The Water Company Wins the Right to Shut It Off
The state supreme court backs the Olympia Light Power Company's authority to cut off water service when a hotel falls behind on its rent.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
As a result of the suit of the Tacoma Hotel company vs. the Olympia Light Power company, the supreme court yesterday reversed the judgment. The hotel company had run behind in its water rent, and the water company threatened to shut off the supply. An issue then arose as to the authority of the water company to deprive the hotel of the supply, and the supreme court held that it has such authority under its rules, which the court also held are reasonable.
“The hotel company had run behind in its water rent, and the water company threatened to shut off the supply.”
In an era when private utility companies controlled essential water service, courts repeatedly had to decide how much power a monopoly could exercise over delinquent customers. This brief decision affirmed that a water company's rules could justify shutting off supply. The question of utility shutoffs for unpaid bills remains a live civic and moral issue today.
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