University Missourian., 1914-12-13
TO AID MUNICIPAL
SUPPLY STATIONS
University Would Help in
Raising Efficiency in
Small cities.
ADVICE BY EXPERTS
Light and Water Plants
Will Be Investigated by
N Engineers.


ton of the University is sendini
out letter to the municipal admin
istrative officers of Missouri towns
calling their attention to problem.
attending the maintenance of mu.
nicipal water and light plants.
There are many plants in the
state operated at a loss. This is
usually the case in small towns
where the volume of business is not
sufficient to support the plant. This
cannot be helped, but there are
cases where more efficient machin-
cry and improvements on the pres
ent equipment would put the plant
on a paying basis. Then again, as
in Columbia, the problem of cur
rent consumption during the day
time comes up.
The purity of the water supply
also demands attention. If it is
pure, is it likely to remain so? The
Engineering Experiment Station is
trying to cooperate with the NUM-
cipalities to solve these problems
and will investigate and test plants
at the actual cost of the service.
Dean McCaustland is directing the
work.
The letter follows:
To Municipal Administrative OIL
GERS of the State of MisSOuri:
The Engineering Experiment Sta
ton of the University of Missouri
offers to assist you in the solution
of any or all of the following prob
lens, which are of vital Importance
to the taxpayers.
Does Your Electric Lighting Plant
Pay! If Not, Can it Be Made to
Pay!
Advocates of the private owner
ship of electric lighting plants fire.
quently contend that municipal
ownership is a failure, and that such
ownership results in inferior ser
vice. The claim is made that such
plants charge as high rates on the
average as do private plants or if
charges are less they fail to pay
Legitimate expenses, and the def
cit is made up from other city rev.
enues. There is considerable ba-
sis of fact for such a contention |
since it is only too true that NUM-
cipally owned plants have in many /
cases failed to pay expenses when
subject to an accounting that would
be demanded of private corpora
tion.
There are numerous causes that
have contributed to this unfortu-
nate state of affairs. Frequently
owned plants are hand
icapped by unfavorable conditions
that are fundamental and cannot be
For example, influential
who desire electric lights
for their own use frequently infiu-
ence. their municipal officials to un-
dertake the operation of plants
when the total volume of business
present or prospective is entirely
to make the field attrac- !
tive to private capital. Statistics ;
show that by far the larger portion !
Of municipality owned electric light {
plants are in small towns where the
influence of individual citizens is (
more likely to be exerted. The Ex- !
pertinent Station can not help in |
cases of this sort, but many other 1
causes of loss exist and can be elm |
mated and it is to mend the cur
able ills of electric plants that we
wish to direct your attention.
To operate a municipal electric ,
lighting plant at a loss is manifestly +,
an injustice to such taxpayers as
are using electric lights since the
money they pay into the city treas ,
ury will be used in part to pay for
the electric light of others. This
however, can not always !,
be remedied by increasing the price
Of electric light, for such increase
might easily result in a loss of pat
ronage so as to cause a still great
er deficit A better remedy lies in
stopping the leaks. Even if the plant
Is paying expenses, it is none the
less desirable to eliminate all
sources of waste and loss, thus
creating a surplus for improve
ments and extensions or justifying
a reduction in rates.
Many of these sources of loss are
by no means apparent even to men
operating the plant, and it is not
necessarily to their diecredit that
such losses exist. 1t is quite as Of
EN- the fault of city administra-
ion, pursuing policy of false I
by refusing to authorize
leeded improvements in the plants; G
II the administration may offer no
noapfiva IN fhe nlanf mauapare