XN000022-1975-03-01 — Page 3

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 1975

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COMMUNAL WATER METERS = SAME ALLOWANCES APPLIED

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THE GOVERNMENT POINTED OUT TODAY THAT THE BUDGET PROPOSALS ON WATER CHARGES CONTAIN NO ELEMENT OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE WHOSE WATER CONSUMPTION IS MEASURED BY COMMUNAL METERS.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE WATERWORKS OFFICE SAID THAT SOME PEOPLE APPEARED TO BE UNAWARE THAT IN CALCULATING CHARGES FOR CONSUMPTION UNDER A COMMUNAL METER THE BILLING AUTHORITY DOES AND WILL DO THE FOLLOWING THINGS -

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IT TAKES COUNT OF THE NUMBER OF FLATS WHOSE SUPPLIES COME UNDER THE METER.

IT APPLIES THE FREE ALLOWANCE OF 2,666 GALLONS IN A FOUR-MONTH BILLING BY MULTIPLYING THIS FIGURE BY THE NUMBER OF FLATS INVOLVED.

IT WILL SIMILARLY APPLY THE PRINCIPLE OF UNCHANGED CHARGES FOR CONSUMPTION OF UP TO 14,000 GALLONS IN A FOUR-MONTH PERIOD BY MULTIPLYING THAT FIGURE BY THE NUMBER OF FLATS INVOLVED.

FOR EXAMPLE. IN A BUILDING WITH 10 FLATS THE FREE SUPPLY IN A FOUR-MONTH PERIOD WOULD BE : 2,666 X 10 - 26,660 GALLONS. THE CONSUMPTION CHARGED AT THE UNCHANGED RATE OF $3 PER UNIT OF 1,000 GALLONS WOULD BE : 14,000 X 10 140,000 GALLONS. ONLY CONSUMPTION ABOVE THIS FIGURE WOULD BE CHARGED AT THE HIGHER RATE OF $6 PER 1,000 GALLONS.

THE SPOKESMAN ADDED THAT THE NUMBER OF COMMUNAL METERS STILL IN EXISTENCE WAS A SMALL PROPORTION OF ALL DOMESTIC METERS - ABOUT 30,000 OUT OF 580,000 - AND THAT IT WAS STEADILY DECREASING AS COMMUNAL METERS ARE REPLACED BY INDIVIDUAL ONES.

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