Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-02-16

sessments, which, under the statutes,
can only be used for special specific
purposes and cannot be drawn upon
for general expenses of the city.
The fact is that for the past few
years the general expenses Of the city
have exceeded the annual revenue. In
1903 the revenue for general purposes
amounted TO $579 1859, while the eX-
penditures amounted TO SGli,72S47. leay-
Ing deficit for the year OF S3j,bI9B,
Considering the fact that included I'm
the revenue stated was the Item Of
sG0,36O derived from the sale Of the
city's real estate, the conclusion Is OBJ
vlors.
1t has been the policy Of past adj
ministrations to cover these deficits by
the sale Of the city's real estate. but as
practically all OF the city's available
real estate has now been disposed Of.
We are confronted with the fact that
the city has very little more real prop
erty to SELL so that henceforth the on
~ recourse left Is for us to limit our
expenditures to the actual available
revenue.
WATERWORKS DEPARTMENT.
The report Of the superintendent Of
waterWorks shows the amount Of rev.
enue derived from the department for
the current year TO be Sll3,23 and the
expenditures to be j2,76i, an excess Of
revenue over expenses OF S6041O
IL Is believed by many that this sum
OF $50 40 represents net profit 10 the
city resulting from the operating OF the
WaterWorks system, and the impression
has prevailed to some extent that the
excess OF receipts over expenditures of
this department is used by the city for
the maintenance OF other departments,
This impression has doubtless arisen
from Il confusion In the minds Of the
public Of the terms "waterworks sys-
tenn" The expenditures OF the water
works department proper, which is sim
ply the distributing branch of the sys.
TEN, are scarcely more than one-half
the amount Of the actual cost Of the
system to the city. the remainder being
distributed by the board OF public
works and other departments In the
form OF Waterman extensions and gem
eral Improvements Of the system, and
also for the protection OF the water
supply, and charged to the waterworks
fund, and therefore not shown in the
report Of the superintendent Of water
works
NOT SELF SUSTAINING.
On Sept. "a, 1900, an ordinance was
enacted which provided for the setting
aside In a special fund of the revenue
OF the waterworks system to be used,
first, for the payment of interest on
water bonds; second, for the mainte-
nance and operation Of the waterworks
department, and third, for such i'm
proyements and extensions az the coun-
ell might, from time to time, order
the balance II any, remaining In the
fund at the close Of the year was to be
placed In n sinking fund for the re-
demption of water bonds at their ma
turity. owing 10 the prevailing i'm
preston that the waterworks system
had large surplus each year, II was
thought that at least $4,000 per annum
would be placed in the said sinking
fund, thus providing ample means for
the redemption Of the bonds Of the de-
partment, Experience, however has
shown that the actual expenditures Of
the waterworks system since the cTea-
ton of the waterworks fund In 1900
have annually exceeded the total reye-
nue. derived
The report OF the auditor for the year
1903 shows the total cash revenue from
the system to be $S6,22l92, and the total
expenditures from the fund to be SOL
bS0.75. This does not include, 1t should
be borne in mind, the amount OF $iS,-
1924 expended for water purposes from
the irrigation and water supply fund
created under the statutes by general
taxation In addition to this, the gem
eral expense fund has upon several oc-
caslons borne n portion Of the expense
Of litigation for the protection Of the
water supply as we'll as other disburse-
ments for the system outside the city
limits While the revenue may pro-
vide for the pressing needs Of tho
distributing system, no great move.
ment of a permanent character look
ing to an Increase Of the water supply
can be paid for out OF this fund; hence
some other source OF revenue VIII me-
cessarly have to be looked TO,
1t will thus be seen that TO date our
waterworks system has not been self
sustaining, as has been supposed and
the revenue Is not so large as to permit
OF improvements Of any great magni-
tude In the near future.
The report Of the superintendent con-
tains several recommendations to which
your attention IN respectfully inylt-
ed, among which those relating to the
establishment Of a stand-pipe system,
to be supplied from the waters OF the
Jordan g. Salt Lake city canal, for
street sprnkling, and the utilization Of
the flowing wells near Liberty park,
BY means Of tower and pumping
system, / recommend be given your
careful consideration with view Of
determining the feasibility OF the sug-
gestlons, -
WATER METERS
desire to draw the attention OF the
council to the urgent and absolute
necessity for a change IN the present
sliding scale Of our present water meter
system. The present ordinance, APP
proved April 10, 1902, Is so unjust, |
take It. to The large majority of the
people using meters that | would favor
its repeal and | trust the council will
take early action In the matter and en-
act an ordinance whereby all who use
meters viii be charged alike for the
water used BY the present rates II
win be seen the small user Zone who
uses less than 1000 gnllons) must pay
10 cents per every 1000 gallons (Which
Is the mInlmum), while the user Of
10000 gallons procures the supply for
80 cents per 1000 gallons, or almost
two-thrds less than the small user II
is well known that during the dry sea-
sons gardens and shade trees suffer
for lack Of water, while the larger US
crs have an abundance and at much
lower rate. II this sliding scale was
continued n little farther one large
user could take all the water and It
would cost him nothing. There IL dat
~ flowing into the city from 100000
10 20000,0OO gallons OF water which
would give over 200 gallons per capita,