The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-01-07

rates shall be submitted to arbitration, in the
manner and form provided in the ordinance Of
1t IL hereby expressly agreed by the water
company that the water furnished by IL to the
city and citizens OF Indianapolis shall be good
All questions in regard to the purity Of water
shall be referred to chemist selected by the
Board Of Public Works, the Board of Public
Health and the water company, and the result
of such analysis shall be accepted as conclusive
evidence OF the degree OF purity OF the water.
have one vote In the selection of said chemist,
and the expense or such ANALYSIS shall be paid
one-half by the city and one,haif By the water
time when the Board OF Public Works and the
Board of Public Health shall require it.
NO SCHEDULE FOR CONSUMERS.
The board. In making this contract. ut
terly neglected its opportunity to protect
the interests Of che people by fixing q legal
schedule of water rates to consumers. If
this contract is ratified by the Council the
city will be tied MP for five years. Under
tho vague terms of the original charter of
the company 1t IS permitted to charge con-
sumers practically whatever IL pleases.
There is nothing In either IL or this pro-
posed new contract to prevent the company
from whoopiDg Its charges up 90 per cent.
and holding them there for the next
five years. until it wants another
contract The company needs this con-
this concession yet. The board. If 1t has
attended to its duty and made the proper
investigation. ought to know what charges
are fair: A schedule OF such charges
should be made and incorporated in this
contract. Then the consumers would have
some recourse in case of Overcharges. IL
this contract is confirmed by the Council
they will have none. 1t is an excellent
contract for the corporation, but the peo-
pie are not In 1t.
AS will be noticed the above contract
does not give the oitv the right to use
water for cooling and flushing streets and
alleys. but enacts the payment of $50 q
year each for thirty-six public drinking
fountains The company's charter on this
subject says:
The company shall supply to the city upon the
several streets and avenues In which pipes may
quired for the prevention and extinguishment Of
fires and the washing. cooling. flushing and
sprlnking Of streets, pavements, cutters. alleys,
attach to each hydrant faucet from which
water may be drawn by citizens and passers-by
for persons and animals.
This language is very explicit. By the
tached to each OF the S04 hydrants in use.
all of which could be converted into drink
ing fountains for man or beast, but accord
Ing to the new contract the city pays goo
each for thirty-slx drinking fountains. and
no matter how much 1t may be needed the
water compaDy's water cannot be used for
cooling and flushing pavements.
The only thing gained by this contract
over the old one is free water for three
park fountains and an increase in the num-
Der of feet of mains to be laid from six
thousand to twenty thousand annually.
The contract ought to have lessened the
price of hydrapts from $50 to $40 each.
which would have meant q saving to the
city of So 040 annually.
Vice-president Davis was asked last
evening if the water company would
strictly adhere to the provisions of the
contract in tho laying of mains. He said
that whenever the board should order a
permanent Improvement OH q street mains
would be laid, even in excess of what tho
contract calls for. In regard to furnishing
water for flushing the pavemsnts he said
there was nothing in the old contract
about it