The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-11-08
PROCURABLE BY POPULAR ELEC7

1A AA0 - -
, management OF the three departments
should be extensively revised. The
practice of prescribing by ordinance
the ONCE duties and routine and OF
fixing the number Of employees inter-
feres with the management of the
property by removing from the ex-
ecutive an opportunity for the cxer-
else of judgment.
Duties OF Employees and once
Methods.
A revision should be made In the
present system of handling applica-
tions for water service, In order that
the unnecessary work now being car
ried on may be discontinued The
practice of reading water meters
monthly should also be discontinued,
such readings being made quarterly
in conformity with the present prac-
tice of quarterly billing. Instead OF
the monthly inspection service now
furnished by water meter readers.
there should be a periodical and more
thorough inspection by qualified in
spectors at intervals OF approximately
one year. The use of the present
meter readers books should be dis
continued and the employees furnished
instead with list of the meters and
their location, such lists to have no
reference to previous readings OF the
meters Bills for water service should
be rendered without recording the
data now carried in the ''listing book"
The form OF water service bill now
used should be so changed az to make
possible and encourage payment by
checks.
The Office of bookkeeper In the gas
division should be abolished and the
work now performed by that en-
ploye assigned to a clerk. All pay
ments received by the gas. division
from the sale of residuals should be
handled in accordance with the gem
eral rules governing sales and collec-
lions In other city departments The
recommendations made above with
respect to reading meters and billing
consumers for water service apply
with equal force to the meter reading
and billing for gas service.
A record should be made showing
in detail by months the amount OF
energy delivered by the electric utility
to the various municipal departments,
making q demand on that service IN
the same form as II such municipal
departments were private or CONNER
ctai consumers.
Accounts.
the water or electricity department to
keep adequate records In accordance
with standard classification OF ac-
counts. Two Of the utilities. the wa
ter and gas properties, have been In
service for over sixty-five years and
yet there are no adequate records on
their costs The records and reports
of the water department do not show
the details or classify the expenses
OF operation.
An ANALYSIS OF the operations OF the
water department indicated that the
net income was Apr eSimnteiy sez,-
500. IN addition to the interest on
the bont< the calculations Included a
further charge OF per cent TO cover
interest on the amount invested In
the property in excess of the value
OF the existing bond issues. This In
terest charge for the year amounts
to $es,e6s and when deducted from
the net income shows a dencit from
operation of the water department OF
s5,s<3o2. II La evident that econo-
:s,ssa are required IN tha operation O.
the water department.
An analysis OF the accounts OF the
gas department showed a surplus for
the years operation amounting to
Sl3sTSo22. On the basis OF adyanc-
ing prices OF oil. gas coal. ard steam
coal, the accountants estimate that
the total increase In gas manfactur-
ing coat for the present year will
amount to stSe, 0so.S4, absorbing the
entire surplus remaining from opera
tons IN 1915. II this outcome Is to
be avoided. economies must be sc
cured In the gas departments
One method OF reducing the cost Of
! production is to permit a reduction In
eft thu qa helpx
the standard generally adopted ten
years ago. with the use of manties In
| place of fiat flame burners the iightins;
efficiency OF the gas Ia not impaired
| such reduction IN the heating quail
| isy OF the gas would be IN conformity
with present tendencies In many large
| cities Throughout the country.
| An analysts of the coats OF opera
/ ton of ths electric plant shows that
] the unit cost of energy production and
/ diatrinutfon for the year 1918 compares
f, favorably with ahe average electric
plant In other cities. In care the city
| of Richmond desires to extend it's use
! of electrical enerey to degree that
! would require an increaaed Investment
In the municipal plar.. careful stady
should be made to determine whether
II would not be cheaper to purchase
: the electricity from private CONNER
! ciel stations. Further investments from
the eity's plant should be made only In
the event that energy cannot be OBJ
tanned elsewhere on a more economical
, basis.
! The detailed accounting for revenues
! and expenses now carried on by the
! several present utility departments
shro'd be discontinued and this WORK
performed in the ONCE Of the city
auditor the details FOR such work ia
be furnished that ONCE by the pro-
posed utility department. Ciassihca.
tions OF accounts similar to those pre-
ecrtbst by public utility commissions
should be adopted Tor the accounting
work applying to each utility service
/ and these records should be 30 kept
that the earning and expenses OF each
i service may be shown separately. The
present office practice with respect to
the listing book" should be discon-
tinued and replaced by system pro-
viding for the totailins Of bills on
adding machines and for the forward
ing Of the results OF such tahulaticns
by memorandum TO the auditor, who
should use such memoranda as the
basis Of his accounts. Under this plan
bills would be paid to the city treas
urer In the usual manner and this Of
| hcial would list his receipt daily from