Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-11-11
WATER AND PAYING.
SHALL THE CITY BE SADDLED
 WITH A DEBT OF $35O,OOO.

waterbury's Business Interests and Reputation at Stalse-How the City Water Is wasted-Pave tho Streets By Slightly Increasing Our City Tax.
 Two questions of the greatest impor- tance to the manufacturers and tax payers of Waterbury, viz: Whether or not the city shall issue water and paw ing bonds to the amount of $25O.OOO and $1OO, ,OOO, respectively, are before us, and will be decided by ballot Wednesday. Bonding the city for such large amount will work a lasting injury to the business interests of Waterbury, serving as it will to drive away from us nufacturers who otherwise might locate here)and giving us low rating with the outside world. The bonded indebtedness of the city should be in creased only as a last resort. The DEM ocRAT has carefully inv estigated the water and paving questions and is pre- pared to show by facts and figures that | both questions can be successfully solved without injuring the city's fair reputation or placing a heavy burden upon her taxpayers.
 The claim we make is that the present water supply is sufficient for the city's needs. Careful management by the l board of water commissioners will re- suit in the saving of from % to 50 per cent of the amount of water consumed. l T, cboy- how the Savinp can ha made let us give an illustration. From No vember 1, 1888 to May 1, 1889 the amount of water used by Thomas Kelly was 23O, ,46S gallons MT Kelley being of a saving turn of mind and wishing to satisfy himself in regard to the need of an additional water supply, on July placed self-regulating faucets and as result for the six months ending November 1, the amount of water he used was only IT, 974 gallons, saving of nearly fifty per cent. Taking his own case as an ex- ample, MT Kelly claims that the city water has been wasted in stores, markets, stables and dwleling houses and that if its use Is restricted by prop CT regulations, the water supply is fully equal to the city's needs.
 | A few items from the statement of re- l y ending December 31, 1888, will show where the water is wasted:
 136 private stables, SS24.2o
 12 restaurants, 11S.25
 31 markets, 193.OO
 10 livery stables, 244.OO | 5 manufactories. 23O. %
 None of the above are metered and it is safe to say, that like Baker Kelly, they use double the quantity of water IAl. f~r. NIx-l l-r,N that i'll livery stables, markets and restaurants the city water is left run ming for hours at a time.
 Another cause of the enormous con- sumption of water, will be found in de- fect1ve plumbing in water closets. There are closets by the hundred in Waterbury ill which the city water is allowed to run from one end of the week to the other. Such thing as an investigation is never made by the commissioners and the great waste goes on.
 Our suggestion is to place meters in every stable, manufactory and business block, and to provide every dwelling house with self-regulating faucets. An Appropriation of SIC, ,OO0-which, by the way, would be only equal to one years interest upon the bonds of $250, ,0OO-could be made if necessary, to provide self-regulating
  If at the end of a few years it was still found that the supply was falling short, then of neccessitysswe should issue bonds, but we cannot move too cautiously in the matter.
 BONDS FOR PAVING.
 The issuance of S1OO,OOO for paving purposes is another question which we hope will receive black eye at the polls. We recognize the need of reform upon street matters, and the DEMOCRAT has always been first and foremost to advocate reform in this direction. But why cannot the without sinking the city in debt? It can, if we will only go about it in system atic way, always remembering that Rome was not built in day. Suppose instead of bonding the city for S10O, 1000 we increase the city tax rate two mills on the dollar. Upon grand list of $S,- 0OO,0OO this would amount to S16,O0O which could be placed aside for paving purposes. Add to this $32, ,OO0, the owners of their property, and we would have a fund of S4s,0OO for paving pur- poses, or enough to pave center square and East Main Street to Brown street. The following year another section of the city could be treated in the same manner, upon the pay-as-you-go system, which is acknowl- edged to be the best. And property owners should remember that even ) should the bonds of $1OO,0OO be raised they would still be called upon to pay their share for the paving in front of
 their property.
 , Here are two questions for the citi- zens of Waterbury to weigh we'll.
 They are not questions of political
 nature and the attitude taken by the
 DEMOCRAT will meet with the approval 8 of some of the best men of both parties :
 A DIALOGUE OF FACTS.