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Trial of the Reno water meter case, which has been pending for seveii years, will start Monday morn­ing before Judge P. H. Norcross in the federal court at Carson. In 1929 the Sierra Pacific Power Company started to install a num­ber of test water meters in Reno, for the announced purpose Of de­termining the amount of water con­sumed. To prevent the city from interfering with the installations, the power company obtained an in­junction against the city. I The city was represented by LeRoy F. Pike, then city attorney, and the late Sardis Summerfield. A motion to dismiss the case was made by the city, and was denied by Judge Norcross, and the circuit court of appeals later upheld the Norcross ruling, and returned the case to the Nevada federal court for trial. A law passed by the 1931 legisla ture lorbids the installation of water meters in cities with population of more than ten thousand, but the pending suit was instituted before the law was passed. The power company contends that the law of 1931 cannot be retroactive'in effect, and also that it proposes to; deprive them; of their property without due process of law, by seeking to pro­hibit them from making proper charges for the water which they sell. Busey will be assisted in prepar­ing the case by George Spring-meyer. The city council last night authorized the city attorney to em­ploy Springmeyer as his assistant.