La Junta tribune., 1905-05-17
svs.c,eaa osssasm,s.

the people everywhere are becoming
Is much interested in this sub
ject Is the people Of the nation are
in the regulation of freight rates
and trust combines by the national
government The people Of COlors-
do Springs are agitating the subject
of Organizing a municipal oxner-
ship league. That city already
owns the water system. valued At
s., ,0OO. 900, and the cemetery. and
ownership Of the gas. electric light.
street car and the telephone system
is being urged
The city Of Fremont. Neb.. which
has q population of about 5000. has
owned its water and light plant for
q number Of years. and the rates At
the present time are about one
third those charged under corpora
management. One sixteen candle
power incandeseent light in Fremont
costs so cents per month. In La
Junta the rate is sl.40 per month.
The city has seventy-four arc lamps
for street lighting purposes, and
last year the light plant was oper-
ated at a net profit Of SiS7. -. the
expenditures including improve
ments aggregating over 5000. A
report Of the receipts and expendi-
tures of the water and light plants
in Fremont for the year ending
April 10th. clipped from the Ere
mont Tribune. may be of interest
to our readers who recently passed
through a municipal ownership cam
paiRn. and is herewith given in full:
The year ending April 10th last
was q good one for Fremont's mu-
nicipal water and light plant. A
perusal of the figures Of receipts
and expenditures in the two depart
ments is convincing of the advan-
tages in maintaining these city insti-
tutions. Besides furnishing water
and light for public purposes. fight
ing fires and lighting the streets.
the station yielded a profit. this with
rates prevailing that are considera-
bly, lower than those in a majority
of cities Of Fremont's class. Sew
eral towns. noting the favorable
condition of the plant during this
and past years. have sent represen-
tatives here to study the system.
The receipts in the water depart
ment for the year just ended
amounted to 50. .6O7.79. agains, ex-
penditures of s.. $50 IS. being a net
gain Of sl.Oa0.ll.
The receipts in the light depart
ment were sl3. .40l OF. against ex-
penditures of SIP rs, being net
gain Of Sa97 -.
There were 25s .6l6. $50 gallons Of
water pumped during the year.
making an average Of 70s SIS gal
Ions day at a cost Of 2-7 cents
a thousand gallons.
The water department required
l $40 tons of coal. which made an
item Of expenditure amounting TO
s.. 1882.
The coal the year previous cost
- 1915. = difference Of $i.0923 81
having been made by the advance in
price Of the bituminous substance
One extension of the water system
was made during the year. II was
from Hancock street to the Orphans
Home at a cost of S7sO.95.
improvements amounting to S.
O70.s6 were made in the light de-
partment last fall and winter. The
building WAS extended and a new
engine was installed. As has here
tofore been stated in the Tribune
the plant is now practically ready to
supply day current. A slight shift
ing of machinery will be necessary.
the cost of which will b. less than
$500.
Eighty more light customers were
metered during the year. making
AS that are now having light meas
ured out to them.
Ninety-five arc lamps are in use.
of which seventy-four are for street
lighting purposes.
The number of incands>cent lamps
wired in the city is $3.50.
The average night run of the plant
during the past year was thirteen
and five-xixths hours
There were .:s03 1-2 tons of coal
used in the light department. il