Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-02-16
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE.
TWENTY. FOURTH SESSION FORTY FOURTH
DAY.
SENATE.

| approved.
Mr. CHASE submitted petition from the citizens
of Santa Barbara requesting the Legislature to pass
/ a local option law
The Committee on City and Town Governments
reported bills follows: A B. u.s. without recon-
| mendation; s. b. POS also without recommended
| ton.
| The Committee on Corporations reported back
bills as follows: S. d. 35l, author have leave to
withdraw s. b. Ill., do pass S. Il. ISL, indef-
mite postponement S. B. $780, without recommend
| alton; s. B. 10, author have leave to withdraw
| S. B. 1s4, indefinite postponement s. B5. 1872 and
207 without recommendation S. Bs. 50 and 90 also
/ without recommendation.
| A minority of the committee recommended that
| S. Bs 333, 33l and 55 do not pass
| The following bills ware introduced:
/ By Mr. HILL-A concurrent resolution asking
Congress for appropriation OF not less than $780,
900 for the construction OF breakwater in Mont rey
| bay. Commerce and Navigation.
| By Mr.. JOHNSON (by request)-To authorize the
| erection OF Sutter memorial and industrial eX-
hibition building on the State Cipitol Grounds.
| Public Buildings
| By Mr.. LAMPsoS-To appropriate money for the
purchase of trails within the limits of the grant of
| the Yosemite valley and MarIpOsa Big Tree grove,
and to improve and preserve the territory within
the limits of said grant. Yosemite Valley;
\ By Mr.. WEsT-To create the county of Oranga to
establish the boundaries thereof and provide for its
| organization. County and Township Governments.
| By Mr.. BAKER-To amend an Act Great ng Board
of Bank Commissioners and prescribing their duties
| and powers. Finance.
| Mr.. PARDEE asked of the Chairman of the Com
mittee on City Governments what had become of S.
| b. no. by Mr. German relating to system of city
| governments The bill, he said, was Of great i'm
| portance and should be acted upon rapidly as
possible.
Mr. HIrrELb, the Chairman of the committee, re-
piled that the bill referred to, with other bills of
| similar import, had besn purposely held by the
| committee in order that they might exam the
| city government bill which had been introduced in
| the Assembly before making their report
Senators ESos and RYAN entered their protest
| against such proceeding, and requested the Chair
| to enforce Rule 81.
s. B. 40 to establish a uniform system of county
| governments (by Mr.. Wendell), was taken up.
An amendment by Mr.. DICKINSON to Section 1921,
restricting the Sheriffs fees to $3.50 in paying
| money on execution or other process but leaving
| smaller amounts, the percentage of commission on
| which would not come to this figure, to pay COM
mission OF l and per cent, was lost by vote Of
q to II.
| Mr. JOHNSON moved to amend by striking out
Section 1922. adopted.
| Here the Senate took the usual recess.
Afternoon Session.
| The Committee Apportionment recommended
the adopti9nof substitute for $. B. 1l9
Mr.. JOHNSON moved that the consideration OF the
substitute be made the special order for Thursday
morning Immediately after the reading OF the jour
| nal.
The motion prevailed by vote OF "a to u.
| On motion of Mr.. WENDELL the Senate decided to
| reconsider the vote by which S. B. $50 was lost.
| Mr.. DICKINSON moved that his notice to recon-
slider the vote by which S. B. 2s7 passed be
| made the special order for Thursday at II NJ.
The motion prevailed.
| Mr.. WEST moved that the vote by which S. B.
| 259 had failed to pass be reconsidered. Carried.
| The bill was lost by vote of 90 to II.
Bills the third reading file up as follows
| S. B. 272, to eIable the Board of Supervisors,
| Town Council, Board of Aldermen, other legsla
tive body of any city or county, city town, to OBJ
1 tain data ard information from any corporation,
company person supplying water to such city and
| county, city or town. requiring such Boards, Town
Council, other legislative body, to perform the
| duties prescribed by Section l OF Article XIV. of
the Constitution, and prescribing penalties for the
non-performance OF such duties 10y Mr.. Dckinson),
\ was taken up.
