rate of consumption in the District between the hours of 1 and 4 in the morning is 82 gallons per inhabitant, or just two-thirds of the average rate of consumption for the entire day, and that the rate of this night consumption in several of the cities and towns is more than one-half of that for the whole twenty-four hours. The greatly increased consumption of water in continuous periods. of very cold or of very hot and dry weather shows that large amounts of water are drawn unnecessarily or for purposes for which municipal water supplies were never intended, and which if generally practiced would render the supplies absolutely inadequate or of immod erate cost. By the Act of the Legislature of last year the duty of supervising and promoting the enforcement of the law relative to the use and care of meters in the Metropolitan District was placed upon the Board. The returns called for by the Board from the various cities and towns show that there has been during the past year a general compliance with the requirements of the Act, that every city and town shall equip with meters all new water services installed and shall also equip in each year at least 5 per cent. of all services installed prior to January 1, 1908. The city of Quincy, however, has not complied with the provisions of the law, either as to the metering of the old services or in the equipment of new services. It is made the duty of the Board to notify the Attorney-General of the violation or neglect to comply with the provisions of the Act of 1907 on the part of any city or town, and the municipality is made liable to a forfeiture or penalty for each day after December 31, 1908, during which such violation or neglect continues. At the end of the year 28.35 per cent. of all the water services in the District had been metered, while at the beginning of the year the number metered was 21.5 per cent. Several of the cities and towns have proceeded far beyond the requirements of the Act. Excluding the city of Boston, 53.5 per cent. of all the services are metered, and in six of the cities and towns, Malden, Melrose, Watertown, Milton, Belmont and Swampscott, substantially all the services are equipped with meters. X. ELECTROLYSIS. Various experiments have been carried on during the past few years for the prevention of injury to the pipes by electrolytic action, occasioned chiefly by the electric currents maintained by the street railways where their tracks approach the main pipe lines. Rubber insulating joints have in the past two or three years been established at certain points in the lines which have been especially affected by the electric currents, and these have appeared somewhat to diminish the injurious effects. The expense of introducing these joints has been paid by the railway company. It is found, however, that after a certain period of time the efficiency of these insulating joints usually decreased, for the reason that the rubber became carbonized and lost its insulating properties. Some of these rubber insulating joints have now been replaced with wooden joints, which are not only less expensive but seem to be decidedly more enduring and efficient. In the laying of new pipe lines during the past year wooden staves have been substituted for lead and jute, in joints at intervals of about 500 feet. This can be done upon the new lines without great additional expense, and the result has so far proved very satisfactory. The examinations which have been made indicate that the destructive effect of electrolytic action still goes on in greater or less degree according to the situation, and the Board has deemed it necessary to ask in its request for the appropriations for maintenance during the current year a sufficient sum to relay a portion of the main pipe on Boylston Street in Cambridge which has been peculiarly affected, and which it is feared has reached a condition calling for speedy attention. XI. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEGISLATION. The Board in its abstract of the annual report to the Legislature, presented at the beginning of the session of the year 1910, recommended that it be authorized to construct a new main for the highservice districts of Lexington and Arlington and also an additional main for the supply of the East Boston district of the city of Boston. The recommendations made are as follows: "Some construction additional to that authorized last year seems to be called for during the coming year. A new 16-inch main is |