Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-04-10
The Citizens Committee SUBJ
mits an Interesting Report
= Saturday Evening.
A Good Deal Of Information
Furnished the People by
the Committee.
Suggestions Made to Save the
City Several Thousand
i, Dollars a Year.

On Saturday evening Il large num-
her of citizens gathered at the city
hall to hear the report Of Messrs,
Cawley, Berg and Richard on city
expenditures and finances. The
meeting was called to order by F. E..
Cawley, and s. A. Siverts was elected
secretary. Mr.. Cawley at once sub.
nitted the following report:
Yourcommittee beg leave to report
as follows:
This committee was appointed for
the purpose of treating with the
Electric & Water company in con-
junction with a committee from the
council, which council committee
was To be appointed after the coun-
Gil had been filed by appointment
of two members, to fill vacancies
made by the removal Of L. J. Wright
and +. F. Turner.
AS you are aware, the council Las
passed a resolution annuAtng the
present water and light contract,
under which, we are working at
present. and it was thought possible
that this committee might be able to
act as moderator between the city
ano the Electric & Water company.
and that an equitable arrangement
might he reached, which would either
moderate the present contract, or
would result in the making ct new
contract which would be satisfac-
tory to both sides.
We have not succeeded ins arrang-
ing a meeting between the couhcli
committee and the Electric & Water
company, as the latter was not In
cliped to treat with such committee,
on the ground that the council ap-
pointment did not Carry out the
sense OF the meeting on the point
that the appOlntees were to De 1a'r-
minded and unbiased, and who were
not particularly opposed to the
Electric & Water company. The
appOintment of Mr.. Flynn and Mr..
THOMPSON was not considered In
line on this point; consequently, no
meeting has been had between the
council committee, the Electric q
Watercompany and yourcommittee.
Your committee has, however. met
with the officers of the Electric 4
Water company, and have TAXED
matters over in an Informal Wav,
without reaching any definite con-
clusion. further than that said COM
pany was ready and willing to 40
what was fair and just to both sides,
and expressing regret, should it be
necessary to carry the matter OF
ties ting the legality into the courts.
We were able to get some informa-
ton as to the cost of the plant, as IL
appeared from their way OF figuring
the number of feet of water mains,
and the size thereof, the amount OF
wire contained in the electric light
Dart of the investment, and some
further information. The total cost
of the electric and water plant, ac-
cording to the figures given us ny
Mr.. Berkey. is in round numbers
$3.50, 900; the number OF miles OF wire,
eight miles of the arc current and
eleven miles of the incandescent cur
rent. The number of miles OF water
mains, four. You are aware that
there has been heavy decrease in
the cost of materials, and also in the
price of labor, since the plant was
put in, and this would account for a
part of the difference between the
cost. as shown by Mr.. Berkey and
the estimate of the present value OF
the plant as madeby yourcommittee.
We cannot agree with Mr.. Berkey
on his basis of cost. He takes the
original cost, at the time the plant
was completed, for the basis. 10
this extent he is correct. To this
original cost he adds a reasonable
interest for some four years when
the plant did not pay dividend.
We do not consider this proper
charge. We think the original cost
was somewhat more than it should
have been. Yourcommittee estimate
the present value of the Electric &
Water company plant to he not
more than $4,000, and we believe
that q better plant may he put In
for somewhat less than this figure.
This conclusion is reached not only
from calculations made by your
committee. based on cost of water
mains, hydrants, wire, poles. and
the labor in placing sane, but this
opinion and estimate is substan-
tiated by the cost of like plants In
other cities within the state, there
fore. we feel that our estimate may
be taken as a correct and fairly
liberal one, and we recommend that
this basis be used in calculating on
the amount on which earnings
should be figured. Using this for
our own basis, we recommend that