The Sanitary Engineer and the Public Health. 
47 
in the Engineering News of October 19, 1899, over Dr. Soper’s signa- 
ture. He described his experiments upon the Croton water supply and 
mentioned some of the plants now in operation in Europe, the largest 
of which is at Blankensberg, Belgium, where 3,000,000 gallons are 
treated daily. There is also an experimental plant at Paris which vis- 
itors to the Exposition may have the opportunity to see in operation. 
Many of the engineers who were present at the reading of Dr. Weyl’s 
paper took exception to his implied statement that sand filters are not 
effective, and showed that in such cases the cause lay in improper 
handling. It may be here noted that practically all of the European 
water supplies are filtered — a condition that is the exception in this 
country. 
The chief obstacle to the installation of filters in this country lies in 
the outrageous waste of water that goes on in all unmetered cities — a 
condition that engineers fully recognize but are unable to improve 
because of the foolish popular prejudice to the use of any kind of meter. 
As well had people object to the merchant weighing out the groceries 
that he sells to them. What man would say to such a merchant, 
“Because I choose to pay you so much for the groceries I shall need, you 
must throw open your store to me and let me take what I wish without 
let or hindrance.” Manj^ think that certain charges should be made for 
certain sized fixtures. As well charge for supplies by the size of the 
door through which they are taken out. To show to what length water 
waste may be carried I may mention the case of Saratoga Springs, Y. Y., 
described recently in the Engineering Neivs. Actual measurements 
show that from 400 to 500 gallons are pumped daily for each actual con- 
sumer, and the actual daily consumption is exceeded by few municipal- 
ities in the world. On the continent of Europe twenty gallons per capita 
per day is considered sufficient, and the use of meters keeps the con- 
sumption close to this limit. In London, as was stated above, forty IT. 
S. gallons per capita is considered on outrageous waste, and the use of 
meters has shown that consumers will cut this down to nearly one-third 
of this amount when they find that they must pay for just what they 
use. In one district the consumption fell from 47.2 imperial gallons 
per capita in September, 1896, to 10.8 imperial gallons in October of the 
same year as the result of the introduction of meters. In this country 
most cities consider themselves fortunate if they can restrict the con- 
sumption to 100 gallons per capita per day. The waste that takes place 
is chiefly due to the negligence of consumers. Last summer I saw a 
bath tub faucet run for weeks in Houston, and when I asked the house- 
holder why it was not stopped I was told that a payment of such and 
such fixed charge was required, and that if the water company wanted 
the leak stopped they could come and remedy it. I then asked if the 
