Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-21
sewer system, storm Drains and
Outfail.

FRIDAY. FEBRUARY Els 1880.
sewer System, storm Drains and |
Outfau.
Last summer the voters of this city |
expressed their views at the polls on a
proposition to spend nearly million and
a half dollars on system OF sewerage,
including main sewers inside the city, an
outfall from the city limits to Ballona
and storm drains subsidiary to the in
side system. 1t was most emphatic
expression of opinion, leaving no doubt
in the world that they were opposed to
the plan as whole. Pending the canvass
preceding the election the citizens had
ample opportunity OF expressing their
views through the press, and the weight
of opinion leaned to favoring the inside
system and to opposing both the outfsll
and the storm drains. Some months
have elapsed since this emphatic ex-
preston of public opinion was developed,
and in the interim commit
tee Of citizens have sat with
q committee.of the Council and the City
Engineer for weeks working out changes
deemed necessary in the original plan.
The deliberations of this joint committee
were aided by the counsel of Mr.. Ru.
dolph Herring, sanitary engineer OF
high standing. AS result of these
efforts on the part of the citizens COM
mittee, of the Council and of Mr.. Her
ing, tripartite proposition is now be-
fore the people, to be acted on at The
polls in about three weeks. The exact
days are the 18th, 14th and 18th of
March. on which days vote is to be
cas.--6rst, on the inside system second.
on the storm system and third, on the
ou'fall sewer. This is what the people
at the time of the former vote wanted,
and the Council refused. There is no
doubs the refusal to segregate the ques-
ton into parts had a good deal
to do with getting out the vote
on the negative side. The separation OF
the question is therefore regarded by the
people as an important matter. Well, in
this respect they have got what they
demanded.
As to the plans proposed, there are not
many changes is none of mate
rial nature in the storm drains. The
specifications for these are about the
same as before. The cost has been seq
regated, and the taxpayers know just
what these will cost. The City Engineer
put the expense last summer at $3.50 600
as an estimate not claimed to be accu-
rate. 1t is now put at $40, 900. and
bonds to that amount are asked for. This
was the most unpopular feature of the old
system, and it has not gained an iota in
popularity sincs the vote against it was
cast. 1t will be defeated again.
The same is true of the outfall
sewer. At this time the sentiment
of the people is strong against
that scheme. All classes of the com.
munity expressed themselves to that
effect, and multitudes of them gave
cogsnt reasons to back their views. They
have not changed in their views on this
any more than on the scheme to build the
storm drains. It is not necessary to go
over the ground the argument traversed
few months ago. The citizsns know
them by rote, are persuaded of their
soundness and will vote no on the out
fall sewer when it comes up, in larger
numbers than the bonds were defeated by
in the summer. Mr.. .Hering's views are far
from satisfactory on the subject of both
outfall sewer and storm drains. He
was kept in total ignorance O
the vote taken on the proposition, anC
expressed great surprise when told of the
defeat of the plan at the polls. He hac
little or no opportunity to study up the
river route for the outfall, he is not &C
qusinted with the topography of this sec
ton, nor does he know anything of the
contention here that the sewage ought tt
be utilized for irrigation. He merely en-
dorses the Ballona scheme as feasible
route to the ocean, and his opinion was
neither asked nor given upon all the
other matters in contention.
But while the outfall sewer and tn,
storm drains will be defeated in Marcl
as they were in August, the inside system
will carry by very large vote. Ths
taxpayers recognize that there is larg,
area of the city where population hal
80 increased within the past ten years al
to need sewers. It il of course state
ment as false as Belial to say this city
has no sewers. The populous part o
the city is nearly all well severed. Blu
there are other districts where sewer!
are needed. The proposition meets with
even more favor now than it did las
summer, for the reason that important
changes have been made in the plans
An interceptor is provided, if necessary
along the south limits of the city to con-
meet with the bed of the river as an out
let for excessive sewage in the winter
months when much rain may fall and
wipe out the demand for sewage for
irrigation. This feature will increase
the favor with which the people look upon
the plan to sewer the city. The vote
in favor of this necessary Improvement
will be large, but the people will think
that is enough for the present. This
interior system will cost 1914 900. 1t will
take some time to spend that, and by
that time We shall be better able to
Judge about further developments.