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Show I ' ,..,s ' Single copies, 10 cents. Payments should be made by Check, Money Order or Registered Letterf payable to The Citizen. . 'Address all communications to The Citizen. Entered as second-clas- s matter, June 21, 1919, at the postoffice at 8alt Lake City,' Utah, under the Act' of. March 3, 1879 3 Ness Bldg. Salt Lake City, Utah Phone Wasatch 5409 Published Every Saturday WEEKLY PUBLISHING CO., INC. niiik- - A. W. RAYBOULD, BUSINESS MANAGER SUBSCRIPTION PRICE: In including postage the United 8tates, Canada and Mexico, $2.50 per year, $0 for six months. 8'ubSdrlptr6ns to all foreign countries, within the Postal ion, $4.50 V 'V'X-'- , . . '311-12-1- per year. OUR WA TER SHOR TA GE -- The water situation of this city is becoming quite acute and a otlem which must be solved by experienced men and not by politic-i- s and office seekers. Pr If we turn back to the files we will find that the last big bond ue which was voted by the people provided for ample water for a pulation of about 200,000 people, but in the midst of these very portant impovements and preparations a halt was' called in the Jange of adminstration at the pools. Before the change came, the t tcnvorks department was never in better condition and the men charge were efficient because of long and faithful service. As the it soon became a fact that we must :y developed in population ange from our farmer and irrigation instincts to real city life :d to conserve our water supply for culinary purposes, and use less r farming purposes. It was then that the water meter was suggested IllllPi tperience showed that wherever a water meter was installed there is a great saving of water and efforts were made to meter the entire :v, which, of course, at that time was blocked by many who claimed at they owned everything in the valley and they would be if they rtered. their premises. One of these men who called at the water-rk- s office wanted to know who gave them the right to say how ter should be used in this city or during what hours. This same Jlow has been mentioned as a probable candidate for governor. Anyhow to make a long story short, there was considerable worked up over the meter question and our present mayor, i Clarence Neslen, ran on a platform to stop the forcible installation w meters arid he was backed up with figures furnished by former Editor A. E. Bock, deceased. There was not a daily newspaper ich scented the trouble ahead and after the election took place Mr. eslen was elected and he was placed in charge of the water department. When he went into office he knew very little, if anything, out a watrworks plant. However, to cap the climax, he discharged most able men in the department with the exception of one Allen I acquarrie, who since has died, leaving the department without one j'le and competent water official. It was a crime to ask for the from such a capable man as Diaries F. Barrett, who was perintendent of the waterworks, and one of the most capable men jfjthe entire western country. He had made waterworks plants a life udy and there was not a question he could not answer, but he had go to make room for a favored man. Competency was not When Barrett left it was but a 'matter of time when the city i jould find itself in trouble and that .time has now come. When Mr. wrrett left the waterworks everything was brought to a standstill. Bf Neslen announced that he could run the department without a fperintendent, aiid did so for a time. What was. the result? .This E j A, -- an-Ijoni- res-Ifiati- sm on con-lljicre- d. what happened: The annual cleaning of water mains and the testing for leaks was of several years ago which provided funds Popped. The bond-issui pumping station in Cottonwood to provide irrigating water for farmers in exchange of Big Cottonwood water was forgotten, e J i But now there is haste to do something which should have been done the first year Mr. Neslen took office. Repairs were made with pipes which had been cast aside by the; former administration because bf defects which required double work later to install new pipes after all. The active campaign to meter all dwellings was stopped and everything in the department was allowed to lag, except the payrolls, which was the' most important factor in the waterworks department.' !., Commissioner, Neslen had not been .in office three months when he realized that-thmeter was an absolute necessity for the conservation of w'ater in this city, and he must have realized that he was old-cracke- d . . .... . . I ' ( e ' . elected undera misnomer" . We have in this city a great many people, or did have' who run water on their butter and vegetables during the hot. summer months, and these people use ten times as much water, and even more, than do the people .who have water meters. Also the people wlia'are on a flat rate are not particular about leaks and repairs arfe not made unless compelled. Howeverupon nietered premises, leaks .are repaired immediately, because daks dig into th pocketbook.' Pipe lines have ;been laid and people living in Mili Creek, Holiday and Big Cottonwood are being at present supplied with city water. Water which should be flowing into the city is going.iipon farms and into farm homes justbecause the city has been negligent to install a pumping plant which the taxpayers paid for a long time ago, but which .was allowed to sleep until now. It is about ten years ago when there was a shortage of water and at that time Parleys creek was probably lower than it is today; the Cottonwood flow was only half of what it is today, and there was no big Mountain Dell reservoir which stores several hundred millions of gallons of water which is good for over ten days supply without the aid from any other source, and still the supply was handled in such efficient manner that no one materially suffered. Water regulations were confined to flatrate users only, while the meter user could use the water at any time of day and whenever convenient. The present drastic regulations are not necessary and are only provided because of the lack .of experience. If the 'waterworks department will check up its entire flow" of water then discount the amount of water used' through the meter, the balance will shw an alarming volume of water which must be charged to the flatrate user and the figures are astounding. If every house in this city was metered, the city would still have water to sell, but under present conditions, some people never know when to . . -- quitnising water. ' . ,, Reports has it that the Sunnysidc reservoir just sprung a leak, but the damage was probably caused during the heavy frost. months last winter. It is said that there has been a big leak in the Fifteenth East reservoir for at least a year, but no thoughts of repairs until the present demand for water. It is a good deal like the man who lived in a house which leaked badly when it rained. The ovner could not |