| Mr. DICKINSON spoke in favor of the bill
| Mr.. SEARS said he glad that the author was
| present to defend this pet measure on his He had
said that this bill intended in its operation to
furnish data by which Boards OF Supervisors might
fix the rates of water. He had told the Senate that
the rates were to be fixed according to the amount
expended by the company but he failed to tell what
was the necessity OF the bill. The speaker claimed
| that the bill was unconstitutional and injurious in
| its operations, and would raise the rates of water
| No complaint had come to the Senate from any out
| side water company, and he did not know that any
had come from San Francisco Bills of that character
had tendency to discourage organization OF water
| companies, and destroy those in existence
There enterprise in the State which added SO
! much to the security Of property as water com
| panies. They supplied to most towns free er
for extinguishing res, by that means reducing the
| rates OF insurance. If dependent upon wells alone
| towns would be exposed to confagrations, but at
I
| couraging, destroying and injuIing water
paries it should be the province OF the Legislature
| to encourage and protect them. When the bill was
| up for consideration Saturday its author HE'D
| away to the city. Since the introduction of the
! bill the fuctu tions in water stock had been
| considerable. There many poor people
| in San Francisco who owned water stock,
| and the effect OF such bills to try
to rob the poor people of the investment which they
| had made and allow the water stock 70 be gathered
in by the capitalists He did not say that the gentle
man went to San Francisco specially for that pur-
pose, but it was strange indeed that when his pet
| measure came up he should fly away to San Fran
| cisco. The speaker admitted that most OF the
poison which at first contained in the bill had
been extracted from it. But still he claimed that
there was much evil hidden in the bill. Companies
| must introduce msters in order to fix equa! and
uniform rates. They could not be fixed otherwise. The
speaker read from the Constitution to show that 1t
| gave all necessary powers in the premises to the
| Boards of Supervisors, and the Legislature could
| not take that power from them The meters neces-
sary under the proposed bill would cost companies
more than their incomes would amount to
| in fur years. The cheapest price for meters
| was S25 apiece, and if a family supplied for
four bits dollar month it would take from two
| to four years to receive revenue from that Gus
| toner sufficient to up for the meter. In one
instance after the introduction of meters into San
| Francisco, baker, who before had only paid SO
month formerly, was compelled in accordance With
the measurements OF the meter to pay S2l0 for the
water furnished during a single month. The meters
finally became so obnoxious and unpopular that they
| were removed. NO penalty was provided by the bill
in the event OF Supervisors neglecting fix rates.
| Mr.. Howard, the President of the Spring Valley
Water Company, figured up the cost of that com
panys works at over S19,00OO00. Were rates to be
| based on that valuation it would double the er
| rates of San Francisco Under the proposed bill,
water companies would be compelled to charge char
| table institutions the rates were charged
| every one else. The original penalty provided for
| in the bill was unheard of in its severity. The bill
would also injurousy affect the mountain counties,
| by compelling the owners OF mining bitches inside
| of municipal corporations to pay the same rates as
| Individual consumers. 1t made clean sweep of all
| water corporations. Water companies should be
| allowed, under the business rules of competition in
| trade, to fix their rates for water. The speaker
| trusted that the bill would be defeated.
| Mr.. CoNGER took the ground that the bill was a
| necessary and god one, and gave the Boards of
Supervisors throughout the State those needful
powers which the Constitution had not granted
| them.
| Mr.. TRAYIoR claimed that it was the province of
the legislator to egislate for all classes of people
\ and for the benefit of every industry. While adj
mtting tile right of the Board of Supervisors to SO
fix water rates. he did not recognize the right to in
jure any special class of business and expose its
private fairs. There right to de-
mand of water company statement of its income
| than to compel merchant on Front street to pub
| lish to the world statement Of his affairs. This
| feature bad and Objectionable of the bill
All necessary facts could be ascertained by the Board
of Supervisors without exposing the private affairs
| of corporations.
! Mr.. ENos disclaimed any idea of injurng the
1
| were reasonable, and could inure no one There
was such thing as the ownership of water. The
| water company in San Francisco had the right to
| lay down pipes IL was q MONOPOLY, having the
right to dig up streets and blockade thoroughfares
| Thus water companies clothed with sovereign
power to take away from the sovereignty Of the
| people, through legislative enactment Water be-
longed to the people-to man and beast alike-and
he was wrong-doer and transgres or against the
State who should unustly interfere with its free and
onward flow.
Mt. WATSON thought there was no necessity for
| the bill. The Constitution gave full power to the
various Boards of Supervisors of the State to regu
late the water rates In his town the City Trustees
had sufficient power, and asked for no more The
bill was unnecessary and meddlesome, and therefore
| he was opposed to it,
MIR. DICKINSON replied to the argument of Senator
Sears, stating that he had made only special plea
There was no law at the present time by which
Board of Supervisors could go to water company
and obtain any more information than the company
chose to give The object Of the bill was give the
Boards Of Supervisors full powers in that direction
Mr.. BAKER opposed the bill.
Mr.. NEuNANS quoted from circular addressed to
| the Senate and signed by twelve water companies
| in opposition to the bill in which it was asserted
that the object Of its introduction mercensry
one that it never intended to become law
but that the expectation that the companies af
fected would pay money for the defeat of the bill
This, said the speaker insult TO the Senate,
and he for one proposed te rebuke it by voting for
the BILL
The bill was passed by vote of % to Is.
Mr. SEARS gaze notice that he would move to re-
consider the above vote