The Clayton news. (Clayton, N.M.) 19??-1954, 1922-08-11
GEORGE " GUYER WRITES
AN INTERESTING LETTER
Editor, clayton News
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Editor, clayton News;
Dear Sir:
Since you have invited taxpayers
and voters Of the Village of Clayton
to a discussion of Village matters
affecting our water and light system
through the columns of your paper
I shall take the liberty Of respond
ing to the invitation,
And first, let me commend you for
waking up TO not only your privi-
lege but your duty as a newspaper
in this mater. If the newspapers Of
Clayton had been more active in such
privileges and duties for the past
eight or ten years you probably
would not now be inviting such a
discussion You are, indeed, a brave
editor TO do 50 in these days Of
"ticklish" ventures.
What the people of Clayton need
to do first of all is THINK-not
merely get an impulse and rush
on TO Main street, stand around on
the sidewalk and unload hot air"
ftm morning until night, condemn
irg every official the Village ever
had from Adam to MOnteith, damn
ing all the water and light equip
ment from the village hall TO the
Perico and cursing the administra-
tion and light and water service
from Adam to Bob Isaacs. If all the
noodle-j juice dairy unlOaded in this
village could be liquefied into water
and then purified by distillatiOn and
turned into the village water mains
we could do away with all otherwa-
ter equipment and h ave water
APLENTY for the village including
the C.. & S. Railway tank.
Let Us stare a few facts and fig
ures in the face and then do some
THINKING that will get water and
light results instead of hot air" re-
suits. We shall not keep out of the
hands of a court receiver until we
begin to THINK instead of noodle
juice.
From the first day of January to
the first day of July 1922, ! used. ac-
cording TO the village report, i96OO
gallons Of water for which l paid
Si365. have been informed by the
'viIlage manager that it costs about
dCe pei; 1000 gallons To- produce wals
en- in Clayton. If that be true, the
waier / used cost the village s7Sl,
leaving s58iaprofiL for the village,
which is slightly more than a per
cont on the cost of production.
have also5Been. told 10y our present
mayer that The village used about
250,0002 gallons of water daily, but
to stay within the bounds of safety
LET us put il down to l75,OO0 gallons
daily. From January 1, to July !,
1922, there are 1873 days which would
require d,675,OOO gallons. This at
i0C. per 1900 would produce $4,000
as the cost Of production to the
village. Now ii every water user in
Clayton had paid the same profit
ON leh cost of water production that
! paid for the 1888 days the village
would have received S22,0ij8O for
the water furnished. Just what it did
receive | do not know Neither do
you know, Mr.. Editor, venture.
Again, the latest, and am inform
ed the only Municipal Report that
has ever been issued for the infOr-
nation Of the people of this village,
covers a period from May 1, 1921, to
Decemeber 81, 1921, a period Of Pas
days which would require at the
same rate, i2,875,OOO gallons and
which at Zoe. per 1900, would pro-
duce Si7,iiO. Now if the village had
received the same rate of profit on
this cost of production il should
have received for this service $29,-
$500. But according to that same
report on page ~, we ahve this en-
try: Municipal Mater, Metered,S9,- =
64i29," which if deducted form ST.
li0 would show a loss on the cost Of
production of sLi9577. Mark that
point. Then mark this one, If the
village produced and furnished the
aboue amount of water for s9,6ii29
without loss, then the cost of pro-
duction was slightly less than 221sc
per 1000 gallons instead of iOc, per
1000 Again mark this one If the VIII
lage furnished the above amount Of
water which cost it @Oc. per 1000 to
produce for s9,6ll29, it furnished
AZ 76l, 400 gallons taht it received
nothing foE i
Now, the same report gives the
electric income for the same period
as si&,977.58 which is i5i per cent
Of the water income. If the loss on
electric production hears the same
rate. as the loss on water production
the village lost sii,543.@8 on electric
production; that il should have
received s26,l2iO6 for the service
rendered which added to Si7,i4(
gives si3,56i.06 the village should
have received for service rendered