Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1920-06-24
TO REBUILD OR BUILD ANEW

before the people OF Wakeeney Tor
consideration are being discussed both
pro and con. Whether it will be the
best proposition to the city of Wa
Keeney to vote sixy-five thousand dol
lar bonds and sell them and spend the
money for new steam power electric
light plant, to spend about twenty /,
five thousand dollars in repairing and
remodeling the old plant or to let
things drift along they are and
finally be out of a supply of water
some time when a fire has started, are
the questions at stake. The city coun-
ell has been wrestling with this prob
lem for the last year trying to reach
some conclusion which will be salts
factory to all and to the best inter
est of the city. They have employed
engineers to examine the old plant |
and to ascertain the costs of repair |
| ing or remode1ing it: They have also |
| gotten estimates on the cost and ad- |
visibility of completely new steam |
plant. Engineers have advised both
ways but their advice has been more |
| favorable to the steam plant The |
| members of the city council are not in
harmony as to which will be to the
| best interests of the city but they
| have decided to submit the steam
proposition to the vote of the people.
| The people may decide the question.
| IF they vote against bonding the city
for the sixty-fve thousand dollars
then they will be given a chance to
i vote upon the twenty-five thousand
dollar proposition. If they vote
against the twenty five thousand dol
lar issue, then the city will get
along the best way it can until some
future generation will decide the
| fIa<, ont
presented in the last issue of the
World was favorable to the sixty-five
thousand dollar bonding, we have been
requested this week to put forth some
argument in favor of the smaller bond
I issue.
fs~@The substance of the argument
against the steam plant and the sixty
five thousand dollar proposition is
like this: The city is already bonded
for forty thouand dollars in electric
; light and water bonds. IF sixty-five
thousand dollars more are added to
{ the debt it will be out of proportion
4 to the assessed valuation of the city.
The bonds cannot now be sold for
2 more than eighty-five per cent of their
face value and will draw six per cent
1 interest. It will cost an enormous
amount to build a new plant now and
L it is decidedly uncertain asto whether
{ the material can be secured There is
a great difference between the cost of
| installing a steam plant and the cost
of installing an oil plant. There is
also a great difference in the cost of
operation and it is all in favor of the
oil burning plant The claim is made
= that it will require three licensed en-
. | gineers and three firemen to run the
) steam plant, and that it will not re
| hrTf 70 fho
: oil burning plant. Aside from the
l. cost of operation here are some in
teresting figures the price of the
plants. The steam plant is to cost
$65, 900 90. Interest $65, 900 at siz
per cent is $3 900 per year or tota
of $4,000 for twenty years, the es
l. timated life of the steam plant, plus
the original $65, 900 makes a total O.
$143, 900 for the twenty years. Th
oil burning plant will cost $25,OOO
which, at six per cent interest for tel
- years, the estimated life of an OF
burning plant, and the original invest
ment, makes a total of $4,000. On
fourth the price Of the steam plant
At the end of ten years the city vii
be large enough that it can support
=. steam plant and it can probably In
- stall a much better plant at cost o
$65, 900 than it can now. Another oh
. lection to the heavy bond issue
- this: with the SAC, 900 already issue
and the additional $65, 900, the cit
m debt viii be SOB 600 or SO close to til
limit that additional bonds cannot b
fioated should it be necessary to issu
q bonds for the purpose Of raisin
u money for improving the water work
nc system In case such improvements N
necessary and it is likely that the
II viii be necessary In support of thi
is contention it is cited that even MOI
ae there are times when there is px1<
- tically no water pressure and Il
re supply in the tank is almost exhaus1
sn ed
An effort should be made to handl
I'M the affairs of the cifv ON <zz zrr1v,7