The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-09-22
Property Ovners Kick Because
Water Department ARBITRARILY
Charges, 81 For Each Family

which certainly should not be conducted
under your department, and this brings
us to what is perhaps the most serious
feature of the Harrison plan. inasmuch
as 1t will affect the city as q whole,
and its iI-effects will not be confined
to the owners of any one class of prop
erty, or to the tenants who are forced
to live in one, two or three rooms
we refer to the enormous needless
waste of water that this plan is almost
certain to cause. Handling. as we do,
q very large amount of property served
by meter, we have found II necessary
In order to detect leaks promptly, that
we read all our water meters at least
once each week. and keep a record of
the amount consumed, This has given
question from the standpoint Of the
consumer, and IL there Is any one thing
that we have noted more than any
other. 1t Is the fact that when tenants
or this class property are raised, a
great many Of them attempt to retail
ate by propping the fixtures open and
allowing the water to run.
You viii appreciate that this is an
absolute waste, and IL the practice be-
came general, it Is impossible to esti-
mate the amount of water that would
be. wasted. II the disposition of great
many tenants is try to even up" by
allowing the water to run when the
rent Is raised, is it not almost certain
that when the water department yir-
tualiy place tax of $1.00 on each
FAMILY. MAXI tg them pay for water that
they know they can not use, that the
propping open of fixtures at night will
become most common practice.
AL a time when the head of water
IN the artesian strata under Memphis
mas been drawn on by the ever -increas-
ing demands of growing city until it
mas reached point where the water
has to be pumped about 80 or 40 feet
instead of having flowing wells as was
the case some 80 years ago, and where
your superintendent has said that it
would only be a matter of time before
the city would have to go to the Mis-
slssippi river for water, and in order
10 put off that day as long as possible,
he has even proposed passing laws to
prevent private owners from boring
wells within the city of Memphis in or
der that the city may, retain absolute
control OF the water supply. should that
day be fastened, by adopting policy
that is almost certain to cause an end
less waste of water, when we WIFI be
| forced to make a large bond issue to
construN such a plant as has New Or
leans, SO that the river water may be
| utilized?
Hoping that if the real purpose of
the Harrison plan is to benefit the pub
tic health, that you will abandon it and
leave the public health to the depart
ment 10 which 1t belongs; or If the in
creases of revenue is the purpose, and
we grant that this is necessary, that
you will adopt an increase in rates that
is based on the amount of water con-
sumed, or an increase in the minimum
rate for each meter, and not attempt
to single out certain classes of consum-
ers for a raise ranging in cases as high
as 1,200 per cent, When the city Is ex-
erting every energy at her command
to be sure that a raise of possiblly
so per cent to the Gas and Electric COM
pany is justified, and when she has
brought all the legal talent at her
comma to prevent the Street Car
company from securing a raise of 40
per cent from the old five-cent fare.
We do not mean this as a criticism of
the city officials, for they should see
that. the public interest Is. protected, but
a department of the city should not
raise the water rates 10 to 20 times the
raise asked by the public corporations,
and this on a two-day notice."