The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-07-15

Chicago plant is cited to show that In
GLIDING items for depreciation, inter
est, taxes, proportion of salary, fnsur-
ance n water, there is a loss to the
city, based on simple interest on the
amount paid, of $3.50 per lamp per
year, or a total of 1884 O2 annually,
compared with what the cost would
be If service were taken from a pri-
vate company. Computed with COM
pound interest on the amount paid,
the loss is $11.07 per lamp, or 1892
per year. These figures are based on
statements submitted by the Commits
sion's expert accountants and do not
agree with the estimates of ~ City
Electric Department, which show a
saving to the city.
As to the character of the plants,
that il South Norwalk is criticised for
its use of a D. C. 220 volt two-wire sys
tenn. a type W. generally adopted
in this country. This equipment, say
Mr.. Edgar and Mr.. Clark, compels the
+ consumer in South Norwalk to pay
20 per cent, more for the light produc-
ed tnan would be necessary under a
better system.
The Detroit electric undertaking is
! found to be of a type of about Is years
ago and the capacity can hardly be ex
! banded within the present building I'm
less the type of operating units is
changed to those of a more modern
class.
The Allegheny plant is described as
poorly designed. inefficient and expen
sive to operate" Appropriations for
technical equipment have been neglec-
ted to such an extent, say the review
ers, "that the electrician had to build
mis- own switchboard out of such junk
as he could collect from a machine
shop yards"
OF Chicago's four municipal electric
plants. three are declared to be of OBJ
so1ete type, while the fourth is not
properly constructed for economical
operation. The stations are scattered
through the city without system and
are very poorly located. The plants
use 1.4O0, 900, 900 gallons of city water
(minimum) for which no charge is
made. OF the $500 lamps in use, 4,1S0
are of a type which has been generally
discarded throughout the country.
On the subject of operating eff
cheney, it is set forth that economical
operation in Allegheny is much him
dered by the unnecessary number of
employees. Six or eight of the force
could be dismissed, reducing the pay
roll Is to IS per cent, and "the nalf
dozen extra aborers often put on for
political purposes at election time
could be dispensed with, changes
which would d to the efficiency of
the service as well as lowering it's
cost" In Chicago, the civil service
rules are declared to be a source of
insufficiency. Men who have be-
come inefficient are held in respon-
Sible positions longer than they
should be and the best men are of
ten prevented from being advanced in
rank or chosen from the outside be-
cause of lack of the special knowl-
edge required by the civil service ex-
aminerS.
American Water Works.
Water systems operated by the mu-
inequalities in Chicago, Cleveland a1d
Syracuse n by private companies
in indianapolis and New Haven, were
investigated. The investigating en-
gi1eer quoted by Messrs. Edgar and
Clark found that at Chicago the ia
~cilities for developing water from the
present sources of supply are insuffi-
Gent. The sources of supply at
Cleveland were abundant. At SYRIA
cuse, a new conduit from Lake Shame
ateles will be needed in the near fu-
ture, as the maximum daily capacity
is exceeded by the maximum daily
consumption. There is, however, 120,-
000, 900 gallons of storage. At Indian
apolis Operated by private company
there is a more satisfactory state of
affairs, the maximum capacity largely
exceeding the maximum consumption.
This is true also of New Haven. The
municipal plants of Chicago, Cleve-
land are found to be deficient as re-
CARDS installation of pressure gauges
Syracuse (municipal) and I~ndianapo-
lis and New Haven are equipped with
recording gauges. In Chicago conn.,
plants of lack of pressure were num-
erous houses in certain districts be-
ing able to get water in their upper
stories only at night. In Cleveland
and Syracuse, the pressure was, on
the whole, satisfactory. This also ap-
plies to Indianapolis and New Haven
Summarizing the results of the in
v~estigation as to the quality and pu-
rity of the water supplied, Messrs.
Edgar n Clark say:
This phase of the question may be
with the statement that
while the natural conditions in the
different cities call for different meth
DDS of treatment, it is evident that
the two companies examined we're
more solicitous regarding the purity
he water supply, and adopted more
thorough means for insuring the same
than did the three municipalities who
their own water department.
"The conclusion drawn as a result
of u investigation into the quality
of the water is that the water supplied
by the two companies is good, santa
ry water; that it's quality is much bet
ter than the water supplied in Chill