Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-03-02
Ole SIRE Dress.
THE WATER DEPARTMENT SUR.
PLUS.
How IL Is Obtained, and CRITICISMS on
the management Of this Departs
ment.

the Management of this Depnrt-
ment.
TO the Editor of the Free Press aud Times:
The city has a Water Department of which
it is Justly proud 1t is a power which can
be depended upon in case of fires. 1t never
fails us in time of need. All this is admitted
hy everyone. Whether it is us well manag-
cd as it should be- and its burdens as equit-
ably distributed as they should be arc ques-
tons about which opinions would seem to
vary.
Originally the city was bonded to raise
funds for construction of the Water Works
and from time to time new issues of bonds
were voted for extending the works. In
some cases where only small sums were re-
CURED for extension, it was furnished by
current taxation, and in one instance at least
some of the water bonds were paid and can
celled by the city. The treasurer's report
shows that the Construction Account foots up
1884, 42O.39. Thus much the city has in
vested in addition to all it has paid for cur
rent expenses of running and managing the
same, pumping and repairs For quite
number OF years the water consumption fail
cd to meet current expenses, and we had to
resort to sundry schemes ID cover the deficit,
such as frontage and hydrant tax, etc. OF
late years the deficit has been less and we
even hear of surplus, produced by good
management To be good investment,
well managed, il should pay ut least interest
on the cost Of construction, and also ray al
current expenses. together with such addl-
tional sum for depreciation and wear of the
works as should be necessary TO meet all eX-
traordinary contingent expenses Inc III
terest on cost of construction is Sli ,OO5.2l,
and current expenses are SG,7jIS5 making
for these two items S23, 1923 &C. without tax
ing into account anything for depreciation
and wear Of the pipes and machinery. This
sum is 81 1867 II more than the receipts for
water during the year. This is IA deficit, not
surplus There is great necessity for pro-
viding fund for extraordinary repairs-and
for replacing worn ont machinery. Tie
past Summer the department spent some
$1,000 from current taxation for relaying
pipe, and there is talk now, in dull times, OF
giving out a Job for AN additional set OF
pumps The receipts claimed for water soil
are see 400 50, but this sum is padded" to
the extent of over $4,000 from current taxa
tion. The city pays for instance at an cX-
orbitant price, $1,000 per year for water for
fire purposes and charges it 10 the FIRE De-
partment and makes that department seem an
eXtravagint one while its expenses prop
er are quite moderate. This Sl2OO
is more than one twentieth Of the entire
receipts of the department. No one
can for Il moment suppose the Fire Depart
ment has ever used or will ever use such
share of the 223, 1902 CAS- gallons Annually
pumped. Nor is this all, the city buys aud
pays for from annual taxation, water for ten
water roughs, $3.50; for sprinkling
streets, 5000; for City Hall offices,
S35 liquor agency, SO; library, $40; pub
lie schools, $50; public fountains, S75 Lake
View Cemetery, 500; police office, SO !;
Green Mount Cemetery, SEQ; and pays rent
ofpump house grounds, $50 Insurance. etc,
which wi 1.-THE tireHeparlmcnt $1,000 makes
more than S2l40, which is one tenth of the
Departments figure for entire cost of the de.
partment for the year. The deficit might be
disposed of and surplus placed on paper,
by the very easy process of raising the price
for what the city is supposed to use. 1t is
idle TO talk Of surplus when facts are rs here
stated.
1t is true some may say interest should
only be charged against the Department for
what ii owes instead of on cost of constiuc.
ton. If interest is not paid on the $50 520,-
80 the city has paid toward construction, the
city should at least have the water for public
uses free of charge.
Again, as to the equity and justice of the
distribution of the burden of current eXpen-
SEES. The city pays as above for water the
cost of over 1000 hogshcads per day the en-
tire year, not excepting Sundays. The 81
family rate pays for pumping eleven hun
bred hogsheads per year, over three hogsheads
per day, while they scarcely use IA
hog head a week. But let us be liberal and
suppose they use one hundred hogsheads per
year-,hcy would then only pay seven cents
per hogshead for what they consume. But
cipher little iurthera and see what the income
from water woull be if all We pump was
sold at even this low, charitable rate-the
poor mans rate. Instead of having the beg
carly income as now Of S22, 455.S9, we
should have the princely sum of S24S, 2l4 05
"a sum more than double our entire expen-
ditures for all taxable purposes, including
State and county taxation. Let us abandon
all taxation, and sell water at this rate for
five years, and we would be free from all
debts of all kinds, railroad bonds and all,
with handsome surplus to the credit of
every department such as would render our
venerable mayor, if alive at that time, more
jubllanl than he has ever been over any of
his election estimates. We do not sell it at
this rate, not even at one-tenth of this rate,
and have to pay our other taxes besides. 1t
can then but be apparent that the family rate
is ten times as high ms the average price al
which the water as a whole is sold. There
are some 1900 or 1900 families paying family
rates-suppose they pay $40, the city
pays S2l4O, making SlO,J1O at these high
rates. The 'last COW" too is charged the
present cost of pumping 3l7 hogsheads Of
water, as given in the department report for
-. How AN honest milkman would de-
light to own such a cow-drinking one hogs
head of water every day except Sunday
What the city pays, what the families pay
and the amount paid for the few COWS kept
in the city would be equal to more than half
of the receipts for water under the present
management. Deduct this half of the receipts
from the S24S,2l40j and we have left
1886, 9s6.S0 worth that is sold for other pur-
poses and at other rates, for which we re-
ceive merely 81 227.05. Is it equitable to
SO distribute these burdens. Are not all tax
payers stockholders in this water department
and entitled To about the same rights and
privileges? IL not all our property bonded
to pay its Indebtedness! This line of argu-
ment can be carried too far and have only
pressed it to make more apparent the njus-
ticc of the rates fixed for use of water. But,
says one, il you are not satisfied with the
rates, put on a meter and buy water at so
cents per 1000 gallons-that is so cents for
15i hogsheads-35 cents per hogshead. The
condition, however, attached to this rating is
that you must buy enough to come to $40
that if you have meter bought with your
own money you must pay $40 wheth-
er you use ten hogsheads or not. Most
of the small consumers are excluded
by this rule from tins lower rate by meters.
If all the water now pumped WINS sold at
this meter rate the income would he SILL
1856 30. There are lower rates still, the low
est being 20 cents Dcr thousand pnllOns-1 1