The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-12-20
Vigorous kick.

We give space to the following commune
cation, but do not wish to endorse all of the
sentiments expressed.
EDITOR OF THE TIMEs:-Now that it is
announced that the money appropriated for
building system of water works i'm our city
is all used up and work must be stopped,
the people i'm the southern part of the town
are beginning to enquire what is to become
of their share.
When the original appropriation came be-
fore the people, the residents of the Fourth
Ward were given to understand that their
part of the town would receive its due pOr-
ton, and again when the $4,000 addition
al was voted it was understood that this was
especially for the people of this ward. They
have waited patiently. They have seen the
trenches dug and the pipe laid past one after
another cOmmitteeman's property. They
have seen the hydrants set on the corners
| adjoining each alderman's residence. They
| have seen the entire northeast part of the
| town lined and cross lined with mains until
one can scarcely suggest where to put an
| other foot of pipe in that favored district.
They have waited, say, patiently, watch
| ing all this, expecting that when the Com
| mittee and the Council had satisfied their
own domestic requirements, at least fire
| protection would be afforded to the common
| people. But in the public affairs of Owosso
| it has not usually been the case that the in
| terests of more than favored few were re-
garded and the present proves no exception
| to the general rule.
Wemust admit that in the distribution OF
| the fire alarm boxes our portion of the city
was well provided for, two boxes being
placed on Stewart ST., but this proves a hOl-
low mockery, now that we find ourselves
| with no hydrant south of the ID. a. M. II. II.
| In the earlier stages of the work line OF
| pipe was laid about two hundred feet south
| of the ID. " M. OH Shiawassee st. and a
| hydraat was unloaded there. The hydrant
| lies there now, just where it has lain for the
past three months. At some future time,
when money is plenty and the city fathers
do not feel the necessity of buying second
hand hose cart for super-extra first hand
price, they may feel able to expend ten dol
lars and set this hydrant, and thus afford a
shadow of protection to the people of this
| section. On Cedar st. the condition of af-
| fairs Is even more provoking. Here line
| of six inch pipe was laid from Main st. south
across the ID. d M. and hydrant also de-
| livered at the end of it, but for some reason
| doubtless good and sufficient i'm the eyes of
| the cOmmittee-the enly hydrant set on this
whole line was at Clinton St., one block
south Of Main, leaving the last three blocks
of the pipe dead end without vent of any
kind, and the hydrant was picked up and
taken elsewhere.
We are told that the plan of the water
mains adopted by the City Council on the
recommendation of the committee showed
lines running to Stewart st. on both Shia-
wassee and Cedar SITS. By what right the
engineer dropped these lines, and not only
these, but also the hydrants that were on
the original plan previous to the extension,
will probably remain. unexplained, but the
voters OF the Fourth ward will remember
next April that their interests have been
purposely ignored by those who owe their
position largely to their suffrages.
Our people did not ask for pipe OH every
street, nor for domestic service, yet they
did expect a reasonable protection against
fire, but in the days of the hand engine and
volunteer company, our homes were better
protected than they are now, and we did
not have the burden of S55, 900 bonded in
debtedness with $4,000 of it at seven per
cent Our tax payers may well ask why
are such things so" FOURTH WARDER.