The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-12-25
MUNICIPAL PLANT BEING SUR
vEyED

The Wisconsin Public Utilities Com
mission Is making a survey of the
Waterloo Light and Power and Water
works Plants, in response to a request
made by a petition bearing the names
OF twenty-five business men and other
citizens submitted four weeks ago.
The state commission will indicate
to the local commission, consisting
OF E. A. Peters, Robert Setz, and
August Reddemann, a method, which
Is employed by all successful plants
OF making each class Of service pay
for itself. The survey is without ex.
pense to the village, so far as the
actual work is concerned. The state
commission is empowered by the law
to do this work. 1t employs expert
electricians, accountants, and investi-
gators-all trained men, whose duty is
to serve the people of the state on
request of village boads or RESPONSE
BILE citizens. They have hundreds of
calls from all over the state, and no
enlightened community can afford to
run its business without their advice.
The Commissions Problems
The commission has two problems.
One is to make each class of service
pay for itself. The other is to see that
a proper amount is set aside from reg
ular receipts to pay for depreciation.
Every tax payer should favor this sur
vey, and no man who is willing to pay
for what he gets should object to it.
II the present system Of management
and bookkeeping is satisfactory no
harm can possibly come from the sur
vey. If not, much good will come.
Six Glasses of Customers
The average citizen has probably
never stopped to classify the kinds of
services that is being furnished in
Waterloo. There are no less than six
classes of customers:
Those who use electric lights in
their homes.
Those who use electric power in
their homes, for fans, flatirons, wash
ing machines, cleaners, or
heaters.
Those who use the village water in
their homes.
Factories and plants using the cur
rem for power. e
The village street lighting service.
The village fire protection.
New Bookkeeping System
One result of the survey will prob
ably be a new system of accounting
and bookkeeping which will deter
mine the cost Of each kind Of service,
and make each kind of service pay for
itself. The citizen who uses lights
only should pay for lights, only. If he
uses power he should pay for power.
Each must pay for street lighting and
for fire protection according to the
amount of his property. We suspect,
for instance, that the village board
should pay more for street lights than
1t has paid. The commission will de-
termine this. We see no a why
anyone who Is willing to pay for what
he gets should offer any objection to
a classification of accounts.
The Depreciation Account
Every successful business must
guard against wear and tear. Every
business. factory, merchant, and farm.
er has this problem. No business can
be q success unless 1t allows for de.
probation, and this cannot be guess.
ed at In municipal business. Ma.
chinery will last q long time, but 1t
will finally yea out. Is 1t not better
to make allowance for this and pay
for 1t out Of the regular returns of the
business than to issue bonds later to
replace broken down dynamos. pumps,
and engines? This the state commits
sion will doubtless require.
Our Local Commission
This survey should not be regarded
In any way as a criticism of the
Commission. These men
are men Of the highest integrity. 1t
Is the fault Of the village board that
this survey did not take place long
ago. We believe that when it is CON-
pleted the members Of the commission
be the best satisfied citizens Of
Waterloo. The members Of the COM
mission have given the citizens of
Waterloo a first class service, and
hey deserve the thanks of every citi-
ZEN for their work.-Waterloo (Wis.)