Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-11-15
The west sewerage system.

A communication elsewhere comes to
the defense of the West system. 1t
admits, however, that the owners Of the
system will make very good thing out
of their contract, and from the tone Of
the writer it is evident he believes
that the proposition is an accom-
plished fact. This is one of
the exceptions we have taken to
the whole affair. 1t turns out that before
the visiting officials started to Atlantic
City the promoters of the West system
had secured an agreement from the
Council that if the Committee should re-
port favorsbly upon that system after
having viewed its operation, then
the city would be bound to ac-
cept-the terms of the contract. This,
to say the least, is very strange
way of doing business of so important a
character. The Council accepts the
offer of the West Company to pay the
expenses of the committee of the Coun-
Gil, with the proviso that if that com.
mittee report favorably then the city
will be bound to pay the company a
bonus of $4,000 and $4,000 a year
for two years for the use of the sys-
tenn. Is it not fair to presume that
men who had enjoyed the hospitality to
80 great an extent of the company inter
ested in conciliating their goodwill
would be more or less prejudiced in
favor of the project Of their entertainers
This is really the greatest element o.
weakness in the proceedings connected
with the sewage contract, and the one
upon which we laid stress yesterday
when we said it would open it to serious
criticism.
| Fortunately the people of Los Angelo:
were represented in this inspection by a
least one gentleman upon whose judg
ment they have the most unbounded re
lance, and who went to Atlantic CITY
upon his own volition. That is Hon. E
F. Spence. His favorable report will bt
received by the people as disinterestet
one, and accepted without question. Hi
approval will 60 much farther to recon
cile the community to the contract thar
would the approval of gentlemen who
we're certainly placed in an equivoca
position by the act of the Council in &C
cepting the invitation of the promoter
of the West system.
| The sewage of this city has value fa
greater than would at first be supposed
and We are not astonished that our cor
respondent says that the West Company
will have "a good thing" Irrigation il
nearly at an end in this pueblo, and each
succeeding year will diminish the ares
of land that will require water
for that purpose. Consequently the
zaDja system will soon be discontinued,
and the water which was formerly
needed for irrigation will all be emptied
into the sewers, under the plea that it is
needed for the purpose of flushing them.
This water will of course be delivered to
the West Company as sewage, and that
company will be enabled to reclaim and
fertilize thousands of acres of land
with it. Indeed the West Company will
practically become a great irrigation
company, and be placed in position tc
sell water in almost limitless quantities
There is no doubt that this ability will
make their contract an immensely
profitable one. Incidentally. too, it is
true that Los Angeles will be benefited
by the fact that it will create valuable
orchards and vineyards and farms on
lands that now produce but little.
But the very fact that the West Com
pany will have so good thing" causes
us to make the very pertinent inquiry
Why is it, if the Council knew this, as it
certainly ought to have known it, that
they were placing almost untold posi-.
bilities of wealth in the hands of the
company, why make the city pay bonus
to do that instead of receiving comper-
sation for making so profitable grant to
a private corporation?