Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-02
Sanitary Units
Connection Fee
Ruling DueSooIl
Home Builders Offer
Proposal to Sove
$750, 900 q Year

IUPOSUl 10 9UVS
$750, 900 q Year
A two-year dispute in nearby
Maryland over plan which
builders say would save them
$3.50. 900 a year on sewer and
water house connection charges
may lead to a new ruling by the
Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission soon.
The commission has under adj
visement a request by the Home
builders Association OF Metro
politan Washington to have the
house connections made by
plumbers. They now are made
by the commission at a fiat
charge Of $299 per house.
The builders, who have just
sent new briefs to the commits
sion to back their views, claim
the system they want is:
/. More efficient because the
job would be done all ct once.
Now the commission brings the
pipes only to the property line
while the plumbers, In another
operation. lay them from the
property line to the house itself.
2. More economical - because
the charge in practically every
instance would be far less than
the 1929 which the commission
now leyies against everyone.
8. More uniform practice
because in Washington the
plumbers make the entire con-
nection and in no other part of
the Metropolitan Area is the
Maryland system used. and in
no other area are the costs so
high.
4. More beneficial to the tax.
payer-because, the builders say,
the present system results in un-
necessary duplication of work
men and equipment.
Saving Per Home Seen.
Summarizing their view,
Clarke Daniel, chairman Of the
t1omebuilders' Sanitary Commits
sion Committee, says elimina-
ton Of the alleged ineficiency
in the present system would save
$3.50 on each of the 5000 new
houses the associated members
build every year. a total of $780,
900. which presumably would be
passed on to the home buyers.
you can't stop progress even
If its expensive" Mr.. Daniel said.
"And here is a case where prog
ress will actually mean saving
of $4,000"
At a hearing on the home
builders plan before the COM
mission in May. the plan was
termed legally possible. and
feasible from an engiaeering
viewpoint. by the commissions
chief engineer and counsel. They
made no recommendation. how
ever. at the hearing.
Street Patching Is Issue.
Edward A. McKeown, presi-
dent Of the Washington Sub
urban Master Plumbers Associa-
ton, said:
1.-THE homebuilders are On the
right foot. but we can't go along
with the sanitary commission if
they are going to try to shed
street patching on us too"
He referred to statements by
the commissioners that If they
turn the connection work over
to the plumbers they want to
turn over street patching as well.
Thus the plumbers opposition
to the present plan Of the home
builders rests on the street
patching issue. It Is based on
Is months of unhappy expert
ence, terminating in 1852, when
the commission stopped making
connections and the plumbers
did the work.
Last month the plumbers voted
1875 to 81 against the homebuild-
ers' plan. 1t was the second time
in less than a year that the
plumbers had voted overwheln-
ingly against the plan.
At the May hearing Mr.. Nc
Keown said, 1--WE were used as
guinea pigs once before when we
were sold on making connec-
tions. And we don't want to do
it again"
Recall Experience.
The plumbers recall that their
experience in making house con-
nections resulted in:
/. Scattered complaints of
gouging because l.omeowners on
the side of the street away from
mains were charged more than
those on the side nearest the
mains.
2. Complaints about their
street patching. With a few ex-
ceptions. the master plumbers
group feels that these complaints
were unfair.
8. Lack Of attractive profit on
the work and, In some cases, slow
pay from homebuilders instead
of the prompt payment they get
from the sanitary commission.
4. Having to get permits from
each individual town to cut into
streets whereas the sanitary COM
mission has blanket authority tt
dig up streets.
Area civic groups have spoken
in favor of the present system
because they believe it produce.
needed revenue for the commits.
sion.
Sees Rate Raise Possible.
The Allied Civic Group Of
Silver Spring and the Prince
Georges County Civic Federation
sent representatives to speal