Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-19

|
| and convey wrong impression as to
:. the general salary expenditures of the
] corporation. II appears that the iixcd
| salaries of the heads of the several de.
| partmcnts are not charged to the ac-
| count of the respective departments
but to the general salary account, thus
swelling that account and reducing the
| general expense OF the department.
see no reason why the salary of tn,
head of n department should not bt
charged to the department ms well AZ
| the salary of all other attaches anc
| employees thereof. The general SALARY
| account should only be charged with
such items as cannot be charged to the
account of any regular department
| The showing then made would be "
| accordance with the facts. Without
| desiring to disarrange the auditors
method of keeping the accounts I rec
| ommend that a change he made and
| that all salaries, wherever practicable
shall be charged to the department to
which they properly belong.
wATERwoRKS DEPARTMENT..
| Cost.-The aggregate expenditures In
| this department amounted during the
| year to 500, S4S.75 There were laid dur
| ing the year 4951 feet of six-inch pipe
and 2309 feet of four-lnch pipe. The
city now owns 126 miles 1909 feet OF
| pipes in service.
| Revenue.--The water assessments for
the year, after making deductions for
| erroneous assessments, amounted to
$T7, 1920. Deducting from this amount
| the cost OF maintenance, exclusive OF
| construction and Improvement. there Is
an apparent net profit to the city from
| the waterworks system of So6.oOS.b2.
From this amount, however, must be
| deducted the salaries not included
| within the total cost stated above, and
| uncollected water rates.
| Water SUPPLY desire to call your
| attention to the recommendation of the
superintendent, that tunnel should be
| run to tap the stump in Emigration
canyon. The superintendent estimates
| that the citys water supply would
| thereby he Increased by one half mil
| lion gallons per day. The rccommen-
| dation IL an important one. and SUD
| nit II to your honorable body with the
\ suggestion that the subject should re-
ceive early investigation. The super
intendent reports that the tume In
| Emigration canyon needs immediate
repairs, and that the high line tanks in
| City Creek canyon are in such a de-
plorable condition as to render 1t likely
| at any moment that large area of the
city should be cut OFF from supply of
| water by the collapse of these rotten
| structures The city engineer has
| prepared plans for new tanks at an
estimated cost of $500. recommend
their construction at once.
1
| three more instances occurred of wa
| ter mains bursting through the destruc-
| tive Influences OF electrical currents.
| Eghty-seven feet of new piping was
required to repair the damage. These
currents finding their way into the
ground from the wires used by the
street railway and lighting companies,
select the iron water pipes as the paths
of least resistance In their course. with
the result. where conditions are favor
able, of destroying the vitality of the
pipe by reducing II to the consistency
of graphite. How far our entire sys-
TEN is being thus affected Is n matter
of speculation. In my judgment steps
should be taken to ascertain by a thor
ough survey the course of these cur
rents, and to prevent further deteriora-
ton of this valuable municipal asset.
IRRIGATION DEPARTMENT.
Cost of maintenance-The city wa
termaster's report shows the cost of
his department for the year amounted
to S24. $3.50 81.
Salt Lake and Jordan Canal-The
effort now being made to claim as I'M
appropriated one-slxth of the Jordan
river at the narrows. suggests that
provisions should be made for meas
urements of the river and of the
stream running into the canal. wher
used at stated intervals. This water
right is invaluable and the danger OF
losing 1t or having 1t impaired should
not be incurred by neglect nor inatten.
ton.
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT.
Cost---The report OF the city enHi-
neer shows the total cost of his de-
partment for the year, after deductine
s1,666. 40 received, chiefly for the survey
OF lots, was SEAT Al.
Cement Walks--The engineer calls
attention to the fact that nearly all OF
the cement walks of the city were con
structed with smooth surfaces. Thai
these walks are constant menace tc
life and limb Is obvious to every per.
son who traverses our streets. / con.
cur in his suggestion that these walks
should be roughened. either by bush.
hammering where the surface permits
or, In other cases. by coating with as.
phaltum, and would recommend thai
the Council at once consider the sub
ject with the purpose of determining
the best and most equitab BILE method OF
reaching the desired result.
Richards Street Pavement-Undel
the contract through which Richards
street was paved, the city has the OPP
ton of requiring the contractors tC
keep that pavement in repair for O
term of fifteen years at a cost of ,
cents per annum per square yard. The
board of public works recommended
to your predecessors that the option
was not acted upon. 1t deserves YOU
immediate attention.
Resurvey OF Plat E-The resurvey
OF plat II, rendered necessary by the
tangled and uncertain street lines ant
corners in that plat, was stopped by
the last Council after the work was
partly completed The uncertaintie,
of the old survey and plats max,
transfers of property and the adjust
ment of disputed lines difficult, ant
should receive prompt consideration.
Division of Waters of Parleys Creel
The engineer reports that under tn,
existing method OF dividing the waters
of Parley's creek between the city ant
the farmers. the latter receive NOR,
than their Just proportion of tn,
stream. a fact which not only deprive
the city of needed water, but perhaps
endangers its rights, The division ma,
be made absolutely Just by the con
struction, at no great cost, of an auto
matte measuring weir.
City Furnishing Pipe-I concur II
the recommendation of the enginee
that sewer pipe should hereafter b,
purchased by the city and not by thu
contractor.
Street Railway Pavements-The con
venience of the public and the prope
maintenance of the pavement kept vi
at public expense, suggest that thu
street railways should be required 4
keep their portions of the pavement
in good repair.
Sewer Farm-Tn connection with thu
suggestions and recommendations o