Rocky Ford enterprise., 1912-04-19

will be trifle higher than it was last
year. The finance committee takes a
business view of a business proposition.
and don't believe that the city should sell
water to the consumer for less than it
costs. If the frontage tax proposition
goes through we will be in shape next
year to reduce the price of ditch Water.
as well as to make considerable reduo-
ton on price of artesian water, but we
could not get action on a frontage tax
this year. The finance committee has
had an extremely unpleasant task; it has
worked faithfully and oonscienciously,
and deserves words of commendation
from the every citizen.
Mr.. Maxwell, chairman of the water
committee. together with Mr.. Crozier. the
water commissioner, deserves great cred
it for getting and keeping our water sys-
tenn in such splendid shape.
Mr.. Price. together with Jack Tinsley,
deserves great credit for the efficiency of
the fire department. No doubt we have
the most efficient fire department in the
Valley.
Messrs. Bish, Brown and Roberts are
to be congratulated OH the immense i'm
provement in the lighting of the city.
When the lights are rearranged there
about thirty more lights than formerly,
al saving to the city of $500 year.
DR.. Roberts as chairman of the law
and ordinance committee, has certainly
familiarized himself with the ordinances
and has made good.
Price, Bish and Goodner. as committee
on health and police. have accomplished
much. The health of the city is so good
that the doctors have nothing to do. and
the police judge has not had case for
over sixty DAYS.
Mr.. Brown certainly made a success
with the parks the last year. and he,
Maxwell and Goodner, together with the
city clerk, have the records of the ceme-
terry in the best shape they have been in
for years.
Mr.. Goodner is the best all-around al
derman in the whole bunch. Harry is
always on the job, and he knows how to
take hold and work. He and Ford Stew
ard have the sewers in the best Of shape.
The people selected six aldermen to
legislate. and mayor to execute and en-
force the laws for the city. and believe
as aldermen as can be found in the city.
Men who have always made success with
their own business, and | believe before
their term is out will have the city's busi-
ness on business basis. We have paid
off $4,000 of the bonds and paid out for
a new artesian well $4,000. We started
in with over $4,000 unpaid warrants,
and will have after the present call for
warrants about $4,000 in outstanding
warrants. If we had not drilled the new
well we would have shown less amount
of outstanding warrants than we had
when we started year ago.
We promised when elected to employ
a competent engineer to thoroughly in
vestigate all of the proposed water prop
ositions ard make report on all of them
and if we thought any of them were
feasible to report to you the cost of the
various propositions, and if the business
men thought favorable of any of them, to
submit the proposition to a vote of the
people. The only proposition that appeal
ed to US at all was the one known as the
Steel Forks water, about sixty miles to
the north. This is splendid pure spring
water and our engineer reported that
there was plenty for four or five towns
the size of Rocky Ford, and would give
US gravity system, but not very high
pressure for fire protection. 1t would cost
about half million dollars. The interest
and upkeep of this system would be
about $4,000 yearly. When we con-
slider that, even at the high price the
consumer pays for water, the total re-
ceipts for water for the last year was
less than $4,000. you can plainly
see that we could not undertake
this proposition. We labored earnestly
trying to get other towns inter-
ested and of all the towns Ordway
was the only one that promised to do
anything worth while. The chairman of
the water committee reported that none
of the business men with whom he talked
thought it possible or thought it worth
while to submit a proposition to vote
bonds for that amount. Our chairman
of water committee, Mr. Maxwell, work.
ed faithfully and spent considerable time
and some money out of his own pocket
trying to get this gravity system in shape
to submit it to the voters, but he and
the rest of the aldermen decided it was
out of our reach.
There is no question in my mind that
with proper care and supervision of the
artesian wells that Rocky Ford has. and
will have for years, all the water she