Evening star., 1954-11-24
Council Weighs
ityPurchase
of Water Firm
Prescribes Meters
On Alexundriu Toxis
By March Is

The Alexandria City Council
last night gave indications it Is
seriously studying the feasibility
of making the Alexandria Water
Co. municipal property.
Vice Mayor Leroy Bendheim.
who Is chairman of the Councils
Committee for Municipal Own.
ership of Water. reported to Q
Council meeting that he has
queried the water firm about its
willingness to sell. He also said
he has been in touch with q firm
of consulting engineers, who are
experts on water utilities.
In other actions at last nights
meeting, the Council:
Voted to have Alexandria's
taxis convert to meter system
Of computing fares.
Decided to continue the Traffic
and Parking Board in opera
ton and named two new mem.
bers to it.
Set up a special committee to
study the business and profess
sional license tax on contractors
with a view to correcting some
of the inequities the council
feels result from it.
Sale Price Asked.
The water situation has been
in the back of the councils
mind since the water use ban
during last summers shortage.
Mr.. Bendheim, who was among
the more outspoken critics Of
the water company's role in the
situation, reported he had writ.
ten the utility to find If the
firm was willing to sell to the
city and what its asking price
would be.
This information, he said,
would be useful as basis for
discussion with representatives
of the engineering firm Of GAN
nett, Fleming, Corddry & Car.
penter, Inc, of Harrisburg, Pa.
Mr.. Bendheim said he UNDER
stood the Harrisburg firm spe-
cializes in water utilities and II
equipped to serve as consultants
on operating, evaluating and
setting Of rate structures. and
could, If necessary, act as ex-
pert witness in condemnation
proceedings.
Mr.. Bendheim obtained the
Councils approval for his COM
mittee to meet on December 2
with representatives of the en-.
cheering firm.
Taxi Meters March Is.
Meters for the city's taxis-a
question that has been before
the Council many times in the
past-wilI go into use on March
Is. under last nights action. re-
placing a zone system that
Councilman Frank Mann called
confusing"
Under the meter system, the
minimum fare will be 40 cents
for the first mile or less, and 10
cents for each additional third
Of mile. Also. q charge of 10
cents each for the whole trip
may be made for each extra
passenger over the age of six
years.
Under the present zone sys.
tenn, it costs 35 cents for trip
within one zone plus compli.
Gated sliding scale for each addi.
tianal zone thereafter.
The vote to continue the
Traffic and Parking Board. which
the Council felt had been doing
a good job for the city. was
taken in the face of a recon-
mendation to abolish it, made in
the recent Wharton School sur.
vey of the city government.
Named to Board.
Named to the board were w.
c. Cunningham, Alexandria
undertaken, and Michael Bur.
chell, president of the Alex.
andria Dairy. They fill vacan-
cies made by the resignation Of
D. D. Squires. accepted last
night. and the earlier resigna-
ton Of Joseph Phillips, whose
place had been left open pending
a decision on the Wharton
recommendation. Both men re-
signed because of pressure Of
business.
The special committee to study
the license tax on contractors
resulted from complaints from
the businessmen that the levy
OF SO cents on every s100 of
their total business revenues Ia
hurting them comparatively with
other contractors In the Metro.
politan Area.