Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1916-11-24
MUNICIPAL
OWNERSHIP
A Majority of the Taxpayers
Think that the City Should
Own Its Plant.

Some very heated discussions
have been taking place during
the past few days over Baxter'i
water works problem.
For several weeks the CITY
council has had under cousidera'
ton an application for 4 franchise
to install a new water plant to
take the place of the plant now
serving the city.
/ The applicant is Herbert
Wheeler of Joplin. Last Tues
day night Mr.. Wheeler was in
Raxter at the call of the council,
it is said, and the council held q
special meeting to confer with
him about the franchise.
Somehow the rumor got uoised
about that the council. or a major
ity thereof, had planned to grant
the franchise that night. The
rumor was erroneous, evidently,
for the franchise was not granted.
Now a large number of tax
payers and citizens who are cog.
nizant of the terms of this fran.
chise are very much opposed to
the granting of the same. They
claim it is exorbitant ia its rates
both to the city for fire hydrauts
and to the private consumers for
service; that the city is not suffi'
GENTLY safeguarded as to quality
of service and size of the plant
to be installed.
Anxious to prevent If possible
the granting of such a franchise,
the Commercial Club took the
matter up and with a view to
getting reliable information on
the subject, W. K. Palmer, of
the Palmer Engineering company
of Kansas City, was invited to
talk to the citizens on the subject.
Mr.. Palmer came last Thursday
and gave a talk in the evening
in Cooper's hall. 1t was much
desired that the members of the
council should hear Mr.. Palmer,
but Mayor Willard had called
the special meeting to talk with
Mr.. Wheeler and on that account
the councilmen did not attend
the Commercial Club meeting.
Mr.. Palmer, who had read the
proposed franchise now before
the council, strongly condemned
it as unfit and unfair and recom-
mended that the city should not
tie up with such a contract.
He urged the citizens to use
their influence to induce the
council before taking any steps
to 20 more thoroughly into the
subject; to have a competent
water works engineer 60 over
tue matter with them and furn-
ish reliable data as to the needs
OF the city.
A very large majority of the
citizens are in favor of municipal
ownership. Mr.. Palmer did not
say that municipal ownership
would be best for Baxter, but
declared that very large major
ity of the water plants in Kansas
and other states were municipality
owned and we're with few excep-
tions successful. He could see
no reason at this time why Bax-
ter should not succeed with one.
Mr.. Palmer recommended that
before taking action Baxter's
city council should have two
propositions prepared in detail.
First have an estimate as to the
needs and cost of a municipality
owned plant, and the schedule of
rates that would be necessary to
make the plant pay its way and
eventually pay off the bonds.
Second, have a franchise drawn
mp that would be faiV to the APP
plicant and at the same time pro-
tect the city in every particular,
guaranteeing a schedule Of
charges and the quality Otservice.
Vita tire tuO PrOPoaiti1.s a