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:Personals Mr. Walter R . Bracken: Los Angeles - September 6, 19hh I am somewhat concerned about the heavy consumption of wate? during the last two months. It is approaching too close to our production capacity to leave a margin of safety in event of a bad fire. We are faced with the necessity of making some expendi­tures before the next summer season to furnish necessary pressures at two or three points in the distribution system, and I think it la your opinion that these pressures must be relieved to keep us out of trouble with the Public Service Commission. We are also faced with the probable necessity of taking on some additional service to the Boulder Syndicate property. The real solution of the matter is, I believe, construc­tion of about a $,000,000-gallon storage reservoir, which, together with some additional pipe lines now Under consideration would meet our needs for a considerable period. However, dlsousslng In a tentative way with Messrs. Ashby and Jeffers, I find considerable opposition to the expenditure of any appreciable amount of money, they both being of the opinion that with the dosing down of the magnesium plant (which they consider will take place before the end of the year) and the consequent reduction of employment, the town will suffer a severe setback, and the reduction in population will result In substantial reduction in water requirements. The further argument is made that with the cessation of hostilities in Europe it is entirely probable that the activities at the Air Training School will be severely curtailed, or even suspended altogether, taking away an additional appreciable pay­roll and perhaps some of the occupants of the Army Subdivision. I do not know of any way to forecast the future of Las Vegas for one year or ten years. Certainly, with the loss of pay­roll above mentioned, which we may consider is almost certain to occur, and in the absence of some compensating feature, there will necessarily be a decrease in employment, extending into all types of business activity and resulting in a decrease in population with corresponding decrease in demands upon our water system. That is exactly the position we all took after Boulder Dam construction employment ceased, and after the McNeil-Basic construction payroll was reduced from a maximum of 13,000 to $00q but after Boulder Dam was completed the town continued to