The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1914-08-29
WATER AND LIGHT.

In the official journal, last Sat
uIday, appeared statement o.
the Auditor of the operation Ot
the City's Electric Light X Wa
terworks 'Iant for the past twelve
months, together with other de
partments. The report is signeC
by F w. Bauman Auditor.
We have discovered no faul
with the Auditors work or report
We presume he audited the books
as kept. IT this presumption il
safe, then paragraph % of the
city charter has been apparently
looked by the Commissioner
of Finance. This particular para
graph reads as follows:
99.-The City, when owning any
public utility, shall keep the books
of accounts for such public
utility distinct from other City ac-
counts, and in such manner as to
show the true and complete financial
result of such City ownership. or own
ersbip and operation. as the case may
be- Such accounts shall be SO kept as
to show the actual cost to the City of
the public utility owned; all cost of
maintenance, extension aud improve
ment. all operating expenses Of every
description, in case of such City opei
alton; II water, lights, or other serv-
ice shall be furnished for the use of
any department of the City without
charge, The accounts shall show, as
nearly as possible, the value Of such
services; such accounts shall also
show reasonable allowance for inter
est, depreciation, and insurance. A
detailed financial report OF the opera
tion of each of said utilities shall be
made to the Board of Trustees annual
ly by the Trustee of Finance, cover
ing and in conformity to the above de-
tail, and such report shall be made
part of the minutes Of the Board of
Trustees.
Que of the real purposes and in
tents of this paragraph is very
clearly indicated III its last SEN
teDce-tO advise the public just
what it costs the public to operate
any public utility and what the
public ia receiving in return, both
from private and commercial, and
the value of all public service rem
dered.
The value of the public service
rendered by the light and water
plant to this clty-tree, though it
ls-has value that may be ex-
pressed in dollars and cents
That estimate of value, we will
admit, would have to be arbitrari-
ly determined by some one or
body, probably the Board of Trus-
tees; but it should be determined
and expressed in figures, for only
by such an expression can the
public safely determine the value
of such an investment. Facts might
be learned, from towns within a
radius of one or two hundred
miles, as to what these towns
have to pay a privately owned
plant for fire hydrants, arc lights,
the various powers of incandes
cent lights on an all night circuit,
meter rate for lights for public
buildings, power rate for fans and
water rates for public buildings
and Offices. From such infOrma.
tiOn a scale of average rates might
be fixed.
There Is another way that might
be followed in determining the an.
nuaI value of the plant to this city
how much Of a reduction in in.
surance rates is effected by the
presence and operation of the
plant? What sum would represent
the saving of the people in conse-
queDce Of the lower rate upon
both insured and uninsured prop.
erty values here.
Mr.. Mentz, when he negotiated
for the purchase Of the New Ibe
ria Electric Light Il WaterwOrks
Plant indicated that he thought
S75 per year for arc lights, $50
for hydrants, and SO for l6 c.p.
lights was a fair scale. We have
not the figures before lis, indicat.
ing the exact public service the
past year, but to illustrate the
point let's take the figures of some
years ago at Mr.. Mentz's valua.
tions. We would then have
showing something like the fol
loving
80 Arc Street Lamps. :. $780, 90
80 Hydrante, fire plugs. 445O. 90
GAG Incandescent Lights, l476. .OO
Total. S9676. 90