The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-10
LIVINGSTON.
Municipal Ownership of Light and Water
Plants.

Municipal Ownership of Light and Water
Plants.
special Correspondence of the Standard
Livingston, June From present in
dlcatlons it looks very much as If I,iy-
lngston would do something very soon
in the matter of the municipal owner
ship of the electric light and water
works plants. A new alderman was
elected last night, and he is said to be
favorable to municipal ownership. and
with majority in the council who will
carry out the will of the people in this
matter, it looks as if it were sure to
be brought about. The alderman elect
ed is Thomas Nelson, and his election
leaves but two aldermen in the council
who are opposed to the scheme of the
city owning its own plant. Mayor John
L. Smith treated the subject in detail
IN his monthly message to the council
at their last meeting. He said from
what he could learn the running ex-
penses of the water works plant are
Sh400 per annum and the gross earn
lngs foot up about twice that much,
The mayor continued:
Should the water works plant be-
come the property of the city, we
should raise the salary of our treasurer
$25 per month and require him to col
lect the water rents, thus diminishing
that part of the ting expenses by
the sum of 5000. We would also save
office rent in the sum of $3.50 per year.
We would save in telephones $72, in
county license SOL. in city license $40
and for taxes s1,2S3. a gross saving of
$2,546 per annum. This amount would
be diminished by the city license and
the city taxes coming from that COM
pany, but as the increase in the earn
ings more than offset it, I consider the
basis very fair for considering the adj
visibility of purchasing the plant. The
city's expenses for operating the plant
could be kept down to s4,S54 per year,
and deducting that from the present
earnings of the plant. we have left
$9,l46. and should we pay 100000 re-
quired to purchase the plant we would
have left after paying per cent in
terest and all expenses the sum of
$5,l46, with which to pay off the bonds
given for the plant
The commissioners of the county are
in session this week. To-day they paid
a visit to the poor farm, which is being
overhauled and improved. Chairma n
Kelley of the board stated to the Stand
ard reporter that the report that Seig-
mund Deutch. an inmate of the poor
house and at one time county clerk of
this county, was insane is without
foundation. The man is somewhat
erratic, but far from being crazy. The
board employed a game warden and
will pay the sum of $40 per month for
his services. L. D. Daniels is the man
who will look after the welfare of the
wild game of Park county. The June
session has not been a hard one and
all the important work of the session
has been transacted and all the offices
checked up and their work approved.
The remainder of the week will be
taken up in looking after needed i'm
provements in the shape of roads and
bridges, which the present board of
commissioners are getting in good or
der. ran
The board of county commissioners
took action this week on the matter of
ornamenting the grounds surrounding
the court house and improving the ap-