CHAPTER X 

 AS TO SERVICES AND METERS 



As the practice of furnishing, setting and repairing water meters, by 

 the department rather than the consumer, increases, the public prejudice 

 against meters will also decrease. M. N. Baker, Editorial, Engineering 

 News, Vol. XLV, 1901, p. 285. 



By service is meant every connection with the main pipes 

 in a water-works system placed for the purpose of supplying 

 takers. All services may be classified into three divisions: 



First: Dead services, being services that may have been 

 used, but that have been discontinued and for which there is 

 no probability of further use. All services should be classed 

 as dead where there is not a definite prospect of resumption 

 of use within a reasonable time. 



Second: Live services, including all services in actual use 

 and those temporarily out of service, as where water is shut 

 off from houses that are not rented. 



Third: Reserve services, including all services which have 

 not yet been used. These are mainly services which have been 

 placed in anticipation of future business, as, for instance, in 

 advance of paving when a street is to be improved. 



For the purpose of comparing systems with each other, of 

 finding the proportion of services to population, the amount 

 of water sold and unaccounted for per service, the number of 

 live services should always be taken as the basis of statement. 

 All services in the first and third classes should be excluded. 



Live services may be further subdivided into services in 

 use each of which is represented by a bill for the current ac- 

 counting period, and services that are shut off, being services 

 to houses temporarily vacant and where the water is shut off 

 and where there is no bill for the current accounting period. 



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