Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-21
THE WATER QUESTION.
A Suggestive Paper or the Water
Works Subject.

bluu, tudt ~ uOW uuuef COuslucIhtiOu Wy
our city council, is of 30 much import
ance that every person should be allowed
the expression of an opinion. And as
the HERALD is an excellant medium for
that purpose, / humbly ask the privilege
of small space for that purpose.
Every citizen who has given this mat
ter due consideration feels that it has
much to do with shaping the future des-
TIMES of our city.
For the past few years they have been
looking forward with good deal Of sat-
isfaction to the time when they would
be relieved from the yoke of bondage
they suffered to be placed upon their
necks years ago when the burden was
light. But now that the facts are being
made apparent that before this yoke will
be allowed to be removed, it must be re-
placed with one much stronger, and that,
too, by rights claimed to be inherent in
che old one.
Is it any wonder than that such citi-
zens should feel deep interest in the
matter?
1t will be the greatest mistake our
city ever made, if they should give to
corporation all the water rights they
have IA fifty years. lease being equiv
alent to gift), and suffer them to deal
it out to the consumer as best suits
their inclination.
The city has now only their hands
tied, and that for limited time. But
in the event of fifty-years' lease they
will be bound hand and foot, soul and
body. For however many safeguards
may be placed in contract, it will be q
political machine which, when offered
to either party, will secure all the favors
that could be tortured out of con-
tract. For, if justice is so hard to be
obtained through our courts in the
ordinary course of business, what might
we expect from corporation of such
magnitude and where the chances to
cinch the people are 80 numerous?
Already they are trying to intimidate
our city officials by waving over their
heads their legal rights, claiming that
the city has no rights-scarcely-that
they are bound to respect; and It'll only
through their extreme generosity that
they do not charge the consumer twice
what they do.
array of figures, to show that for the
| tax upon the people that they never
could stand. We have some people
among us that, while they are not ex-
perts in figures, they do understand a
good business proposition, and they also
know that, while figures of themselves
will not lie, they can be made to grossly
misrepresent facts.
| The immense value of the water rights
of the city are entirely lost sight of
when placed alongside of the plant of
this corporation. Either water rights
in this country are not worth what they
are supposed to be or else the city has
much greater value in it's water than
the corporation has in its plant.
A plant is created thing to go to de-
cay, while the water is perpetual and
should be so manipulated that in the
course of time it could be nominally free
to the consumer.
/ would like to have some of the ex-
perts in figures tell how long it would
take to make it so through the fifty
years lease.
We are allowed to tax ourselves to build
public buildings "a large portion of which
is to crafty pride; we are allowed to
tax ourselves to pave streets and make
sewers; all of which require continue
tion of taxing to keep them available.
But when we come to talk about taxing
ourselves for something that is to yield
revenue, this we must not do but turn
it over to corporation, to make rich
| few at the expense of the many.
About the time the city paid $4,000
| to quiet claim made to some of it's water,
the writer of this and many others urged
| the Importance of the city owning its
entire water system, and that they never
would see see so good time again to
acquire it. The same argument holds
good today with increased ratio.
We are told by the president of the
City Water company that they are more
generous to the water consumers, and
do not charge as high rates as the San
Francisco Water company does; but he
don't tell us that San Francisco does not
own half interest in their plant by
virtue of owning all the water rights.
Neither does he tell us that San Fran
CISCO is controlled by one of the most
corrupt rings known, where boodling is
the rule instead Of the exception. Such a
comparison is odious and should serve
to put our people on their guard against
being caught in the same trap.
Every fair-minded taxpayer in the
city should be willing to pay the water
company fair price for their plant,
what it is worth separate and apart
from any water rights. The fact of the
city owning the water should not mill
tate against the value of their plant, no
more than it should serve to enhance its
value. II understand the tenor of the
original contract it was that the plant
should revert to the city when the said
contract should expire, stipulations for
determining the price being set forth.
Ii by any reason whatever at the
expiration OF the contract the water
plant should not be a paying concern,
could they not, under the stipulations,
compel the city to buy it at fair valua-
ton?
But now that there is big money in it,
we are told that if the city will give
them such privileges as they want for
short space of time (say fifty years.,
then the city may have the right to
purchase.
1t might be quite a question should
our city make such lease and continue
that kind of fnanciering, whether at
that time they would need a water
plant at all. Many of our title deeds for
real estate will have expired by that
time.
We think our city engineer has shown
conclusively that water plant can be
built by installments, and in view OF the