Morning journal and courier., 1881-05-06
sSournal allo Courier.
Friday Morning, May 6, 1881.
THE WATER QUESTION.

This evening, in rooms 10 and Il City Hall, there will be t'a public hearing on the advisability of the purchase of the rights and franchises of the New Haven Water Company 1 by the city of New Haven" There should be a large attendance, and at this and other hearings which may be had the matter should have full and intelligent discussion. We offer few suggestions to those who are
 thinking of the subject
 The question of water supply is perhaps
 the most important, from sanitary point of view, with which the people of large town
 or city have to deal. They cannot afford to
 make mistakes in their manner of dealing with it.
 It is essential that so important a matter
 should be under the control of men who
 have the highest personal interest in serving the public we'll The best Cor even good) service to the public cannot be obtained un- der the management of men who can be con trolled only by the votes of the electors of 8 city's wards. To give the best service to the public, men must be animated by some motive of benevolence, devotion to science or direct selfinterest. The best and wisest
 men of city do not usually manage its
 affairs, and the self interest of those who do
 is not always recognized as being insepara-
 ply connected with their duties to the public.
 The management of a city's water supply should be permanently in the hands of the same men, whose experience and knowledge may be thus rendered useful to the public. Such men, acting in the interests of respon-
 .T-la give city better service than lot of poll ticians who have their popularity with s'the boys" to look after.
 The consumer of water should have some one directly responsible to him in case of failure of supply, breaking of pipes, etc. Now, when there is any trouble of this kind the citizens know that they can have it rem edied at once by simply notifying the proper officer of the Water Company. Does anybody think that such work would be done with the same promptness and efficiency if it depend ed on some man or some set of men in the City Hall?
 New Haven must extend it's water supply before long. Is this important work likely to be better done under the control of poi- ticians than by the Water Company?
 If the city should take the Water Company's rights and other property how long would 1t be before the citizens would be disgusted with the new management? Increased ex- penses, political trickery, jobbery and poorer service than we have now would certainly re- suit from the change. Is there anything in the way in which public affairs are managed in cities to encourage us to go into the busi- ness more extensively?
 What is the city going to gain pecuniarily by taking the waterworks? ? There are few cities where water is as cheap as it is in New Haven. Would it be any cheaper under ex- pensiye city management? So far as we have been able to discover the best business men and the heaviest taxpayers in the city do not see any advantage in change.
 An idea has got abroad that unless the city takes the waterworks now it can never take them. This is absurd. Whenever the interests of the public require it the city can get power from the Legislature to take the property of the Water Company. There is therefore, no danger that the company will get out of the reach of the citizens of New Haven.
 Why not, then, let well enough alone? Is it best to bond the city for $2, 900, GOO to buy out the Water Company and make the expenditures which must be made within the next two years? Who will gain by it, except those who get office under the new manage ment /?