Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1916-11-16
PUBLIC VS..
PRIVATE PLANT
Kansas City Engineer Here to
Give Expert Advice on
City Water. Works
Problem.

In providing for a new water
works system for Baxter, which
now appears necessary to meet
the needs of the city, the city
council may be depended upon to
make no mistake. It will not
grant a franchise to any concern,
nor will it 60 into debt for 4
municipal plant until the subject
has been thoroughly investigated.
Friday afternoon the members
of the city council and a number
of business men gathered at the
city building and heard 4 very
instructive talk on the subject Of
waterworks by W. K. Palmer,
head of the W. K. Palmer Com
pauy, of KANSAS City, consulting,
designing and supervising engi-
neers, who at present are engaged
on surveying the Oklahoma &
Northern Traction Co., which
proposes to build from Bartlesville
to Joplin via Baxter Springs.
Mr.. Palmer has installed 4
great many water plants in
Kansas and the southwest. He
advised against the granting of
such a franchise as the city has
now under consideration, but he
did not say that it would not be
best to grant a franchise to a
private company. Whether Bax-
ter should build its own plant or
grant 4 franchise, he said, was
matter to be determined by a
thorough stady of the situation.
If, however, a franchise should
seem better, he advised that the
city employ a competent engineer
to prepare one that would fully
protect the city's interests. 1t
should require the installation of
a certain size and type of machin'
cry that would be adequate to
take care of the needs of the city
up to a certain population, also
new machinery, not worn out
junk. The franchise also should
stipulate a reasonable scale of
prices for hydrants and private
service ($75.00 a year per water
plug was altogether too high. }
In case no private company
should want to accept franchise
that would fully protect the city's
interest, then the city should
build its own plant. In that
case plans and specifications
should be prepared and an esti-
mate of the cost made before
the matter of bonds is taken up.
A municipal plant, said Mr..
Palmer, if managed by competent
men, can be made to pay fof
itself and prove a profit to the
city. There should be no reason
why Baxter Springs should object
to voting bonds for a municipal
plant! The excuse that bonds
had been voted in years past with
no benefit to the city, should not
obstruct the city's progress now.
The thing for Baxter to do now
is to get on 4 business basis.
At the close of the talk Mr..
Palmer was asked to make a
proposition to the city as to his
charges for doing two things.
First, to prepare a franchise that
would fully protect the CITY in
case ii were deemed best to grant
franchise to private company.
Second, to prepare tentative
plans and estimate as to the
needs of the CITY in the matter OF
water plant. Mr. Palmer
promised to come again within a
few davs and give the council a
definite answer.
The News is glad indeed ia
nee the council place this matter
in the bands of comneteut
en- ugiueers 70 work nut and NOT
go at the matter hliudly as manv
another council in other cities
has done, to be much regretted
later on.
President McWilliaus of the
Commercial Club received word
from Mr.. Palmer that he would
be IN Baxter Thursday. prepared
to give the council definite iufor-
nation on the subject Of water
works and 4 special meeting oi
tire council will b. held THURSDAY
night 10 hear Mr.. Palmer and
IpGibiy ellR aetina-