The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-10-27
ASSURES
EQUAL RESULTS
IN STATE RULE
Campaign Orators Over In
diana Point to Achieve
ments of Robbins Admin
istration as Example.
CITY CUTS EXPENSES
Economy Does Not interfere
With Program of Public
improvements Get
Cheaper Electricity.

1mprOvementS-PeOple Get
Cheaper Electricity.
One Of the few cities in the United
States which has had a Progressive
since the organization OF the party.
two years ago. is Richmond.
Coming into office with the assur-
ance that the Progressive principle Of
fair play for all citizens and a busi-
ness-like administration Of public af-
fairs would be introduced the work OF
Richmond's Progressive city officials
has been watched with keen interest
by party leaders not only in Indiana
but all over the country.
So efficient has been the Robbins
administration its first ten months
that party workers throughout the
| campaign in Indiana have referred to
! its success as a powerful argument
to the voters that as satisfactory an
| administration could be given the
! state by the Progressive party as it
has given the city of Richmond.
Introduce Efficiency.
The first and one of the most sig
, nificant reforms introduced by the
board of public works when the Rob-
bins administration came into office
was the introduction of the efficiency
system into the two departments
which absorb the ma jor portion of the
, city's revenue-the street department
and the garbage and trash collection
department.
| This was accomplished with time
! sheets, one for each employe of these
! departments, showing the time de-
! voted to the work, the actual work
! done and the cost. Through this sys-
| tenn the duplication of labor was avoid
| ed and the maximum amount of work
accomplished at the minimum cost.
! This system has SO far saved the
city $4,000 but at the same time better
work has been accomplished than ever
before. Every cent OF the appropria-
! tion for crushed stone used for the
building and remaking Of macadam
streets has been expended SO this saw
! ing was not accomplished at the ex-
pense of good streets.
} Clean Paved Streets.
! Actually clean paved streets were
provided for the first time in years
notwithstanding the curtailment of
| expenses of the street department, and
! as a further proof Of what a leakage
there had been In the funds of this
department the board Of public works
this year was able to buy a street
! flusher and a street scarifier without
! interfering with the expense curtail-
ment plan for this branch of the city
/ government.
There have been other savings Of
| public funds the first ten months OF
this year. the municipal light plant
has had restored to It a source OF
revenue the city had been defrauding
it of. and last but equally important
/ Oit oft So1c 4~tn
and persistent efforts have been able
! to save the patrons of the city plant
sixteen and two-thirds per cent on
their monthly electric bills, while they
| have saved the small water consumers
twenty per cent. on their water bills
! and have had their water meter rent
ais reduced one-third.
Living Cost Lower.
This substantial reduction in the
cost of living for thousands of Rich
mond householders was accomplished
| by the administration through the re-
| Gently created Indiana Public Utilities
! commission, to which body Rich
! mond's public service questions were
! taken almost before it was organized
| for work In their fight to reduce the
electrical and water service expenses
\ of Richmond's taxpayers the city Of
! ficials were combatted by high priced
| legal and engineering talent employed
by the corporations effected, but in
| each instance the city won q signal
victory.
To accomplish water rate reduc-
| tion for the citizens it was necessary
| for the city to make payment for all
water consumed for public purposes
and council in drafting the 1915 budget
| estimated that this expense, exclusive
of fire hydrant rentals, would amount
| to $1,000 next year, but through the
prompt application of economy In the
| use of water for city purposes the
board is now certain that this expense
can be reduced $1,000.
City inspects Sewers.
! An inspection Of sewer flush tanks
and public fountains was made the
! first of this month by the board of
public wordks and it was discovered
! that there had been an excessive
waste of water Many Of the tanks,
which are supposed to flush twice
every twenty-four hours. wera flush
! ing seven and eight times day.
| Nearly all the fountains were consum-
| ing twice the necessary amount OF
water A nipple has been provided for
/ each tank now which will regulate the
] flow of water and the board has pre-
pared blueprint numbering each
tank. giving it's location. the date Of
INSPECTION and the meter reading at
each inspection. So now the city even
has it's sewer tanks on an efficiency
basis.
| One of the most remarkable features
of the Progressive administration in
this city has been the success Of the
municipal lighting plant. now conceded
to he one of the ten most successfully