38 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



per cent.; on all over ^480,000, 5 per cent. A long and careful inquiry by a 

 special commission has just been completed, and their report presented. The 

 main recommendation in the report is that private consumers shall have meters, 

 and pay according to the quantity of water used. The present system of special 

 contracts according to rent of house is found to be unsatisfactory and exceedingly 

 wasteful. The water supplied to the city is of two qualities ; the best comes from 

 the Seine above the city, from the Vanne, the Dhuys, and from the wells, 

 the supply from the latter being about 30 per cent, of the total daily supply. The 

 Seine and other river water is not filtered before being delivered. The tempera- 

 ture of the well water is 39° F. The second quality is from the Marne and the 

 canals. This is used for washing and watering the streets, and for industrial pur- 

 poses generally, but not for cooking or drinking. It is intended largely to 

 increase the supply of this quality of water, mainly for sanitary purposes. The 

 municipahty pays nothing for water used for public service. 



Gas. — This does not belong to the city. It is the property of a company 

 known as the "Company for Lighting and Heating by Gas." The charge for 

 public lamps, varies with the burner used. Of these there are three sizes, consuming 

 respectively 100, 140 and 200 liters the hour. The charge to the city is, taking 

 these in the same order, and per hundred hours, is. 3d., is. 8d. and 2s. 6d. 

 respectively. If supplied by meter the cost is 3s. lo^d. per 1000 cubic feet. The 

 private consumers may agree for so much per hour per burner, or may use an 

 approved meter. In this case the maximum price permitted by law is 7s. pd. per 

 1,000 cubic feet, being double what the city pays. The same applies to gas for 

 heating or for gas engines. The illuminating power is fixed thus: Under a press- 

 ure of three millimeters, gas burning at the rate of 115 liters per hour shall give a 

 light equal to the Hght of a Carcel lamp burning per hour 42 grammes of pure 

 colza oil (3 millimeters, 0.12 inch). Where private consumers use meters they 

 pay rent to the company. The city does not pay rent for meters registering gas 

 used in lighting streets, but it does pay rent for those used in municipal buildings 

 of all kinds. The gas company may demand monthly payments in advance. 

 The company is not allowed to demand any other guarantee from the public. 

 Recently a new mode of showing house numbers at night has been adopted. An 

 upright frame in the form of a triangular prism, eight inches long, is fixed against 

 the wall over the dogr. On each of the two visible sides is a plate of dark-blue 

 glass, having the number in white letters. Inside the prism is a small gas jet. 

 The first cost of this apparatus is ^4, including fixing, and the cost of the gas 

 about 22s. per annum. 



Streets. — Of the whole street area 73 per cent, is paved, 22 per cent, being 

 macadamized, and 3 per cent, asphalted. It is intended to pave all streets where 

 the traffic is heavy. The dimensions of paving stones have been the subject of 

 careful inquiry and experiment, and the size finally adopted has a surface of 6^ 

 inches by 4 inches, and a depth of 6^ inches. On steep gradients larger 

 stones are used. Formerly the size was 9 inches each way. These stones were 



