Gunnison news-champion., 1906-05-11
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caited ugoE to vose uysoa tbs Qszs
t,ou 1 authorizing an eleNtrir
is9ht ssds.ance uTroa ths Sth Il
tbs psesent month This fact hn
gwen great conccrE TO the kns<,k-
ers IN thu town 2 Guun,soa asu1
they aTe out IN meEe than usuaI
sosce.
The sttorueys fW tbs Old wa1cs
and light cosspauy, which has hkA
the town IN its clutches fss usany
years have written artlclc< as1
caused them to tn ssgned bv alle0-
cd tax PAYERS. such an artsCi y
the one psrportlns to Ia wTstAcu
by l.. \. foutaine This art,cie
gees on to recite the lndctAedne1
ct the town OF Cunnlson II -
probably true that the town o~rs
Its outstanding bonded debt. And
its proportion OF tbs schasi detH
1t may be unfortunate tof our csti-
zens that these debts have lEea
handed down to Ia from past gen
eratIons. But why the town should
continue to abide in the clutches a
the present water and light com
pany with its poor service and ex-
orbltant rates because debts have
been contracted In the past. fail
to see. These debts exist anyway
and Will have to be met a. best
they can in the usual course. 1t
scems to me that IT l. rather an ar
gument in favor of the municipal
ownership of the electric light aud
water plants because these debts
exist. The income from the mu-
ulcipal water plant, If the plant is
economically managed. will be
more than sufficient to pay of the
interest on the bonded debt and
provide for a sinking fund for the
payment OF the bonds in fifteen
wears. When this time has ex-
pired the town Will own its own
water plant and the income can be
applied to municipal purposes as is
now the case in tine town of Silver
ton. In the town of Sllverton no
taxes whatever are levied, but the
income to the town tr0an saloon
licenses, from the water plant and
the electric light plant, pay all the
expenses OF the town and leave a
balance in addition.
In the town of Gunnison there
are seven saloons, each of which
pays a license TO the town of $500
per year am informed they also
pay about S275 for light and water
Certainly they are interested in the
disposition of the taxes of the town
and would not readily support a
proposition placing them in a worse
condition than which they are at
present. In common with a great
majority of the taxpayers of Gun
nison they are heartily in favor of
the municipal water works and also
/ tor franchise for an electric light
plant so drawn that ii will permit
the town to acquire the plant from
its own revenue. This is the fran
chlse which IT was proposed to
grant to Mr.. c.. IL. Sethman.
Nearly all of the opposition to the
water plant and the electric light
franchise has come, and is now
coming from certain people i'll this
community who have acquired
block after block under tax titles
and who are not interested in the
growth or progress of the town III
any particular.
| desire to call the attention oil
the knockers club to the fact that
the Board of Trustees advertised for
bids for the water plant not only
in the Gunnison papers, but il
Denver papers as well and also i'll
the principal engineering Journals
of the country The notice and
advertisement was ample. Upon
such notice the bid of Mr.. Geo. II
bid, and the Board of Trustees
awarded the contract to the lowest
bid. What else could they do
1t is not true that no more than
500 has been offered for the bonds.
1t is not true, as am advised that
Mr.. Scthman is holding back.
The delay in the execution OF
the contract is on account of the
litigation which has been waged
in the local courts by the old water
company and the old light company
With this litigation the taxpayers
of the town of Gunnison are en-
tirely familiar.
1t is a matter of common ard
universal knowledge that the
present water and light service
are both unsatisfactory. With bet
ter service. an increased number OF