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LAS VEGAS EVENINGf REVIEW-J'OURN. L a s Vegas, Ne v a d a September 14, 1939 fJ A Y C E E S OPEN j| ADEQUATE VEGAS W A T E R DRIVE |i Fiery Resolution Is Passed By Civic Organization 1 Last Eve After a riotous discussion of the various factors involved, the Las Vega® Junior Chamber of Commerce last night request­ed the board of city commis­sioners to “call to account” the Las Vegas Land and Water Companv, and “take such steps as may be necessary to reottire the Las Vegas Land and Water Company, a public utility, to provide adequate and courteous service to the consumers of the city.” The action was taken upon recommendation of a special com­mittee named recently to sti’d'w the water situation, and resulted in the adoption of a strong -evo­lution to back up the request upon the city board. C IT IN G FIR ST the recent de­cision of the Nevada public Serv­ice commission in the Jake Beck-ley case, wherein the state board found that: “the (water) mains in certain parts of the city are whol­ly inadequate” and that the local utility has not taken proper 'steps to provide additional water for the community, the junior ohaih-ber contends in its resolution: 1. —That the water company has, for the past several sinn­ers, decried the lack of water and urged cooperation from the citizens of this city in conserv­ing water. 2. —That the company, despite this plea, has been using cool­ers at the Las Vegas depot in direct violation of the emergen­cy ordinance for the conserva­tion of water, drawn by the water company, by allowing these coolers to flow directly .Jaycees Open into the sewers without being put to additional use. - 1 3.—That the system is oper­ated with wooden mains “of ancient origin” which continu­ously leak water thereby de­pleting' the supply available for the .city. 4. — T H A T during all of the water shortages, the company has profitably sold, for use put-side the city of Las Vegas and vicinity, large quantities of lo­cal water in tank cars to be transported arid used at distant points. 5. —That the company has, in the past, “refused to acquire any more water .for .the use of the . city of Las Vegas, despite the fact that every summer for the past four or five, years the company has known a shortage existed.” 6. —That the company has re­fused to give any information regarding what the company has done or contemplates doing toward getting more water for the city. 7. — That officials and em­ployees of the company have \ beep “ discourteous” to custom­ers and citizens seeking infer-L-matibn regarding the possibility 1 of receiving more water, and 1 have taken, “ the public-be-1 damned” attitude. 8, —T H A T the altitude of the I company “is such as to be a 6 • detriment to and an impair- | ment of the growth of the city'I by frequently publicizing an al- 1 . leged shortage1 of water in. this 1• area; by refusing to increase ft its water supply, and by re- 1 fusing to furnish water service I to both new and old points in 1 the city, and giving as. its rea- i son lack of water; and by ae- I tively discouraging the build- f ing of new homes and other | improvements in thb city of | Las Vegas where water lines I, are not now., laid; and by re- I fusing t o ' permit pipe connec- |- tions of adequate size to se- 1 cute proper service.” 9. —That there is no apparent IL need for water meters and the threat of the convpany from time to time to install them is “solely because, of its hope f o r ‘ I greater revenues if- water me- j ters were required.” THE R E S O L U T IO N was adopt- f 1 ed by a pratically unanimous vote,r I and copies w ill be presented tor | the board of city commissioners; j the water company, the main pf-Jj fices of the Union Pacific rail­road company in Omaha, the pub-, lie service commission of Nevada, and the press of Las Vegas. 1 .