The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-07-10
MUNICIPAL EFFICIENCY.
City Manager of Hays Offers Valu-
able Suggestions.


at the invitation of the Larned City
council, and spent the day looking
over the light and power plant and
going over the accounting system
used in the city clerks Office. He was
accompanied by W. W. Paul, city
commissioner of Hays, who has
charge of the light and sewer depart
ments of that city.
After spending the day looking
over the city, Mr.. Manning met with
the council for half an hour in the
evening, and at the request of the
councilmen gave a brief summary of
what he had found, and offered a few
suggestions which he believed would
be in the interest of efficiency in the
city business.
He gave some figures which he had
compiled from records kept by the
city to show what it was costing the
city to make electric current and to
pump water: However he said the
figures must be only estimates, as the
city did not have the equipment nee
essary to show how much water it
was pumping or meter to show how
much current was being used in street
and white way lighting.
When asked as to the rates charged
in Larned for water and light, Mr..
Manning said there was only one way
to fix a proper rate for service, and
that was to first find what it was cost
ing to produce the service. When
the cost of production was known, it
would be an easy matter to fix a rate
which would cover the cost of service
and return fair profit above cost.
Mr.. Manning then recommended
that a meter be placed on the street
lighting line, as at present it is I'M
metered and the amount of current
used is not known definitely, only ap-
proXimately.
At present there is no meter on the
pumps to show how much water is
being pumped, therefore the cost was
only guess work. The city measured
the water sold to consumers through
the meters, but there was no way of
dI 1OH 1IAuCL II1S C1GS uSCO
in flushing the sewers and streets, in
, street sprinkling, in the boilers, etc.
A meter on the pumps was recon-
mended.
Other recommendation were a
coz meter on the boilers, and watt
meter. The city should concrete the
areaway between the coal bins and
the boiler room and put roof over
the same. Three trucks should be
provided for trucking the coal from
the bins to the boilers, instead of
dumping the coal on the floor of the
boiler room, taking up room which
is needed in properly caring for the
boilers. A platform scale should be
installed for weighing coal.
Mr.. Manning said that the city
should make a campaign for more
light business, and should make the
charges for wiring and installing
lights so low that it would be an in
ducement for people to use the cur
rent. He would recommend that the
installation be put in at cost.
When told the cost of installing
electric service in Larned was about
So an opening, he said that the price
was prohibitive and discouraged peo-
pie from putting in the service. He
said that in Hays the cost of wiring
houses was $1.65 per opening, and
that SITS was ample
He said he would encourage the
3 Ill -
liable business for a plant, the de-
mand for current coming at an off
peak load time. He said that as near
as he could figure the average cost
for current at the Larned plant at
present is 8.45 cents per K. W. hour.
As to our water supply, he sug-
gested that the city spend money on
experimenting for water south of the
river, From what he learned while
here he felt sure there was an abund-
ance of good water to be found across
the river. 1t was worth the cost to
find out. He believes that a central
lied water supply would be much
more economical.
He said that he had been expert
menting with fuel oil at the Hays
plant since he had been elected city
manager, and the tests were proving
that fuel oil was cheaper fuel than
coal, and that as a result of their tests
he expected to go to the use of OF
in a short time.
AS a closing word he told the coun.
ell that they had a mighty nice towr
here. That the paving was one of the
best jobs he had ever seen. That the
city electric plant ''was a good plan
and was in good condition and haC
been mighty well kept" He said tina
from what he had been able to picl
up while here, the city was using to'
much water in the flush tanks, which
was an unnecessary expense.
Asked with regard to the contrac
with the Pawnee Power and Waite
Co., Mr. Manning said that it did no
appear that at present the city ha,
much extra current to spare, if
would work up it's local business.