Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-01-08
ALARMING arArn or AFFAIRS.

ALARMING STATE OF AFFAIRS.
waeePbury's water system Not self
BustaininE-Lass Year There Was
Deficit or $9,a5O-A Warming 90 &c
slow In the Matter of Issuing
Bonds.
Before going a single step further in the
members Of the new court of common
council should carefully study the his
tory of the system, find out the actual
cost of the plant, look up the record for
twenty years, of the water board, figure
the cost of conducting the business and
then turn over the page to the other
side of the ledger.
ton the water system has been con-
Quoted at an actual loss. In fair and
stormy weather the board has drawn
from the city treasury more than the
net revenue from the sale of water. Here
is the record of last year:
Water bond interest, frat series, S1s' go
Water bond sinking fund 5,eoo
Extension of water pipes, l5uOO
Water account, 1913
Redemption of water main an, 10, 90
Total. s52s5O
Amount paid City Treasurer, $4,000
Loss, ss,a5o
Thus it will be seen that at the present
time, although the rates for water in
this city are at least as high as the aver
age in Connecticut cities, yet the system
is not self-sustaining. There is leak
somew here, and it is the duty of the
city fathers to search for it, and find it,
before voting to add the enormous bur-
den of $780, 900 to the city's already
heavy bonded indebtedness.
| BY way of illustration let us suppose
that the 100000 of bonds have been
disposed of at five per cent, and con-
Brook, or both. Tho extra expense to
the taxpayers each year would be some
thing like this:
Interest on bonds, $50, 200
Sinking fund, 10000
Repairs and Maintenance, 10000
Total, $4,000
By travelling at this speed it would re-
quire forty years to take up the bonds,
and long before that time new mains
would have to be laid calling for another
immense outlay. Add this yearly def
cit of SAC, 900 to the figures of last year
and we find that after paying for water
in the regular way, property owners
will have to unloose their purse strings
each year to make good a shortage of
SAG, $50.
Just what system OF bookkeeping is
employed by the water board, or at least
by the president of the board, no one
seems TO know. One gentleman who
served upon the board for a year
acknowledges that he never saw the
payroll of the departments: another, W hen
questioned could not tellkthe location of
one of the sites proposed for a water
supply. Aud SO is goes. The president
of the board has great powers and his
word, so it seems, is law.
Now is the time to give the board a
shaking up such as it never before re-
csived. Instead of appealing to the
legislature for permission to sink the
city head over heels in debt, petition
rather that the charter of the water
board be so amended that those who
pay the bills may know just what they
are paying for. Have it arranged so
that those in charge of the water works
will be obliged to give an account of
their stewardship when called upon.
If the system is to be an eternal drain
upon the city treasury, why would it
not be better for the municipality to
turn the plant over to q corporation,
under certain conditions. and thus avoid
paying the yearly losses? No one doubts
but that private corporation could
realize at least a fair per cent on their
investment, if the entire plant of the
water system was turned over to them
at its actual worth. For then unneces-
sary expenditures would be carefully
avoided, and the business would be con-
Quoted on strictly business principles.
Instead of being drain upon the pub
lie treasury the water system should
; yield handsome revenue.
In conclusion we would advise the
city fathers. before putting a mort
gage on every poor mans house in
Waterbury, to carefully consider this
} question. There is no danger of a water
} famine. If necessary enough water
can be pumped from Mad river to sup
ply every house in Waterbury independ-
; ent of the East mountain supply, and
without in the least injuring tho factor
les depending for supply upon the
J river. But if the mills by any chance
|. require more water why can not q
} supply be brought to Scovilrs pond by
laying a couple of miles of pipe from the
stream near the town farm?
, 1t will not do for members of the
council to dismiss these matters because
they have been led to believe that the
only feasible plans are those submitted
by the water board. They are in duty
bound to make the most careful investi
CATION before taking final action in this
, important matter. And they should not
forget that the cost of doing certain
work recommended b." he water engi.
nesrs IN times past has always been far
in excess of the estimated expense.
First Regiments Middle.
HARTFORD, January S.-Ths court
martial of the five members of the city