Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-03-06

ZIG WY SIIplOyCS.
Mr.. Clark said that Webster City
has public utilities which gave the
lefty manager considerably moro
work to do than he would have 9th
erwise. In the average town of g..
1000 population, Mr.. Clark said, {
lefty manager would not have enough
opportunity to save SO much money
but that in a municipality like Iowa
City he would have larger business
to attend to and the saving would,
under the proper management, be
large. The Webster City budget is
only 100000 and he understood Iowa
City's to be over 100000.
Under the old council in Webster
City, Mr.. Clark declared, residents
paid ten cents per kilowat for their
electricity. The same council, how
ever, following protests from the peo-
pie, lowered it to eight cents after
building a new plant. When the conf
mlssion-manager plan became effect
i've the council lowered the price to
six cents a k. W. Despite the lowering
of the rate, Mr.. Clark said that eX-
penses of the lighting plant had been
met, the city lad received its lights
for nothing and $500 a month had
been saved besides, all by the install
lation of new methods of economy
under the manager.
"The reduction to the consumers
in electric lighting in one year has
amounted to $500 in Webster City
1--WE used to have the meter sys-
TEN whereby we charged rental Of
S1.20 per year. This has been cut
out for about 1900 consumers at 0
saving of $1,440 a year
eve have lowered the tax levy in
the general fund from ten mills to
nine mills thereby saving the tax
payers $1,000 year. We have got
money in the general fund at this
time of the year, which is something
unusual When we took office there
was not enough money in the treas
ury to pay running expenses until
spring. But we went slowly and got
along without overrunning our ac-
count. In other words we ran our
business Just as an individual would
conduct his affairs.
1--WE have reduced the overhead
expense on paving from five cents to
three and one-third cents per yard,
figuring up $40.
''The~total saving, which l figured
out with our city manager in the
rough yesterday, amounts to so much
that | am almost afraid to tell you
the figures, for fear you will not be-
lieve them. 1t IS more than l thought
it was. Some one from Webster City
has told you it would be $4,000, but
it will be much more than that. The
total | have foots up S21,6S0. That
IS substantially correct. And that
does not include much of the small
savings, stoppage of leaks and I'M
proVement of the service we have
given.
I'm all this do not wish to reflect
n any way on our predecessors on
he council. They We're good men and
hey did as well as any men do under
he old system. When | was on the
council years ago I did just as they
lid. But now We have system By
which the same men can do far bet |
err work for the city.
in the weighing of coal we saved
500 in one month. The old council |
lsed to pay for coal at so much 4 |
ar. If the fuel arrived in forty |
on car they paid for forty tons no
natter how much coal was in the
ar. Now the coal is weighed and
We only pay for what we actually re-
Give. Besides the saving on coal we
ave economical on the use of oil by
he city. Formerly city employees
would oil a machine just like any
ody would oil grindstone. but by
methods we have made Il
aving in this commodity. We do bet
er firing of the city boilers and save
uel.
THE real virtue of the PLAN" said
Ir. Clark, lis that you create an is
lie of efficiency and economy. Under
he old plan each alderman wanted
} get as much money as he could
Dr. his respective ward. That was his
lain idea. Now all three of the
ouncil in Webster City live in the
,me neighborhood, two of us in the
,me block. siNty-siX feet apart. We
re serving the entire city. The sim
lie purpose is to improve Webster
ity, to look after its welfare"