Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-11-27

of the city will be supplied with city
water
Much credit is due City Engineer
Treichler for the efficient planning and
the completion of the system of water
mains.
SUGGESTS COMMISSION
Mayor McConochie in his message
printed in the report for the fiscal
year 1903 says:
Il think the time has come when
the water department should be plac-
ed in the hands of a board of COM
missioners, three in number, who
would have the sole management,
water collections and all. The board
should be composed of men of business
integrity and character without regard
| to their political affiliations, men who
could spare a portion of their time
from their regular business and re-
ceive a small compensation for their
work, which could be increased from
time to time by the city council, as
the business and revenues increase,
and they should have the entire con-
troll and management, subject to re-
moval by the council either quarterly
or annually, and whose books should
be open for inspection by council
committee or an expert accountant
employed by the city,
| Mayor McCaskrin in his report to
| the council covering the years 1906
1906 spoke as follows:
! the present office | began through re-
peated messages and other means a
! plan to bring about the establishment
OF a waterworks board for this city,
claiming that we were not receiving
| the amount of revenue that we should
receive from this department on ac-
count of the slip-shod manner in which
/ it was conducted, many consumers
! paying for the water consumed, while
others paid nothing at ALL
| PLAN FOLLOWED ELSEWHERE.
Mayor Schriver during the last year
has advocated the appointment of a
Waterworks board which shall con-
/ troll the policy of the waterworks de-
| partment as is the case in Madison,
/ Wis, Dubuque, Iowa, Council Bluffs,
/ Iowa, and various other cities Such
a board properly constituted should
divorce the department from politics.
/ The employees of the department
would then be retained solely upon
/ their merit, and not because of polit-
| ical affiliations or political pull. There
should be definite policy outlined by
an engineer for the continued growth
OF the waterworks system and this
policy should be adhered to from
year to year regardless of the chang
| ing administrations. There should be
a sufficient number OF meters placed
each year so as not only to balance
the growing demand on the water
/ supply but also to correct the pres
ent enormous waste of water A def
mite meter policy If carried out
would result in a very few years in
the metering of rs per cent or more
of the services, and the consequent re-
duction of the per capita consumption
from $50 gallons daily to one half
that amount or rs gallons daily which
is shown by waterworks statistics to
be more than sufficient for all needs
of American people.
ECONOMIES POSSIBLE.
The administration of the water
works affairs and waterworks funds
b. a waterworks board should re
suit also in the applying OF the sur
plus funds towards improvements
that are most needed in the various
branches of the department With
the decrease in consumption of water
due to increased number of meters
there would also be a decrease in thu
cost of pumping and purifying thu
water, and this saving could be ap
piled to decreasing the water rate u
the consumers.
The management Of the fnancia
side of the EaterEorks should be TAX
en- from the already overcrowde.
city clerks Office and placed in a de
partment by itself. Rock Island had
| outgroEn the antiquated and con
stricted policy OF the smaller cite
and with its promise Of rapid increas'
in population should look TO the ador
ton OF up-to-date policies now in us
u - - -