Mexico weekly ledger., 1888-08-16

the present scheme at the time of
voting on the ordinance was that
the works were not to be owned by
the city. He recalled the water
works boom that swept Western
towns at the time the Mexico sys-
tenn was built and intimated that if
the towns had acted with more
deliberation there would be less
trouble now. Moberly built works
and has had her trouble; Marshall
built n system and trouble is brew
ing; Sedalia had trouble over her
works, and Mexico is having hers.
The Judge commenced his story of
the local difficulty at. the time the
water gave trouble in summer by
its unitness for family use. He
proceeded to that point where the
city refused to pay the yearly
rental and to the bringing of a law
suit by the company. The bond
holders had giveE the Judge figures
to show that they had been out of
pocket about $4,000 on the works.
He believed their statement true.
but this by no means meant that
the works cost that, the present
bondholders having been out of
pocket several thousand dollars on
liens, judgments, etc. He thought
the works actually cost something
in the neighborhood of $50 5000.
Judge Adams, a gentlemen and
"jurist of standing in St. Louis,
wrote the Judge that he had talked
with the bondholders of the COM
pany in New York, and that they
were very much opposed to a sale
of the bonds. After some talk with
them, however, they agreed to the
sale and the price was fixed at $50,-
1000. Certain details of a COM
promise were entered into at the
same time, but the Judge did not
make a statement in particular.
In short, for $50, 900 for the works
and $500 for back rental, the bond
holders would agree tomake title
to the city and release all contracts
between the corporations. Judge
Macfarlane, continuing, made a
statement of the probable expense
of conducting the works. He
placed the cost of ordinary
running at $1,000 annually. He
showed the increase of private con-
sumption of water from January l
to June to have been so per cent,
but the continued wet season was
unfavorable to the water-works
business. He didn't advocate the
purchase of the works, as a citizen
of Mexico-he was merely stating
a proposition a representing the
water-works corporation. He
thought a city with Mexico's
financial standing could easily
float bonds to the amount of $50
900 at ) per cent. He submitted
the formal proposition, the sub
stance of which he gave IN his talk
and which has appeared in the
LEDGER. The Judge said he was
convinced that the proposition sub.
mitted was the lowest the stock.
holders would present-in fact,
Judge Adams had experienced
much difficulty in securing a pro-
position of any kind from the
stockholders.
Mr.. J. +. Llewellyn, who was
one of the twenty-nine who oppos.
: ed the adoption of the present
system, was in the chamber anC
, made a little talk, favoring the
? purchase of the works at the price
. offered. He thought it an excellent
4 time to make the purchase. If The
| city of Mexico prospered as i
, would in the course Of nature, the
works would cost $4,000 at thu
expiration of the 90 year contract
1t was a matter of constant anxiety
. those who had seen the town al
most burned down on several &C
casions that no settled condition 0
affairs with regard to the Water
9 works existed. He didn't like tn,
position of the city in using thu
water-as III case of fire-and no
paying for it.
IS Judge Macfarlane followed Mr.
f. Llewellyn and continued his argu
= ment fovoring the existing system
ID He thought the works as good a
any in the State and the quality O
lg water furnished comparatively ex
cellent. He explained the tedious
II ness of long litigation and DIRE,
word pictures of the undesirabl
lc results sure to follow either victor
IS or loss in the courts
2. Mr.. Arnold was the first of til
lg Coun il to speak on the question
er He said he had always been d.
cidedly in favor of the city ownln
Dr. the works. But in this case b
te could not look at the matte
e. through the same eyes as NJ
he Llewellyn and Judge M~acfarlan'
y He thought continued argumer
ON the subject useless. The quel