Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-01-02
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY g, 1883
Pine To Get Down To Real Bus1-
ness.

NOW tnEC Ln0 OOuuCli udb given Ou.
nearly all the Offices and reorganized the
Police force, there is no reason why that
body hereafter cannot devote all the time
Of it's sessions to the real, urgent and
practical business of the city. For a
month past there has been very little OF
this done, and vast amount OF merely
routine business must have accumu-
lated on the files of the prin-
sipal committees. There are variety
Of leading topics which the Council
should definitely deal with as soon as
possible. They cannot in justice to the
sity long delay to take the sewerage bull
by the horns and bring it to finality.
The new phase OF the West proposition
il worthy of serious consideration, unless
the more stupendous work of carry
ing an outfall sewer to the sea
is determined upon. AS we under
stand it, the West, Company now
propose to take the sewage OF the city
from three different points-at the Boyle
Heights termination of the city, at the
Vernon sewer terminus and at Agricul-
tural Park, and offer to erect trial works
at all those points to demon
st.ate the efficiency of their system at
their own expense before the city will be
asked to enter into permanent contract
with them. 1t seems to us that there is
basis in this proposition upon which
the Council can proceed to consider the
sewage question with chance OF arriv-
ing at a satisfactory conclusion. There
are many very serious things to be con-
sidered in connection with the construc-
tion of an outfall sewer to the sea. The
fret would be the cost, which has been
estimated at as high figure as $3.50. 600.
But it would not end here. AS the out
fall sewer would in effect be an irrigating
ditch, it would necessarily involve the
establishment of gates at all points
where the irrigating and fertilizing fluid
would be needed. That in turn
would involve the maintenance of a
force of men and officers to distribute
the fluid and to keep the works in order.
This could, Of course, only be done by
selling the water, ant the question would
then arise whether the city would have
any right to sell water outside Of
its legitimate municipal Jurisdiction.
Ultimately the entire waters OF
the Los Angeles river would run
through the sewer, and a nice legal
question would then come up as to
whether the city could take the waters
Of the river in unstinted quantities, not
for necessary use within her limits.
It will be remembered that some
twelve years ago there was quite party
here in favor of compelling the people Of
Vernon to buy the water carried to the
city limits and there taken by
the Vernonites to irrigate their lands.
The decision of the courts at that time
was that the city owned the waters of the
river only to the extent of their use fol-
domestic and irrigating purposes within
the limits of the city, and had no right
to sell the surplus outside the city. This
rule would perhaps act as an estoppel
upon the city entering into any exten'
sive and expensive scheme of water, OF
sewage, distribution outside the
boundaries Of our municipality
for no such system could be established
without the sale of the water or sewage
~ an incident. 1t is to be hoped that
the Council will examine the question in
all its aspects and take definite action at
as early day as possible, for until this
serious problem is solved, the progress
Of our city in improvement will be neces-
sarily more or less impeded.