Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-11
THE GRgAT BUNCo WATER GAME.

long term OF years. The "Jayhawker"
project is so enveloped in mystery that
it is difficult to find out exactly what
the game is. We are told in cloudy
and tentative sort of way that COM
pany of capitalists stands ready to pur-
chase the plant of the City Water COM
pany for $2,500,000 and increase that
amount to $4.OOO.OO0 by making extern
sive Improvements in the works, condi-
tionally that the city shall give the COM
bination fifty years franchise. Other
concessions are limited at, but the whole
thing is so enveloped in mystery that no
one can definitely say what it is. The
fact, however, which stands out in bold
relief is that there is an apparent deal
between a supposititious eastern syndi-
cate and our local company, which the
city is to be induced to vitalze by plac-
ing her water rights out of her hands
for fifty years.
On the face OF 1t this proposition is go
cheeky and preposterous that we are
amazed that newspaper of standing
should give it encouragement and coun-
tenance even in an apologetic and half
hearted way. If by any occult or under
hand means the council is induced to
ALLEVIATE the city's rights in the water.
there will be such an uprising here
as would make the whole caboodle of
tricksters stand from under. The city
OF Los Angeles has the prior right and
ownership to the waters of the river.
This right is not thing OF yesterday,
but is moss-grown with time and scanned
with the muniments iof prescription.
No species of pettifogging or sharp prac-
tice can take away this right. 1t is
worth millions of dollars to the city,
and nothing stands between her and the
exercise OF it directly in the interest
of the people but the few years that
the charter of the water company has
yet to run.
The people of Los Angeles would be
unspeakably foolish to place their water
rights again in the hands of capitalists
or spectators. When the present con-
tract expires they will insist that the
city shall own her own water works and
distribute the water herself. Mr.. Dock
weller, our city engineer, has outlined
plan that will lead up to a complete
system of supply to all parts of the city
by the time the existing company's
charter expires. By adopting that
method we shall be in position to say
to the water company that we are will
ing to give them fair price for their
improvements, but not fancy price
based upon the helplessness the city
would find herself in if she had made
no preparation to meet the emergency.
It will stand the people in hand to
watch closely every move that is made
to carry out the "Jayhawker" scheme.
1t is not only suspicious one on the
face of it, but it has the additional
stamp of swindle 40 plainly upon it that
the capitalists who are said to be be.
hind 1t are ashamed to make them
selves manifest. OF course, everybody
knows that there are no such men
that they are phantasmal and myth
zealand that the whole scheme is a
concoction out of the fertile brain OF
"yours truly" with the ulterior design
to place a most valuable franchise in
the hands of local syndicate for fifty
years. Here is an inkling of the pro
gramme from yesterdays Times:
Lower the rates to the small consum-
ers, require the rich, large consumers
to pay IN proportion to the poor and con-
sent to nave the city pay for water
used in street sprinkling, for fire
hydrants and in public buildings. Moth
ing less than this will satisfy the de-
mands of justice and equity; and upon
such plan, we doubt not, an agree
ment could be reached between the
council and a reorganized water COM
pany. Experts could figure out with
eXactness, on the basis proposed, the
water rates necessary to produce net
or per cent annual income upon the
investment, beside providing for suffi-
cient sinking fund for extensions, better
ments and repairs. The Times does not
hesitate to declare that this plan is in
finitely preferable to the municipal
ownership of water works. On the above
basis there ought to be no difficulty in
finding responsible capitalists who would
be willing to make large and long in
vestment in our water system. But they
would, of course, require solid contract
or franchise with ample guarantees
against unfriendly legislation.
Mark the touch Of demagogy which is
thrown in here to justify what follows:
"Require the rich, large consumers to
pay in proportion to the poor" A nice
song to warble, when every pocket that
is picked is alike to- the schemers. But
the milk in the cocoanut will be found
in the Times declaration that "this
plan is infinitely preferable to the mu-
nicipal ownership of the water works."
The scheme manifestly contemplates
that we shall abandon all thoughts of
owning our own system of distribution,
and depend upon the generosity of
syndicate that would sell the water to
our people for the pleasure OF making it
cheap for them. They don't want to
make anything out OF it but a
small interest on the money they
had ostensibly invested, and having
the river in their own possession it
would cost them little to so water their
investment that it would become nice
plum in the end. The best portion Of