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Board May Put Vega$ in Water Business! The city commissioners this ‘ morning started machinery moving which ultimately may place Las Vegas in the water business through "the outright purchase of the Las Vegas Land and Water company, and local water interests of the Union Pacific railroad. On motion of Commissioner Robert Moore, at a s p e c i a l meeting called to discuss the current acute water shortage, the board voted unanimously to call in its advisory com­mittee- to i n v e s t i g a t e the “possibility and feaseability” of entering into purchase nego­tiations. •' The city’s indirect bid to buy out the local water concern in the interest of improving ser­vice to Las Vegas consumers is the second in recent weeks. The Las Vegas valley water j district also has expressed in­terest in the purchase. Commissioner Moore’s mo-i tion was coupled.with another by Commissioner Wendell Bun-ker which provided that the j city attorney be instructed to make formal demands on the Nevada public service com-j- mission requiring the Las Ve­ras Land and Water company | i and the Union Pacific “to pro­ceed immediately to augment the present supply of water to A the city,” Both motions were seconded by Commissioner William Peccole. It was agreed generally _ at today’s special meeting that complete resources of the Las Vegas water basin have not been fully tapped, despite con­tentions by representatives of the Water company and Union Pacific that the underground supply is ebbing swiftly and additional water is unavailable unless piped from Lake Mead, i It was estimated that to ! bring water from the lake i would cost approximately $5,- i 000,000 and spokesmen for the i water company and railroad said they were not prepared at : this time to undertake the ex-i pense. E. E. Bennett, general soli­citor for the Union Pacific of Los Angeles, assailed the city fathers’ action of lifting, the j (Continued on Page Two) (Continued from Page? One) ‘‘' lawn watering, restrictions and added that while the ban was in effect a total of 50,000,000 gallons of water a month were saved. Mayor E. W. Cragin pointed out that unless local citizens agree to cooperate to a greater degree in water conservation, the restrictions will be restored. , A. M. Folger, general man­ager of the X as Vegas Land and Water company, said a total of 17,000,000 gallons of water a day are presently be­ing pumped from 11 wells. ' It also was proposed that the United States government, as a defense measure due to cur­rent war conditions, be ap­proached with proposals to aid in financing importation of water from Lake Mead. In addition to representatives of the water company and rail­road, Charles V. Williams, member of the Nevada public service commission, was also present at the meeting. He was called in by the com­missioners to conduct an ex­haustive inquiry into present conditions and report his find­ings hack to the hoard at the earliest possible moment. Water Use Tale i ? ‘ I as Yet! The balance of this week will « J ll the tale” as to how local Water consumers are cooperat­ing with official pleas for volun­tary conservation since lifting of I c o X g ^ ^ M - 'F o l l e 'g e n e r a l manager of the Las Vegas Land rffid Water company. " He pointed out th at an a c c - ate check on normal water con­sumption could not be made im j "curtailed the dse of w ater ior x \ sprinkling purposes. . .. _ j 3 j ‘‘We lifted the restrictions and p w a f- r r^ n ‘at .gSjjj g g g J g —