RATES FOR SPECIAL SEASONS 207 



thousand gallons during the three months' period that includes 

 the heaviest rate of draft may be considered. This has been 

 rarely done in American practice. From the standpoint of 

 the cost of the service and in the endeavor to distribute the 

 burden where it can best be carried, this practice might well 

 be extended. 



Raising water rates at times of drought, when it is hard 

 to get enough water to maintain the service, has never been 

 practiced, as far as known. The practical objection to doing 

 this is that periods of drought are irregular in the times of their 

 recurrence, and to charge additional rates when they do come 

 would introduce an undesirable element of uncertainty in the 

 calculations of both the takers as to the amounts that they 

 would have to pay and of the works as to the amounts that 

 they could count on collecting. 



Such changes in rates would not be welcomed by either 

 party, and practically it is better to make all of the takers 

 pay such rates all the time as are needed to provide sufficient 

 works to give reasonable assurance against shortage at any time. 



On the other hand, some abuses have grown up at times 

 of unusual drought, and it may be that some advantageous 

 regulation beyond that contained in the ordinary rate schedule 

 may be undertaken. For instance, it was found in a certain 

 small water-works system, with which the author had to do, 

 that at very dry times the consumption increased to what seemed 

 an abnormal amount. Some increase in consumption at dry 

 times is to be expected, but in this case the increase was greater 

 than could be readily accounted for. Investigation showed 

 that the abnormal increase was due to the railroad draft. The 

 railroads ordinarily obtained most of the water which they 

 used from other and cheaper sources along their lines, but they 

 always bought a certain amount from this system. At the 

 time of drought, the other sources failed to yield their ordinary 

 amounts and increased quantities were drawn from this water- 

 works system. A relatively small water-works system was 

 thus called upon to make up the deficiency in supply in sources 

 ordinarily used within a radius of many miles. 



