Morning journal and courier., 1881-10-11
The Water Question.

l To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER: | A patent is an exclusive right to manufac- l ture, use and sell a certain thing. Patents
 are usually granted for onlya few years, after 1 which the special right, the monopoly, is l gone and anyone is at liberty to make and use what was previously protected by the ] patent law. A large amount of money is yearly spent in getting patents because they are valuable things, and, when on something l that many persons need, often bring large | income to their owners.
 A franchise is of the nature of patent. | It is particular and special right, or privi- | lege, granted to one or more persons to us e and enjoy certain property or thing. It | usually differs from what we call ''a patent" | in this: It is granted forever and not for a | few years.
 The New Haven Water Company has 8 l franchise of taking water from all the practi- l cally available sources about New Haven and of distributing and selling this wfter through all the streets of the city In fact they have a patent, not for seventeen years, but for all time, on all the streams in this neighborhood and on the approaches to, and the streets of this city. This patent right is a valuable thing now and every year will grow more and more so. This is largely so because a franchise prevents competition.
 A merchant, if he could, would be willing to pay large sum for the franchise of sell ling dry goods in New Haven, because then no other dry goods store but his own could be opened in this city. Even if his prices were moderate, such franchise would insure a good and permanent business, and therefore be very profitable.
 The franchise of the New Haven Water Company is not only valuable now, but it
 must surely become at least two per cent
 more so each and every year for the next twenty-five years.
 We now pay $16 1000 per year for water for city purposes. The Water company offer to make new contract at $2O GOO per year for
 the next ten years. At the expiration of that time they would undoubtedly charge at
 least 1000 per year for city water. The income of the Water company from private
 consumers will also steadily increase each year. A large number of our citizens still
 use well water, which every year becomes more unfit for use. This fact will add largely to the number of consumers of city water. This increase of income will be far greater than the increase in the expenses of the company. It costs no more to lay and
 keep in repair pipe which discharges it's
 full capacity of water than it does to main
 tain a pipe which discharges only one-quar-
 ter it's capacity.
 The Legislature gave the New Haven Wa
 ter Company this valuable franchise for nothing. But the city of New Haven has 8
 contract with the Water company under
 which it can now buy out the company and get this franchise for nothing. The price
 which the contract names is to be paid, not
 t0r the .ta0nchise, but only for the water pipes and works themselves,
 Fearful lest the city issue bonds at the present low rates of interest and buy them out under the present contract, the Water company have attempted to mislead the voters by cunning offer. Stripped of it's cloak of fair words, this offer in substance is this: Eff you now give up your right to take our franchise for nothing by merely paying for the works alone, we will agree at any future time to sell you both the water works and tue franchise at their fair value"
 This astonishing offer, the newspapers working in the interest of the Water com pany ask the voters to accept. The true policy is for New Haven to become master of the situation while she can do so without paying not less than $5OO,O0O for fran chise which can now be had for nothing.
 It is beneath the dignity of great city like New Haven to bargain with private company for what is as necessary for the comfort, security health and prosperity of her citizens as full supply of air.
 Let us buy the waterworks and get the franchise. We can make no bargain with the Water company that is not to our disad- vantage. JOHN P. PHILLIPS