The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-02-16
lax FRANCHISE
FOR WATER RATES
....e,I viii Not Grant increases
Asked for by Company and Long
Term Contract viii be
Sought Now.
VIEWS ARE EXPRESSED
special Committee Met With City
commissioners This Morning and
discussed Merits Of the
Case.

The proposed Increase in water
Yates for Keokuk. asked for by the
yater company, will not be granted
~ the city council, and It was the
sentiment of the council and tn
snecial waterworks committee in
ioint session this morning that now
ras the time to make a franchise for
tho next ten to fifteen years. The
. proposed increase Of ten per cent in
ntes will be held in allegiance pend
M the presentation Of the franchise
idea. An attempt to enforce the IN
crease Of ten per cent will be met by
the city with injunction proceedings.
conference was held at 10
o'clock, at which the special COM
mittee and the council considered
the matter of increase and the fran
chise. The waterworks committee js
composed OF Chairman J. F. Elder.
r. Joy. C. F. Mcfarland, Jacob
schouten and Major M. Meigs. Chair.
man Elder said that, while no doubt
me ten per cent asked for was not
exorbitant under present conditions.
etill he thought now was the best
time to ask for franchise. It Is the
vractice Of water works engineers to
nure the cost OF replacement Mt the
yresent time, less depreciation. It
would also be possible to secure much
better rates for the next ten to fiji
teen years, based on the past ten
or fifteen, than it will be to wait for
several years and have all Of these
added years Of high costs figured in.
Get Other Figures.
Other members of the committee
seemed to think the franchise move
was the wise one at this time. c. F.
Mcfarland thought it would be well
TO get some figures from other cities.
He also called attention to the fact
that few years ago some Of the
cities had made reduction In rates
and that Keokuk's rate had continued
the same
While the cost Of materials per-
haps had increased, it was felt that
there was little increase in coal and
none in the cost of water, and that as
far as the local plant was concerned
there had been reduction OF one
pump, the low pressure pumps hav-
In been discontinued with the estaD.
fishing Of the new intake.
City Attorney Dckey said that the
law gives cities the right absolutely
to regulate rates, subject to the test
Of reesonableness. The city attorney
submitted brief at the conference
showing the rates as they are now
and as they will be under the. pro-
posed rate of increase.
Little Chance Of Decrease.
1t was the general opinion OF the
committee that there was little
chance OF the costs decreasing. AS
Mr. JOY said. there was little chance
Of prices being reduced until after
1.-the war was paid for" 1t was also
said that II the Increase asked for
was granted now, there was nothing
10 hinder the water works company
from coming in six months or a year
and demanding further increases. A
franchise would safeguard the citt-
zens
The council said that the propo.
sltion had been submitted by Presi-
dent Hoffmaster OF the water works
company without any preliminaries,
ana ii was understood that he did
not care 10 talk franchise at this
time
Municipal ownership of the water
works plant has been suggested to
The commissioners also.