The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-10-15

at large for the operation Of the
municipal water system. The town
can employ people experienced with
this particular system and keep them
on the job. It can go right along
with the same set of books, the same
tools and the same arrangements In
various ways and thereby save the
waste of starting in with new bust
ness with inexperienced people to
build up something entirely new.
II the city council had started to
build a competitive system and had
gone on with it, the day they struck
the first blow at breaking the soil
for the new system, the community
at large had lost $74,500 in one
block and it would have lost large
amount Of money in useless competi-
ton and the Implications that 60
with competition. 1t would have en-
couraged fraud because If there is a
customer for water in town who is
poor pay, that customer would have
followed the good old custom of
transferring his patronage to the new
water system as soon as it was in
stalled and thereby making 1t diff
ficult for the other system to collect
the debt he owed them. From the
time the new system opened for bust
ness it would have been constant
turmoil for years trying to hold the
customers for the old system and try
ing to get them to sign up for SER
vice with the new system. Both sys-
TENS might have gone along at heavy
expense charging high rates and los
ing money for many years before one
or the other was worn out or ex-
hausted. We do not believe that the
community as whole could have got
thru such an experience with a loss
of less than 100000, and it might
easily have risen to a quarter of a
million. Therefore we are sincere
when we say that it was fine stroke
of business when the council and the
water company got together in the
transfer Of the property.
With the prospects as we now have
them there need be no uncertainty
or hesitation about any citizen go
ing to the expense of connecting with
the water system. He will make no
mistake and he will not be called
upon to tear up the pipes and make
connections with some other water
system at needless expense. The
plan adopted promotes security and
confidence and encourages enter
prise
The town now has one big objec-
tive ahead; the growth and expan
sion of the town to catch up with the
country around us. Men who study
those things and have looked over
the situation here, say that the
country is developed enough to re-
quire and support larger town than
we lave. They say the town has to
hurry up to catch. up with the de-
velopment of the country The
growth of town depends upon side
walks, paving, sewers and water sys-
TENS, besides the erection of busin-
ness buildings and residences. The
erection of residences and business
blocks has been retarded by the lack
of these several things mentioned.
The construction of sidewalks and |
paving has been retarded because the
sewer system and the water mains
were not constructed. Then again,
he construction of the sewer with it's |
extensions has been retarded by the |
ack of water system. 1t takes
water to keep sewer in operation.
Then again the development Of the
water system has been retarded by
he uncertainty in the building of all
hese other matters and the slow
growth of the town. Under the pres
mt arrangement all of these matters
an go forward together consistently,
tremendously, each part being done
n its proper order and enabling the
own to grow symmetrically.
Now that the town has laid out
'lans by which it can grow and ex-
'and, the country will have more
in the town. Now that
he country people have taken over
he fair and fair grounds and have
hown their determination to con-
luct real fair and no longer leave
to the town to make the agricul-
ural exhibits, the town is going to
ave great deal more confidence in
he country around it and will have
good deal better feeling towards it.
The representatives of the city and
ounty board did a fine thing when
hey got together in their agreement
n the division of expense for the
aging of the bitulithic paving on
he three entrances to the town. 1t
vas good thing for the city and a
God thing for the country and the
vay they divided the expense and i.
peeded up the construction was a
,ood way to arrange it. It was as
;ood stroke for the promotion of
,ood feeling and every advantage as
he purchase of the water works by
he town from the water company.
There is no reason why the people
Il the town or the country should