152 SHOULD SCALE SLIDE OR NOT 



Years ago rates for metered water and for many other 

 services were established upon somewhat different principles 

 from those which will naturally govern at this time. To illus- 

 trate: A railroad man of wide experience stated, perhaps 

 twenty-five years ago, that it was the policy of his road to 

 make operating expenses on everything that it touched and to 

 make profits where profits could be made. That was a sound 

 principle with reference to conditions that obtained at one time, 

 and it was a principle that largely governed in making many of 

 the early rates for metered water. Many of these early rates are 

 still in effect. 



In considering the question of meter rates, one of the first 

 matters to be thought of is the effect of the rates as applied to 

 the smaller domestic consumers. In completely metered systems 

 at the present time approximately one-half of all consumers use 

 less than 100 gallons of water per day. Although the amount 

 of water used by this 50 per cent of the consumers is often a 

 relatively small part of the total output, pipes and services and 

 meters have to be maintained for them and rates must be estab- 

 lished that will insure that these small takers bear a fair propor- 

 tion and only a fair proportion of the total cost of supporting 

 the system. 



The first point in fixing a meter rate schedule is to make 

 certain that a consumer taking 100 gallons per day or less will 

 pay a bill which is a reasonable one from the standpoint of the 

 cost of the service. It is also desirable that the charge should 

 be a reasonable one as compared with the fixture rates which 

 were earlier in force and which are commonly replaced by the 

 meter rates. 



The average amount of water taken by each manufacturing 

 and industrial consumer from the returns of the committee of 

 the New England Water Works Association is over 30,000 

 gallons per day. It is obvious that where a single customer 

 takes 30,000 gallons per day, the cost of distribution is less 

 and it is possible for the works to sell the water at a lower price 

 per 1000 gallons than it can be sold for to domestic consumers 

 taking only 100 gallons of water per day. 



