Los Angeles herald., 1892-10-30
LETTER BAG.
Some Pertinent Suggestions on the
Bonds.

|
Some Pertinent Suggestions on ths
Bonds.
EDITORS HERALD: / crave small
space in your valuable paper for sub
| ject OF special interest at the present
time. Mr.. Flynn, city engineer, has
drawn my attention to letter in the
Evening Express of the 26th instant
signed &c. E." in which certain severe
reflections are made on the pro
posed bonds fora city water supply pro-
ject. The difficulty seems to be that il
the water bonds be not voted on Nov.
I'd the outfall sewer. which is go ur
| gently demanded, will be doomed; for
without water, and plenty of it, that
| sewerage system will collapse. 1t oc-
| ours to me that it is by no means diff.
cult problem to save the outfall sewer,
and simultaneously adopt the most judi
| cious course with regard to the water
bonds. The significant advantage of
bonds to run 40 years instead of only 20
is 80 evident, and has been go ably ad-
vocated in the columns of the local
press, that it is surprising that there
should be any two opinions about it.
No intelligent voter will allow himself
to be influenced by the supposed danger
that if the bonds be not voted on the
above date they will never be voted
Just as soon as a fair and reasonable
proposition ia put forward the bonds
will be cheerfully voted. But to vote
bonds for mere chimera, or for water
that will not be available, except for the
inhabitants of Englewood, and then
totally unfit for domestic use, is rather
tough on the hill people of Los Ange-
les, to whom the water belongs, and not
very pleasant for those of the plain.
Disclaiming any desire on my part to die
tate to the city engineer as to what
should be done, venture to suggest
that he already knows that certain mod
ifications in the design of the outfall
sewer are perfectly feasible, by which rs
per cent of the water required to insure
it's successful operation can be saved
and diverted to it's more legitimate use !;
and further, that this can be accom-
plished without exceeding the amount
for which bonds have already been
voted. If the city engineers plans and
estimates be not like the laws of the an
cient Medes and Persians, he can recast
his estimates and remodel his project
without causing any delay in the con-
struction of the work, although it might
postpone the calling for tenders for four
weeks, which time would be more than
saved later on.
There would be no drawback in the
reduced volume of water that wodld, at
the outset, be available for the irriga-
tion scheme, because the Los Angeles
people would never submit to other than
surplus water being used for this pur-
pose. This could be gradually increased
as the demand presented itself. With
these, or similar notifications, the
available discharge of the Los Angeles
river could be made to serve for popd-
lation of 200, ,OGO, and still leave sufficient
water for flushing sewers. Mr.. Dock
weller need not be discouraged;
many better engineer than either
he, or the writer, has had to reconsider
his plans, and even though he should
find that the changes should amount to
"a new lock, stock and barrel" the city
will condone any shortcomings now
come to light, if a perfect and unobjec-
tionable sewerage system be the out
come. Mr.. Dockweiler will be equal to
the occasion.
It is much to be regetted that per-
verted and unhealthy public sentiment
hM been created in favor of voting the
water bonds on the date fixed. Every
sensible man will admit that it is de.
sirable for the city to own it's own
water works; but is 1t expedient that
this should be effected with the indecent
haste and reckless sacrifice of advantages
and money that the present ill-advised
movement calls for? The city, as Mr..
HluxSv urnv11l nr~bf gSfn ,oH a honto
slowly"
In connection with the water supply
scheme, it ie important to notice the re-
mark in the first paragraph of the re-
port of the board of consulting en-
gineers, which report has been faunted
as IAN exhaustive study of the plans
and specifications" but which is dis
tinctly declared by the experts them
selver as "limited to the examination of
the general scope of the plans and spec
|. .i6cations.' With such a co-efi-
cient, no intelligent reader can
assume that the proposed plans are
strongly Endorsed by those gentlemen |;
and probably if they had been allowed q
reasonable time for the important duty
they were called upon to perform, and
allowed the usual compensation for such
service, the report might not have been
silent on very important point, j. g.,
some assurance that the work will rc-
quire as much as $526,000, or that it
may not require treble that amount. 1t
might also have contained a few sug-
| gestions about the proposed headworks
and fltering arrangements, the capacity
of the proposed storage reservoirs, and
several other points that would have
shown the general public that the city
hall is in no more condition to take
charge Of the present works than II is to
take over the street railways, electric
light plants, all wood and coal yards,
meat markets, bakeries. groceries, boot
and shoe stores, and q number OF other
enterprises, each and every one OF which
could he made to return clear profit OF
$500, 900 year over and above all ex-
penses, and would be very desirable for
| the city to own.
F. g. BsooKs, Q. 3.