New-York tribune., 1921-05-02
'BIiIe = Sought q
II, Put Meter
Bill T1,ro;5' 3 o,1gh


him and has given his name 10 the
Lockwood coMmittee,s counsel. II, is
posaible chat Cetti Will ba, called again
70 the witness stand tomorrow. to, tell
the fr!l story Of the attsmpted "shake-
In this connection another story is
going the rounds that even the go
called meter combine manufacturers
have hsen making efforts to, avoid fur
Their experiences with the Board Of Al
dermen. It was said that 4fivc. or six.
0Y the eight manufacturers In the
Water Meter Exchange have been try
ing to introduce Compound meteor,
which consists merely of a'cornbination
OF two types OF metefs which have
neen approved BY the engineers of the
Water Supply DcpartmenA y. n.
common use ali ovar the country and
are designed to check waste by auto
maticAlly registering the water which
iowa Through. two to eight inch pipes.
As the two meters that constitute this
compound machine already have been
approved by the board, engineers Of
the Water Department have suggested
tnat the manufacturers may not have
to, resort. to the board again, but have
advised that . ruliHk On the matter he
Obtained from the Cprporation Counsel.
The Corporation Counsel, according to
the Board Of Aldermen would again be
necessary.
Untermyer's Letter
Mr.. Unternyer's letter 60 the Mayor
reads in part:
ut appears from the testimony that
the Badger Company (Which is not
member Of the exchange, but which has
been conducting business all over the
country for more than twenty years
last past and whose meters are ap-
proved and used in every section of the
United States except in. the City of
Now York;, has been vainly endeavor-
ing for over two years to be permitted
to compete in the City of New York
with the meter combination that now
has the city in its grip. The Badger,
Company meter has undergone all the
so-calied endurance tests required by
the city authorities and has been ap-
proved by the city engineer and the
Wster Department, notwithstanding
which tho permission to use the Badger
meter In the City Of New York has
now been blocked for almost two years
by the unexplained refusal of the:
Board Of Aldermen to .ratify the action
OF the city authorities.
"All these facts were laid before you
in writing considerably more than a.
year ago by the Badger Company, but
without securing any official action
property owners and householders of
the city from the strangle-hold Of this
powerful meter ring
"An appeal was finally made to the
Legislature, based on this intolerable
situation, to which the Legislature
promptly responded by the passage,
without opposition in either house, Of
bill that would have granted the re-
ouired relief by placing the approval
Of these meters with the Water De-
partment and the chief engineer of
longs. All Of the facts showing the
years Of oppression practiced upon the
citizens Of this, city resulting in the
exclusion Of this meter have been for
about fifteen months before you, and
although there WAS at no time any
known opposition to the bill and NO one
appeared at the public hearing before
you to oppose it you vetoed thebill
few days ago without at the time as
signing any reason for your decision.
Passed All Tests
"Permit me to suggest that the rea-
son you now assign for having dis
approved the bill is worse than no
reason, in view of the fact that YOU
were long, ago made familiar with the
persistent and Extraordinary action of
the Board of Aldermen. in excluding
the Badger meter from use in New
York City without pretence of rhyme.
OF reason, after it had undergone ali
the necessary tests by the city author
tiles. - - -
The testimony before the legisla-
tive committee discloses that among
the many peculiar performances ac-
companying this remarkable transac-
tion either the minutes of the Alder
mamie committee or the docket of the