The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-03-15

taker, based upon the valuation OF the
property. An examination OF the puoHc
reports of large number of water com
panies will fail to disclose a parallel to
this charge. The, family rate in Port
land is $40. In addition to
this man is charged $500 for a water
closet. If he has an additional one he IS
charged So more. If he has bath tub
he pays SIS additional; and if he is fortu-
nate enough to have two, he pays $3.50
more. For water through hose he is
charged So. If he has stable he pays
SIS. And in addition to that accumulation
of charges he is taxed So for every one
thousand dollars that his property is
valued above one thousand, no charge or
tax being levied upon property of less
valuation than one thousand dollars.
But from one thousand to seven thousand
dollars he pays a tax of 50 for every
Thousand that his property is assessed.
The city valuation is taken as q basis for
this charge as near as it can be obtained
and as it gets upon the books of the
company If the property is valued above
$1,000 thesman pays 50 for every thousand
between one and seven, and for every
thousand above seven he pays one dollar
per thousand.
Now, these rates under certain condl-
tions and circumstances which your
Honors might imagine to exist would,
perhaps, be considered reasonable. Ii
there were great difficulties attending
the bringing of water to Portland, or if
from the condition of the soil or other
surrounding circumstances it was we'll
nigh impossible to get water, which is
A Necessity of Life,
to the doors of our people, it might be
considered that these rates and charges
were reasonable. But when we have oc-
casion to consider the works of the
Portland Water Company, as we shall
hereafter, apprehend thatwe shall find
no such unreasonable difficulties existing
in regard to bringing water to Portland.
On the other hand, if mistake not, it will
appear to you that the city of Portland
is supplied with water as easily and with
as little expense comparatively as any
other city in the United States.
In considering this question of wheth-
er or not the rates charged to water tax
ers ale excessive or exorbitant, we are
limited by the terms of the contract to a
due regard to the cost and the income of
the works. 1t will be shown by the
books of the company what the
Cost and the Income of the Works
of the Portland Company are. An ex-
animation of those books, which was
conducted under the direction of this
court, the books being exhibited in COM
phi nee with the order passed by your
Honors few months ago, disclosed, or
will disclose, that the claim made at that
hearing by the compliments counsel
that the works of the Portland Company
were a unit was correct, and that the
claim of the respondent that the works
were Invisible in cost of construction
and in regard to income from the city of
Portland and the cost and income from
all other cities and municipalities, was
erroneous.
1t will appear from the books that the
cost is all charged into the same fund,
that the income from all municipalities
and persons goes into the same common
fund, and that the works of the Portland
Company are all it's works whether in
the city of Portland, of Deering, of
Westbrook, or in the towns of Standish,
Gorham and Windham.
This company, it will appear, developed
from an original idea of bringing water
to Portland from Long Creek. That was
very simple and easy matter, but it
was attended with the difficulty of rails
ing the water to sufficient height for
distribution over the city. Lake Sebago
from which it's supply is now drawn is
fortunately situated at an elevation that
it delivers water to the city of Portland
and to the citizens in the houses of the
highest elevation by simple gravitation.
When once the conduit has been laid
from the lake to the city, the water flows
down hill for our supply.
Now, this company, with
A Single Conduit
of 20 inches in diameter, from the lake
to Portland, with reservoir Of 10,000,-
600 gallons capacity on Bramhall Hill, laid
it's pipes throughout our city, and from
time to time has extended them in every
direction. It drove out the old sources
of water supply by which our citizens
were furnished with water; and by rea-
son of the terms of the contract which it
made with the city it necessarily sup
planted all sources from which our peo-
pie derived water. 1t came practically
into exclusive control of the business of
bringing water to the citizens of Port
land. Obtaining that control, it made
the product in which it deals necessity.
In addition to the first conduit which
was laid, it soon became necessary to lay
an additional one in order to
supply the water for which
people were reaching out in all
directions, and an additional main of &c
inches in diameter was laid; SO that the
company now has from the lake to Port
land,
Two Independent Mains,
one of 20 inches and another of rs inches
in diameter. The works. by the authori-
ty of the legislature, were extended into
the then town of Westbrook, since de-
veloped into the two cities of Deering
and Westbrook; and and an additional
reservoir was built upon Munjoy hill
with capacity of twenty million gallons
in order to meet the additional draft
upon the former reservoir. Today the
company have more than 100 miles Of
mains in the ground. They are supply
ing water to three cities and to several
towns and villages along the line of their