Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1889-09-07
THE SEWER PROBLEM.
H II Discussed by a Committee OF
she Council.

LIN 0A8 w 4H4s \ 4sODAAIAs
1t IL Discussed by a Committee Of
she Council.
The Sewer Committee, of the Council,
met yesterday afternoon at the Mayors
Office. The petition of Jos. Mezzio, for
connection with the Walters-street
sewer, was recommended to be granted.
The petition of the owner of the Law
Building for permission to connect a
storm drain with the sewer was refused
for the reason that an ordinance forbids
any such arrangement.
The proposition offered by the South
Side Irrigation Company to give up their
pipe lines and turn over their contract
was read and filed.
The resolutions passed at the meeting
of the anti-Sewer Bond Committee, held
last Wednesday night, calling for COM
mission of twenty-seven experts, were
read. Mr.. Stiles, the Secretary of the
committee, explained the purpose of the
resolutions. The opponents of the
Ballona route had pledged themselves to
bring forward some other plans. The
committee was not willing to undertake
the investigation necessary to complete
an entire scheme, but it proposed this
commission as the easiest means of get
ting at the results desired in the shortest
possible time.
When called upon for an explanation
as to what was meant by the suggestion
embodied in the resolutions, that the
sewer should take the river route, Mr..
Stiles said that this was not offered as
q definite plan but merely hint as to
what might be offered in the place of the
Ballona route.
Mr.. II. P. Sweet took the floor and
renewed the arguments offered by the
sewer bond workers before the election.
He believed that it was only scheme to
put off getting any sewers at all.
Mr.. Wells was called upon by Mr..
Shafer, and explain what he took to
be the work of the special committee
consisting of himself. Mr.. Jackson and
Mr.. Hall, which had been appointed at
the meeting last Wednesday night. The
idea which had called forth the resolu.
lions was that of having a commission
formed to undertake the planning g
route.
DR.. Sinsabaugh was called upon. He
thought that as much as the matter had
gone before the people, and they had re-
fused the scheme proposed, it had now
better 60 before the people again fol
them to suggest the best method. Il
appeared that Mr.. Sweet thought that 6
commission of twenty.seven was toe
many. A committee of one was rather
more to his wishes, and he himself to be
that one. The Doctor was in favor of q
calm and dispassionate consideration Of
the question, and the proposed commits.
sion seemed to be an excellent means tc
attain that end. Personally the Doctor
was in favor of returning the sewage tc
the river in accordance with the common
law. He suggested chat experiments
might be tried at little expense in filtra
ton of the sewer water, which would
perhaps offer solution to the whole
question.
The resolutions were ordered referred
to the Council without recommendation
of any sort, and made a special order o.
business for 2 p. m. next Tuesday.
MIR. Shafer, the Chairman of the com.
mittee, asked Mr.. Stiles and Mr.. Wells
Q number of questions az to what means
they proposed to use to get around
various difficulties which seemed to
stand in the way of every other route ex-
cept the Ballona. Neither of these
gentlemen was willing to commit him.
self as to particulars, declaring that such
matters should be subjects for investiga.
ton on the part of the commission.
1t was stated that Joe Mesmer had
appeared before the Council last Mon.
day, and had promised in behalf OF the
committee against the sewer bonds to
present definite plan for a sewer and
had personally asked various Council
men not to vote on any proposition until
this one had been submitted, Mr.. Stiles
and Mr.. Wells said that no such state.
ment had been made under the order or
with the authorization of the committee.
The Councilmen seemed inclined to be q
Little satiricsl at Mr.. Mesmer's expense.
Mr.. Wirsching, who was present, de-
clared that as long as Mr.. Jackson was
connected with the special committee
appointed by those who had fought the
bonds that committee could never be in.
duced to take the Ballona route into con.
sideration.
Mr.. Shafer expressed himself as of the
opinion that the appointment of such a
commission as was proposed would place
the Council in very awkward position.
The commission might sit for some time
and never accomplish anything, or it
might decide upon some scheme which
the Council could not conscientiously
adopt. His idea was that some day in
the week might be selected for regular
meetings of the Council to act as COM
mittee of the whole to consider the sewer
question. At these meetings different
leading citizens might be called upon to
give their views, and an effort made tc
harmonic the whole.
1t was finally decided to recommend
to the Council that the City Clerk be in
structed to advertise for bids to take the
sewage of the city for fifty years at the
following points: ID Boyle Heights, al
the southern line of the city; ~ Ala.
media street, at the southern line of the
city; and (3) the southwest corner of the
city.
PUBLIC WORKS.