74 FLIGHT FROM THE CITY 



was in charge o the accounting for one o the 

 largest corporations of the country, and the question 

 could only be correctly answered if approached from 

 an accounting standpoint. 



We made a detailed calculation of what it had cost 

 us to supply ourselves with water on the "Dogwoods" 

 during the seven years we had lived there. The capital 

 investment in our system was as follows: 



Cost of well $ 1 70 



Complete pumping out- 

 fit 150 



Labor 20 



$340 



The labor costs are, if anything, high, since I was 

 my own contractor and only unskilled labor was used. 

 These figures are too high according to present-day 

 price levels. Our outfit can probably be duplicated for 

 a third less than it cost us. Not only have prices come 

 down owing to the depression, but technological ad- 

 vances in pump manufacture, motors, tanks, fittings, 

 etc., have brought down costs materially. 



We then projected costs upon an annual basis as 

 follows: 



Interest on capital of $340 at 6 per cent . $20.40 

 Depreciation on pumping system at 5 per 



cent of $170 8.50 



Repairs per year covering seven years. . 4.29 



Electric current . 12.00 



Annual cost of water $45- I 9 



