The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-07-09
THE CITY AND TIE WATER SUPPLY
QUESTION

l
city council and the Water Works com
pany and the Gas company, on the question
of compensation by the former to the latte
respectively. Last year the city raid S62 81
psr hydrsnt to the Water Works compap!
FIR 65 bydrants, or So. 4S7 so total payments
This supplies the city proper through thu
plugs, the city court, the calsboose. the hes
pital and the pound. 1t is claimed by th'
council, or such Of them ne favor reduc
ton, that the charge of 500 so Is excessive
AID that the city ought not to pay it. We
are not apprised of the annual expenses o
the Water Works company, but w
are Informed by one having
the interest Of Dallas in charge
in this business, that the co.npsuy's yearly
Income is now something over S35 900, de-
rived from sources about MS follows: From
private citizens, S2S 600; Texas & Pacific rail.
road company, 81 800; Houston & Texas
Central railroad company, $780, Howard OIL
works company, 81 AGO. city Of Dallas, 49,
437 so; making total receipt Of tho sum as
aforesaid. Not knowing the expenses Of
securing this, as before rem 4rked, We are not
prepared to FAY whether the net annual
prof! is or is not good thing for the Water
Works company on its capital stock. As
Stunning that so per cent. is a fair figure to
represent the annual outgo, and there re-
mains net result of some SIT 500 Now
it IL stated that the stock of the company
was $4,000, that is TO say 1t cost 1t this
sum to produce the revenue as above
indicated. Ifthis DO 80, then there is an
annual yield equal to nearly 40 per cent.
This is certainly most remunerative invest,
ment if the premises BIO as related TO us. If
true, then the city would do an excellent
days work when Its representatives shall
do lido that it shall own its own water works,
rather than pay even the $40 per by drant that
they have proposed. AT any rate an issue
has been raised in which tho city in its
corporate government capacity, and the
citizens as individuals, arc very deeply con-
cerned. Inquiries should be at once put on
foot as to the status Of other cities in the
matter Of water supply. Very full,
accurate and definite inform
ton can be readily secured by the opening
up ola correspondence that will furnish al
the data, such as cost of water works es.ab-
lishment, service pipes, laying the same, cur
rent expenses, etc. Dallas is growing rapid
ly and very soon largo amount of water
will be required by an il finite number of in.
terests about US, by the city itself. by rail-
road companies, manufacturing and general
commercial industries, as well as by an in
cressing population. Should II take even an
Investment Of Sl00. 900 by our municipal
government, we apprehond that tho profits
to DO derived from all tho sources named,
would not only leave the city without any
cost for most ample and abundan,
supply for sanitary, fire and general pur-
poses. Indeed We arc firmly Of the opilion
h,t in matter of such rrimS necess ~ as
the keeping Of the 1ty clean and free from
NTH by constant flooding Of the cutters in
'he spmmer time, aud Of such vital import
aG6e as an unstinted qusu,ity always ready
for use for tho fro department, n city
should itself solely own and control the
water works. In the event of such an ins,i
tuition Of private character becoming pos.
sessod of exclusively by an obstinate direct.
DRY. very serious troubles might some
day onsuo, The water supply,
might, for instance, be cut off In tho face OF
an impending epidemic; or because of some
pending controversy rs to,price for itetc. The
plugs might DO sealed az ,inst use some
night, and the city, in consequence, be laid
in ashes by tho next morning. 1t is sin,
cerely 10 DO hoped that u satisfactory and
speedy adjustment shall be made in tho con-
trovoTsy pending, as in tho event Of such
suggested evil, there will DO fearful rc-
sponsibiliiy somewhere. Ono death of n
parent ora child. n relative or friend, be-
cause Of tho lack OF fresh
water to keep the place heal,hful;
ono coril'gra,ion tina. may lose to u, thou.
sands Of dollars. aud ON somebody's head
will DO visited most fearful result. We
should not like TO sec contract made for
any given timo beyond ono year a, a fixed
6sure. This would DO an indiscreet llnar-
cal arrangement on tho part Of the ltssees
as tho city might a. any time conclude tc
erect and manage and operate It's own works
la tho interim some arrangement ought tC
b. quickly settled on. The city father,
should desire nothing more than fair ant
reasonable figure, and so too of tho water
works company. Whether our finances ar,
low or not has nothing to do with the cas-,
and Is puerile question, waite,
wo must have. What q reasonabl,
figure Is for the water company TO furnish
a. depends mainly II not solely upon whs
thor nett earnings are uoder the charges a
now made. Even $40 per hydrant would b,
excessive II tho preceding figuring DO cor
rect; II there bo error 10 1t, the compsp,
ought 10 DO able to show II promptly an,
clearly 10 the council, and the cius n
through them our representatives. Wa Cal,