The Delta independent., 1910-03-18

neither do l think they ought to, but
they have given to the water users of
the city the water at cost and for the
last eight years, less than cost. l
favor the city furnishing water to the
citizens at cost, but object to the city
furnishing water at less than cost.
Since the city has been furnishing
water at less than cost and am of the
opinion that it should be furnished at
actual cost, would suggest the remedy
to relieve this difficulty. Our ordinance
at the present time requires water
rents to be paid from the first to the
tenth of each month in advance. This
ordn ance was quite ample and sufficient
for number of years but now that the
city has reached the growth it has it is
requiring altogether too much. time and
attention and should not require so
much work from the Clerk nor the
Superintendent of Water Works. 1t is
preposterous for the Clerk to be ex-
pected to go to the individual water
user and there demand the water rent.
This would take about all her time and
she would have little or no time for
any other work. If she is expected to
call at my office and collect my office
water rent, why should she not go to
my house and collect the house rentY
A greater number of water users are
residents and not business men, and if
the city is to require of the Clerk that
che CnllaPt from tho hrrcinacc =
is equally fair that she present the
water receipt al. the residence, and if
there are delinquents the Superinten-
dent of Water Works is expected and
required to turn the taps after the
tenth of each month. This would re-
quire great deal of time owing to the
size Of the city and the bad habit of so
many of our citizens in becoming delin-
quent.
l do not believe that the tax payers
of the city could pay for a special col
lector to go around and collect water
rents from every water user in the city.
The collector would have to be paid
$700 or $500 per year and this would in
users owing rent to the city should ex-
pect to go to the City Hall and pay
their water rent. A great many do
this and to burden them who do pay
their water rent at the City Hall with
the expense of special collector is
wrong.
Our citizens are already complaining
of the heavy taxation and it is the duty
of the Council SO far as it can, to econ
omize and retrench. / think that this
Council fully intend to retrench as
much as possible but they can't re-
trench unless they are permitted to
make some regulation to cut down ex-
penses.
If the Council were to change the or
dinance so as to require the water users
to pay three months in advance at the
City Hall, then the clerk could send out
notices once in three months to the de-
linquent water users notifying them of
that fact and if the rent was not paid
before the tenth of the month then tha
Superindent of Water Works could go
and turn the taps; this would relieve
a great deal of work upon the Clerk
and Superintendent of Water Works,
who is also Marshall, and do away with
the necessity of a special collector,
relieve losses where property is sold
before water rent is paid and relieve
losses where tenants remove. Rebates
can be given where the water is not
used for the full time.
/ think that every taxpayer should
favor paying three months in advance
1t is less trouble and annoyance to
them to do so, and less expense and loss
to the city. OF course, some will say
that there are citizens who are unable
to pay three months in advance. That
is always true and always will be true,
whether you collect three months in
advance or three months in arrears
the poor are always with US, and must
be taken care of-but we should not
turn the water system over to those
who are unable to pay their water rent