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49 Comparative Cost of Water In 1949 input to the Las Vegas distribution system operated by the Water Utility was 3,541,353,000 gallons. By making a liberal allowance of 1 0 $ for water not delivered to revenue customers, the quantity of water sold would be 3,187,217,700 gallons, for which 7560-1'/ customers paid $199,132.91, or an average of $26.34 each. This is equal to $2.19 per month per customer; ninety per cent of these custom­ers falling within a domestic classification. For the $2.19 a month the paying customers received on the average 35,132 gallons or 4,696 cubic feet of water. The following tabulation shows for domestic metered service in various cities what, (1) 4,696 cubic feet of water per month would cost, and (2 ) the quantity of water (cubic feet) that $2.19 would purchase in one months Cost of Cubic ft. 4,696 cu.ft. for $2.19 Bakersfield, California $ 5.02 1,492 Barstow, California 5.45 1,752 Clendale, California 6 . 1 0 1,685 Hanford, California 8.04 1,161 Los Angeles, California 6.79 1,480 Los Angeles suburbs - So. Calif. Water Co. 5.05 1,855 M B ? n - Calif. Water Service Co. 6.19 1,293 National City, California 11.89 563 Palm Springs, California 10.04 816 Phoenix, Arizona 5.17 1,991 Tucson, Arizona 5.12 1,437 LAS VEGAS, NEVADA 2.19 4,696 Thus it is seen for the amount of water used at present rates, the water bill of Las Vegas is indeed low - but a fraction of what it is in many other cities. At the proposed increase the average would still be only slightly more than $3.00 a month ($3.15), a very low figure. The second column of the comparison shows how relatively few cubic feet of water the Las Vegas customers' dollar billing would 1/ Actual average number of customers 7,593; adjusted to 7,560 to exclude non-revenue customers.