Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-05-15


Denoerations on the water question Wow
continued before the council last n;obt
". "hitehouse, Esq. appearing for tho
c"lzens company, asking for the grant of i.
aeiay In order that the matter might be looked
INTO further. He understood the price for .
pump had been set at $1,000 to $4,000. n.
STATED the company he represented could NM
chase one for $500.
Lendaii Titcomb. Esq, followed and 70,
pu I've ouer In substance made the piyh,
before, as to the service to be nrov;dea sns
put the price at which water wonld no e.
ished the city at $500 per vear-for anv
number of years the city might see f,t to cnn,
tract tor, He guaranteed that rates 70 oon
sumers should not exceed the already nuh.
iisned tariff The work should begin ut once
MI Heath, for the other side. donhted
the possibility of commencing work at once
as they' mad found it impossible to contract
ior any pipe to be delivered so soon. In 70.
gard 10 the legal aspect of the case. he had
consulted Judge Symonds of Portland. who.
os tue way, was not, nor expected TO he
counsel Tor the Portland Water Co. He 70.
earded the judges opinion as fatal to the
propositlon OF the citizens, quoting him as
saying that no company had right to run a
line OF pipe in front of any landowners
property without such owners consent. nm.
less tv authority of the legislature. So anv
aouttor on the proposed line could obtain an
ihJnnc@lon against such company and pre-
vent their operations. The consent of every
landowner must be first obtained. Nor did
the right exist for such a Company to take
water from the tide waters of the river below
the dam, without consent Of all the riparian
owners below. The question of the price
amounted to nothing in the face of the cues
ton of legality.
Mr.. Whitehouse-Do you deny that the
city has the right to contract with us?
Mr. Heath-Yes; without legislative ap-
proval. The only question is whether the
city and the Augusta Water Co. can agree on
a price. Al to that it might be that they
could not afford to 20 low enough and the
whole matter must be thrown up.
Mr. Whitehouse said that he had not given
the question of the legal right of the citizens
company much thought He was perfectlv
willing TO submit the matter to the city'-
solicitor and abide by his decision.
Mr. Heath then made the following prop
osition in behalf OF the Augusta Water Co
That company would agree to furnish water
in accordance with specifications already
enbmltted. on 20 years contract, for S40,-
900, distributed rs follows. For the first
eight years at S2500 per year; for the next
tour years at $1,000 per year; and for the next
eight years at $500 per year. The rates to
families should never rise above the pub
lished tariff, and for families of not above
six persons the rates should be So for water
for ordinary family purposes-for uses not
covered by special provisions.
The arguments and the two propositions
having been made, the council considered
them in secret session,
After long discussion the committee fin.
ally decided, by unanimous vote, to accept
the following offer: To pay the Augusta
Water Company $4,000 for twenty years
service, in payments as follows, $4,000 for
five years, $lS33.33 for the next fifteer
years, averaging $1,000 a year. At the enc
of the twenty wears the city to have the right
at its option, to renew the contract for 6
term of ten or twenty years, the annual rem
tai to be $1,000 for sill h' drants then located
irrespective of number, and all hydrants tt
be therrAtterwnrds located. No charge fol
hydrants To be mad before Jan. |, 1887
The compan, agrees i" limit its rates fol
private families Of not over six persons) t.
SO, whether one More faucets.
Several changes have been made in the