14 FORMS OF METER RATES NOW IN USE 



water registered by the meter does not amount to it. Minimum 

 rates are used by a great majority of water-works systems. 



Service Charge. A service charge is a charge for the service, 

 which is an addition to the amount that is charged for water. 

 Service charges bear some relation to minimum rates and the 

 two are never used at the same time; either one or the other is 

 used. The service charge is being adopted in many rate sched- 

 ules at the present time, but has not yet come into general use. 

 (Example: Madison, p. 50.) 



Modified Service Charge. Under this form there is a 

 minimum charge for a certain quantity of water and the amount 

 of the minimum is made up of what would otherwise be the 

 service charge and the meter rate for that quantity of water 

 that is furnished for the minimum charge. Except for very 

 small water quantities, this form of rate produces a result 

 more easily reached by a simple service charge. Two subdivi- 

 sions of this form may be noted: one described on page 70 and 

 called the Committee's Alternate Procedure; and another form, 

 which is perhaps simpler, which has been recently adopted at 

 Philadelphia, and is found on page 52. The Weston, Mass., 

 rate (p. 54) is also to be classed under this head. 



By the uniform rate is meant a rate that is charged for all 

 quantities of water sold. The smallest consumer gets the same 

 rate per 1000 gallons as the largest one, with the exception that 

 there may be a minimum rate or a service charge. The meter 

 rate schedule of Chelsea may be given as an example of uniform 

 rate (p. 42). 



The sliding scale is used to include all those schedules of rates 

 under which varying rates are charged according to the quantities 

 of water drawn. A great majority of all meter rate schedules now 

 in use have a sliding scale. Sliding scale rates must be further 

 classified, because there are various ways of producing the slide. 



The jump scale was an early form of sliding scale and is still 

 in use, although it has been largely replaced by one of the better 

 forms. The quantities of water up to a certain limit are charged 

 at a certain price; beyond that limit and inside another 

 limit another and lower price is made, and beyond that there is 



