MINIMUM FOR REVENUE 77 



practical experience in American cities which have done away 

 with the minimum rate does not suggest that the practice is a 

 necessary one from a sanitary standpoint at the present time. 

 Certainly it would seem that very much less weight should be 

 now given to this argument than probably was given to it many 

 years ago, at the time, for instance, when the Providence water 

 meter rates were first fixed. 



Minimum from the Standpoint of Revenue. A certain 

 revenue is necessary to run a water works plant, and it is proper 

 that each taker should contribute his proper share of that cost. 

 If no provision for a minimum or its equivalent is made, many 

 takers will use so little water that, at rates that are natu- 

 rally established and that are proper when considerable quan- 

 tities of water are drawn, the bills will be so small that 

 the services will not be remunerative, or, in other words, the 

 takers will not pay their fair proportion of the cost of the 

 service. 



The fact, which will be developed later, that domestic water 

 meters do not register all of the water that is drawn, must also 

 be taken into account, because it is quite possible that with only 

 small quantities of water drawn the unregistered proportion 

 is greater, and if there were no minimum the taker would get 

 off without payment or with but an inadequate payment. It 

 is therefore necessary that some arrangement be made that will 

 insure some substantial payment from each taker, even though 

 the quantity of water registered is very small. 



The minimum is the commonest method now in use of insur- 

 ing this result. From the standpoint of accomplishing this 

 direct result, the minimum is satisfactory. From the standpoint 

 of distributing the assessments as nearly as may be in proportion 

 to the cost of the service, the minimum rate is badly adapted to 

 the service. For instance, in Providence some years ago, fol- 

 lowing Mr. Shedd's statement, one-half of the total number of 

 domestic takers used less water than corresponded to the mini- 

 mum rate. Of this one-half of the takers each one paid precisely 

 the same amount, namely $10 per annum. All the differences 

 that there were in the conditions of service among half of the 



