The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-03-16

diOu5 IIOu year W year anu III Tic /
meantime men took up lands thru
the mountains, and appropriated the
mountain streams or so much of
them as had not already been put |
to beneficial use. At one time the
citizens became imbued with the idea |
that the city government could do
great things by legislation. and Of
fetal enactments, and elected a |
bunch of agitators to fill the offices. |
They quarreled with the water COM
pany and said they would dig big |
we'll and water the city from 1t, so
they proceeded to sink a shaft some |
Is feet in diameter, and when they |
got down about 100 feet they be-
came convinced of their folly and
quit. They covered 1t up to keep
people and animals from falling into
it and there it rests. Each time they
became dissatisfied with the water
service and opened negotiations for
the purchase of the system, they
found the price had gone up. They
found, too, that settlers had acquir-
ed title to some more of the waters
of the springs and creeks, and be-
sides having to pay an advanced
price for the water system, they
would have to buy the water rights
of the settlers at prices that were
more or less prohibitive, because
each settler considered his land and
water right as one when it came to
fixing a price at which he would sell
the water right. Finally the city
bought the system for 100000, and
it was the same old dinky system
with various extensions of pipes that
should have been larger and they
should have been buried deeper.
They are now bonding for something
like 100000 for repairs and extern
sions, partly made necessary by the
coal famine freezing the water pipes |
in the houses and stagnating the
water in the mains causing them to
freeze and split. 1t is reported that
as they dig them out for repairs
they find them badly rusted out.
BlackfOot May Follow Suit
Blackfoot has gone along in the
same indecision as Pocatello, and it
is plain to all that both of these
towns are going to be permanent and /
6loW luIO ClIlO0 VI 0OhC l1lpOl IoASO'
Blackfoot has not gone daffy and
turned the city government over to
agitators and radicals, but there is
still plenty of time to- make even
that blunder. Blackfoot needs a
good water system, and it will never
have it at a reasonable expense by
and improving the system
now in use.
Taxes Cut No Figure
1t is being argued that if the city
buys the plant, it will lose the taxes
on that much property. The water
company pays about, $500 taxes, but
it first collects it from that part of
the public who use the water.
Interest Makes No Difference
If the city borrows the money to
buy the plant, the interest on the
loan will be about $1,000 a year, and
the water company have made as
high as $4,000 a year profits, so,
from the city's point of view, the
profit would take care of the inter-
est If the city operated it as cheaply
rs the company does, which they will
not. The water company have been
paying interest on bonds, and charg-
ing the interest as part of the operat-
ing expenses. They collected that
from the patrons of the water sys-
tenn before turning it over in the
payment of their interest charges.
The city would have that as profit
rather than the amount of profit
which the water company obtained.
Who Pays Water Tax?
So long as the water system is
lnder private ownership, the expense
Of maintaining it does not fall in any
degree upon the man who uses no
water from it. But If the city buys
t and it is paid for by bond issue,
every property holder within the city
limits will assume responsibility
'or it's payment. True, the persons
who buy the water, will pay their
into the city treasury as
lnder present conditions, but the
public will stand sponsor for the pur-
chase price and for all losses and
If it operates at
profit, the public treasury will be !,
,welled by it, but if it operates at
loss, the people will have to foot
he bill even tho they draw no water
rom it. The expense of street
sprinkling and fire projections will
fall on the tax payers ex-
.epting in the sprinkling districts
where the cost of sprinkling is taxed
lirectly against the abutting prop !
,rty owners. I
But suppose the city council, in
order to make fine showing on the s
water deal. should collect more
money from the water users than
vas necessary to pay the expense Of
operation, and turn that profit into i
he treasury and cut down the taxes t
~ that amount. The man who uses e
,ity water would not only be buying S
lis water and paying what 1t was t
worth, but he would be paying part il
If the taxes of his neighbor who used r
water from his private well or pri- a
rate watering system. On the other
hand, If the council could fix the t
ate and ignore the utilities commits Z
non as Idaho Falls has done, and v
should fix low rate for water SER i
rice, and allow the bookkeeper to r
charge a lot of water expenses to s
iome other department and make it
appear that the cost of water SER
rice his very low but yet be paying (
part of it out of the street and alley a
unds or general improvement funds, a