The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-02-18
Water Consumers to Paw
as Before.
NO MATERIAL REDUCTION.
Seven Solid Votes in Favor of the
Spring Valley Water Company's
Present Charges.

hoAt year on the lines ITeulcteu III HE
CALL several days ago. TIE matter came
up yesterday in committee OF the whole
and not a member failed 10 respond to his
name.
After Chairman Denman called the COM
miEtee to order Supervisor Rogers first
claimed attention, saying:
I'VE have been invest eating the matter
of water rates Tor some week, and have
practica lly made up our minds on the SUBJ
iect. l have here an order which l have
- prepared and wish TO submit. 1t is prac-
.@tically The same order as passed last year
= and is a re-enaetment of present rates.
=. with few exceptions"
:Su1erviSor Rogers read his order and it
= was found not TO differ materially from the
old order, save in three respects.
80 First, it reduced the minimum meter
-. rates to So instead of IS 80 as in the old
. order. Second. II placed the rate on n.y.
. :draDtS at s. 80 fer every hydrant in place
=: on July /, 1894 Many new hydrants we're
:: placed in all parts Of the city during the
last hscal year under the large apprOpria-
Il on to The Fire Department, and whether
the order will affect the city's payments or
:, lot will depend on the number of hydrants
! put in place uextyear, if any.
:: 4 he third difference was not very mate
!. rial. and related to honses with two or
ground surface charges.
Supervisor Rogers said he did not intro
duce bis measure as an order, put simply
as resolution, which it was not necessary
to pass to print
!. 81 am entitled TODD this under the consti-
tuition, and offer this water measure as
49,: resolution simply to avoid the expense of
=. passing it 10. print, which is unnecessary"
. ~. II move that. this measure be offered as
- an order. said Supervisor Hinton. "The
: mn nh ..tnrII -
too beet. / do not believe in chok ing
on in this way. There is no necessity of
: Indecent haste"
=: Supervisor Dundon said: 'The duty OF
= the board is to go slowin this matter and
=. IL e Supervisors should Go So for their own
credit. There is great deal to be lost 10
: :cFowdIng this question too fast and MOTH
!. .lngto be gained. l hope the board will
e. not be- so senseless as to act hastily. The
= public should know something of this
=. 81 want to know. y hat The public has to
: do with this question" answered Super
= visor Rogers. here the public comes
.. IN l don't. know. We are voting on this
:. nlea sure, and not the public
+: 1T is very singular" said Supervisor
.Dundop. that you don't see where the
**public comes in"
= supervisor Stanton thought it was pre-
:" mature to adopteithe an order or a reso-
!: lQtion. -
:: Supervisor Hinton said: at is simply a
:: question, whether the public will know
what: I'VE have. done or what we are
: doing. If we BASS the measure as reso-
::lution they will know what we have done.
aud If we pass il To print as an order they
- Will know what we are, doing, and thus
they are enabled o. know" :..
: =. Supervisor Rogers finally agreed to SUBJ
!: NIT hlsmeaSure as an ORDER.
: - Supervisor, Hinton then attacked the
order. claiming that il made no reduction,
: giving the arguments he has used during
: the discussion of the water question. He
=: characterized the Spring Valley Company
=. as "a monopoly of the worst kind, ying
that thercity was paying interest ON prop
..Terty bought by the Company on specula-
.:tlon- . He said if the company MAS given
=" Der cen t*:inStead of 8 per cent on its prop
erty. it would be getting more than it was
entitled to-.
:: e: Supervisor Kennedy said he had studied
the water. question from all points of view
and had concluded that the Spring Valley
should be paid fair interest on the proD-
: erty's valuation.
r.: Supervisor Denman presented the order
Introduced by him last year and which
,: was defeated. 1t reduces the c0mpany's
income: by about 100000 a year He
claimed that the company had valued its
. stock for three or four millions. according
to- its own: figures. He said with 1000
r vacant houses, no increase in consumers
and bad times under the order of lastyear
=: $685. the company had collected more
"lIDit :INdu ~ udQ inc year. O61OT6. 1877,
:. when rates were higher. He said this was
mot reduction. - =: -.
Superintendent Dundon obtained: the
floor and said: Il have an idea that W alter
=. Rates: are :unju justly distributed. Those.
:: people are deriving. the most benefit,
s%::snch as downtown merchants, are paying
:: :.tbeg least.mOneY.:. j believe that the rate
s for The. general consumer should be low
@.ered;". but the rate f6r1large downtown
= houses, protected by hundreds of hydrants
s: fer which the 'pEQprietors do not pay,
: .shonld be raised. Theyshould: paw % per
!: cert Of the Spring Valleys revenue, and
1T should be:-c0llected. in accordance with
=" the assessment rate. payable into the city
:: treasury" ::
III: Supervisor Dundon, however, did not
> :l II uce an order on these lines of
II. e On the motion of Supervisor Refs both
= oraers were passed to print by the COM
5 ...Sppe sor Rogers arose after this vote
!. was carried and said: II move that my
:: order be adopted by the committee"
: r.: An0tner discussion arose at this motion,
:: She members. again protesting against
- haste. :.: -:
:. Supervisor Rogers explained that it
.: was simply. the adopting of tie or
:: der by. the. committee and not by the
board, as: the committee would have to
:: rise and :rep6rt its action to the board.
which alone: could take final action.
=. he vote was put, and the Rogers order
>. was adopted lev. the: following vote, which
= Indicates how ii will be acted upon blythe
:: board when 1t cmes" up for passage ::
-. Ayes. Rogers. Kennedy. Dav, Ryan.
: Refs, Eorman Ii; Ge3dwln-~7; noeszStan-
:. ton, DGndon, Hinton, Denman. james,
: The passage of :the order only needs seven
- votes as the Mayor has no veto power.
s. ,1<-*Sapervisor Denman,s order was de-
:: egted.b9 the SAME votes
. :..@ he couImi ttee rose and reported its
:. actlen :to.the board, which met with Super
visor James 10 the chair.
=. > IA rdtion OF Supervisor Rogers. his
order was passed to print;
supervisor Denman INC we'd that his order
ne also passed. to print, which was done.
althongh the committee had made no re-
port on 1t. This was the action of the
poard, asa not the committee of the whole.