The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-06-12
Will Have Capacity of 8,000,000 Gallons. ALDERMAN THOMPSON
 ADISSENTING MEMBER Gunter Explains Saving to the
 City. Declares That 1t It Means That the Citizens of Montgomery VIII Be saved Sum Of s2ooooo
 in Next Ten Years.

Following the admonition of Presi- dent Gunter eto build for tomorrow" eleven members of the City Council
 voted last night for the installation of an electrically driven pump. of B. 000,000 gallons per day capacity, at the Montgomery waterworks plant with only the determined vote of AL
 derman Thompson cast against the
 The meeting of the Council had been called last night to consider the mat ter of the electric pump, and the prop osition occupied practically the entire time of the lengthy session.
 The subject was preached at the be- ginning of the meeting, when the ma 1 iority report of the Waterworks Com mittee, advocating that the Mayor en- l ter into q contract, subject to the ratification of the Council, looking to the supply of power to drive an B. eoo,00o gallon pump. The report was signed by four of the fve members af the committee.
 Alderman Thompson, the dissenting member, read the minority report. which opposed the installation of the electric pump. Alderman Moritz opened the discus- sion, declaring that the council should go slow on the proposition, stating | that the was not prepared to vote, un- | less supplied with facts and ngures' with a knowledge of cost of instaila. | tion and maintenance of the S,OO0,OOO | gallon apparatus
 President Gunter, who had taken his stand on the floor of the Council. with | Alderman Parrish in the chair, began | his talk in favor of the electric pump, | It was forceful, his argument and con- vinced most of those who had doubted | at first the efficacy of the great cleo tric pump-all with the exception ot | Alderman Thompson.
 Mir. Gunter declared that he was | ready to prove to any unbiased man or | Montgomery that the electric pump, or l sO0O 900 capacity per day, would save l to Montgomery 9100,0o0 to $200.000- nearer the latter figure, he stated within the next ten years He declared that the installation or the new pump, with the 5000 900 ca pacity as against the s.50o,Ooo gallons capacity of the present plant will re-
 duce the water rates, for the citizen, hfrom fifteen and twenty-five cents, the l present figures, to ten cents per thou | sand gallons He said that 1t would l effect a great reduction in insurance frates; that he was willing. himself to assume tNe responsibility for any had action of the Council in taking I -
 sincere was he in ths belief that the electric pump was the best Tor tne
 city. IA. | present capacity of s.250,000 to 3,5OO'- | GOO gallons per day. is operating at
 great expense, with coal bills alone
 amounting to $i4,000 each year. He
 declared that with this only toO morse power 500 at tine most, can be devel- | oped. and that the pump and the air l cornpressors cannot be operated at 1 the same time. If the two must be operated at the same time, he said, the plant must be doubled, which will ne- l cessitate coal bills, alone, of S2o,OOo or more. With the new electrically drlV- en pump, which will produce s'ooO'oOV gallons a day he told that the pump and air compressors. necessitating l.
 200 horsepower, can both be operated;
 at no more than the present cost or coal alone. $l4.00o.
 Would Cost &S5,OOO.
 That with the present steam pumps the same work would cost, in coal pils alone, $35,00O; that the s.00o,000 is not too much, considering the present rate of growth of Montgomery; that the Council Is not looking too far ahead; that the citizens are clamoring, even now. for seventeen miles of additional water mains, which will necessitate greatly increased capacityNof the water plant--were a few of the arguments used by President Gunter in his en- dorsement of the electric pump:
 Another of his points was that the railroads use at present 500,0o0 gall Ions of water each day, which they lift for themselves at q cost or 10 cents the thousand gallons.
 If the city is enabled to pump and deliver this water for the roads" he said. "as 1t can do with the electric pump, and without cost. the railroads will willingly pay cents or more for the thousand gallons. The amount will be pure profit for the city"
 He pointed out the growth of the city In i've years, he said. the s. 0O0, 900 gallons each day will be neces- sary. If, with the steam pump. 1t will cost $s5,0o0 in coal bills alone to pro- duce the necessary horse power, and onlv Si4,000 for all, by the electric pump, then the city will have an in- come sufacient to wipe out the cost within few years.
 The cost of installation of the elec- tric pump will not be as great, he said. as will be the cost of new boilers which will be necessary, which are necessary now, under the system of steam power generation now used.
 He showed that as now the people are charged 9S for 10000 gallons of water, that with the increased capacity of the station without increase in cost, water rate can be reduced.
 Alderman Thompson. who objected to the electric pump proposition, declared that he was not convinced of the ben efit, and his vote was the only one east against it. He maintained that he was sincere in his position. that he was working to save the city every expense, and that he saw unnecessary expense in the installation of the eiee- trfc pump, when there were other things needed worse.
 Aldermen Johnson. Moritz. Seidle and Kennedy were members to speak on the proposition. all in favor of the electric power.
 To Ask for RIds
 One objection was raised to the ma- tority report. however. It instructed the Mayor to enter into a contract with the Montgomery Light and Water Pow CT Company. whereas. Alderman John son thought the other company of the city should be given a chance. The uoint was discussed. and in accord ance there was put a proviso in the resolution which made up the commit fee report. that bids be asked for the power. to be presented not later than o'clock on the night of June 21. the date of ths next meeting of the Coun" eii.
 The report, as finally adopted. nro- vides that the Mayor advertise for bids for power to drive an S.00O.0O0 capacity uunan. and to operate air rompressors to lift a sufficient amount of water: that the city engineer he instructed to
 Ca A.