aHsor6ng
For it has always been the policy of
the water department on flat rate con-
nections, to charge for the number of
units regardless of whether they are
occupied or vacant, and this will doubt
less be their policy with the minimum
rate based on the number of units An
other class who will be most seriously
affected are the women who run cheaper
rooming, boarding and light housekeep-
ing houses in the uptown district. FIRE.
quently each room is rented to a sep
"a rat e. E1t Ii = ~
water bill on a 10 or IL room house a
severe burden.
"Mr. Harrison states that the present
plan works a hardship on the home
owner. AS very large per cent of the
home owners are renting out one or
more rooms which win call for a mini
mum of $500 or more, when their pres
ent bills are IS cents do you not think
that raise to them of over 300 per
cent would seem hardship, and that
the Harrison plan would actually work
hardship on themt
MIR. Harrison attempts to justify his
plan on the ground that health experts
have decided that an average of 5000
gallons OF water are necessary for each
family in order that they may comply
with the laws of health and sanitation.
This is doubtless correct in the case of
apartments and houses equipped with
bath and other modern plumbing fix
lures; but does any thinking man be-
neVe that a tenant occupying one or
two rooms. and probably working out
all day, could possibly consume 900
gallons of water per month, or about
two barrels each day, when every drop
of it has to be carried in bucket from
a yard hydrant or used through a yard
closet? Still under the Harrison plan,
We are asked to pay for, this amount of
water on the ground that the tenants
should use that much. If the health
of the city demands greater use of
water by the tenants occupying this
class Of property, this end can only be
achieved by an educational campaign,