The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-12-27
Supt. Dill Denies that Com
pany Has 100000 of
Watered Stock in Its Cap
italization.
$4,000 EXPENDED
SINCE APPRAISEMENT
Believes that Bavis Has Un-
fair Estimate as to the De-
probation of the Com
pany's Plant.

Superintendent H. A. Dill of the
Richmond City Water Works today at
tackled the statement of Alfred Bavis
that $500, 900 of the stock of the COM
pany was watered stock and that the
plant had been appraised $20O,00 too
high.
Il can only refer you to the report
hired by the city to appraise the
plant" said Mr.. Dill. AT the time Mr..
Maury made the report and appraise
ment our engineer, John w. Alvord.
of Chicago. made an appraisement of
the plant just as Maury did. This has
never been made public before, but I
will state for the benefit of any one
who is interested in a comparison of
the two that the reports as to the val
uation of the plant did not vary more
than from one to two per cent.
Reports Agree.
Both reports were approximately
100000. and as much as know
about the cost of our material, | do
not believe myself competent to dis
pute the statements of either of
these engineers. Both have been presi-
dent of the American Water Works
association and have held prominent
offices in state organizations. Alvord
has appraised plants worth 100000
Expend $4,000.
"Since the appraisement was made,
over $50, 600 has been expended by the
company making repairs, extending
oain in fol
Our valuation will be increased by
that amount. Mr.. Bavis has an unfair
estimate as to the depreciation of the
plant. 1t does not depreciate as much
as he thinks it does.
Had the city officials agreed upon
the contracts offered when submitted
to them, they would have had the sat
| isfaction of knowing that all the i'm
provements wanted by them at that
! time would have been completed
Nothing has been done as yet. When
nish water fuel and material were
much cheaper than they are now.
Cost Increases.
! These facts are not taken into con-
sideration. The city officials demand
improvements that will cost approx
mately from 100000 to $125 900. We
will have to complete these within
three years. The city officials intend
to discard our bid if 1t does not specify
| that we will sell water cheaper or as
cheap as we are now selling il. In
view of the fact that material is be-
coming more expensive this is not fair.
Conditions are different here from
what they are at Springfield, Ohio,
where the city owns the plant. There
! the water is supplied, / believe, by
deep driven wells. We cannot have
these wells because of geological con-
ditions.
/ Source of Water.
Our greatest handicap here is that
We have to gather our water so far
from the city. Some of our sources
are three miles from the city. We are
now working to complete the pipe
lines from Conner Springs to the pump
! house. AS soon as We get these lines
completed the city will have another
new source of water. These springs.
according to the report of the state
chemist and the city health officer.
/ supply pure water. If the weather re-
mains open we will have the water
/ furnished to the city within thirty
days. The approximate cost of this
improvement will be $4,000.
Water is becoming scarce. and at
/ the rate is is being consumed by the
people of the city il will only be a
matter of time when the supply will
be exhausted and the water from
Whitewater river will have to be filter
ed and used for drinking purposes.
| When the population of the city
reaches the $4,000 mark We will be
hard pressed for water. A filtering
plant will be necessary for purifying
the water, and if il is kept in the
proper sanitary condition We will not
suffer from impure water. The disad-
vantage of a filter plant is that some
times carelessness of the employees al
lows the water to go through the plant
impure and unfiltered."