The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-05-22
Attention Taxpayers.


Electric Light Company an exclusive
contract to do all the pumping of city |
water for one year. Those voting in
the affirmative: Klug, Stedman, Fields, |
KING and Jacobs: w. H. Early voting |
in the negative. This action was taken
over the protest of the Mayor as we
have now under consideration plan for
the city to do all its pumping. This
contract, if carried out, proposes to give
the Light Company five cents per one
thousand gallons for all water pumped, !
the maximum to be S2000.0O for the |
year and should the water pumped reach |
$1,000 90 before the end of the year, the !
balance to be pumped without compen-
sation. The company proposes to fur
nish wires, poles, transformers and all
equipment to connect the pump with
their plant, to repair pumps and motors
and read and repair all meters, in fact
to read their own as well as all other
meters. The City however to furnish
pump, motor and meter repairs mote
repairs) and all labor for digging ditch
es and making extensions to the present
water system. They alsoEagree, very
accommodatingly to furnish the Water
Commissioner at no additional expense,
prerogative vested entirely in the
Mayor and Council. In other words
they expect to exercise full control of
the business of the city in the matter
of its water supply. The city IS also
expected to install a motor-driYen pump
for its large well at the pump house,
the light company to keep the engines
in good repair, to be used in emergency
only and to furnish oil and labor neces-
sary to operate them. would invite
the public to inspect the large oil
engine at the pump house and then de-
eide whether a servant receiving sal
ary of S125.0O per month has done his
full duty by the city. Rust, decay and
general neglect has been the order but
it is not expected that man neglect
his own business for that of the city.
Out of a salary of $125.00 per month
the commissioner last year employed a
young man to operate the pump at
times at a nominal salary of about $40.
to himself. Approximately 25 water
meters are out of commission and have
been for months with no effort to repair
them, therefore the city collects only
minimum rate of so cents whereas the
charge should be much more if meters
were in proper condition and I estimate
a monthly loss to the city of $4,000 to
$500 by reason of this neglect. AS
commissioner it was also his duty to
pump the septic sewer tank but this al
so has been neglected. Under the pro-
posed agreement the city will pay for
pumping 10000 gallons of water per
day for flushing the sewers for which 1t
receives no return. The city owns two
as good engines as may be found in any
up-to-date water plant and just why
they should be allowed to go to decap is
difficult to understand wren it has been
paying a man an adequate salary to
give it attention. Only recently the
city voted upon a proposition to take
over the Light Plant and now it is
sought to have it surrender to private
enterprise the only utility it possesses
If the city be expected to install a
motor-driven pump and all motor and
meter repairs it might go little far
ther and install its entire equipment
necessary to do all the pumping and
thereby derive all the benefits. The
city water plant could no doubt, with
proper management be made to pay
not only operating expenses but a good
portion of the interest on its bonds as,
with the recent extensions, the list of
water consumers will be largely in
ceeased. It is not question whether
this or that man is named as water COM
missioner, any competent man who will
devote all his time to the interests of
| the city, should be considered and it
should be made an obligation that he
devote all his time to the business of
the city. You are therefore urged to
come out to the meeting of the City
Council on Monday evening next and
give expression to your views upon this
question so vital to the interests of the
City. q. W. osHANT,