Birmingham age-herald., 1895-06-02
OUR WATER SUPPLY.
Dr. B, ], Baldwin, Chairman Executive Com
 mittee of the Birmingham Water Works Company, Speaks.
To the Citizens of Birmingham:

ly as to what Is right Tn the matter ROW pending between the mayor and alder men of Birmingham and the Birming- ham Water Works company, it is proper that you should know how the question arose.
 In December last Mayor WanHoose addressed to MT. r. H. Earle, vice-presi- dent of the water works. a letter of which the following is q copy
 Birmingham, Ala, Dec. 12, 91. MT. P. H. Earle, President, City
 Dear Sir While l am not authorized by the board to make any proposition, for neither the board nor myself are yet advised fully as to the financial condi- tiOn of the city, still 1 have investigated the matter sufficiently to satisfy me that the city will be unable to meet its obliga- tions unless there is a material decrease i'll it's expenditures. This statement IS based upon approximate estimates fur niShed me by the present officials. Act ing on this statement, for time presses, I have ventured to make you the follow ing suggestion, because these matters are immediate and pressing and call for prompt action. l would like for you to ask your directors would they be willing to entertain a proposition to place the cost of fire plugs to the city for the com Ing year of 1895 at the rate of $25 per an- mum, and flush tanks at the rate of $2.50
 My reason for making thls suggestion is that l believe that by such general reduction of salaries, combination of offices and decreased expenditures for water and lights we may be able to make such a good business showing to the bondholders, and by the way, the people we must mainly propitiate. and from whom we mast ask, mainly, indul- gence. that they will be willing to wait on their interest until matters re- vive in Birmingham, so that we will be o1 1a1 fA aoIr hpy niea factory adjustment of their interest ac count as well as debt. I am of the opin- ion that unless such business showing of reduced expenditures can be made to them that not only the water supply of the city, but any other of it's to us nec- essary physical conditions are in imme- diate danger of being stopped by the bondholder in order that he may receive interest. If you can at all see you way to laying this matter before your di- rectorS in order that we may discuss 1t intelligently, l would very much appre ciate your doing so at once, and advise me as to their action. It is hardly nec- essaTy for me to suggest to you that this suggestion is based upon the hope that this reduced price be promptly met by the city al the proper time for pay ment of your water bill. Yours truly,
 J. A. VanHOOSE, Mayor.
 A copy of this letter was sent to each member of the board of directors, and it was their opinion that as directors they had no authority to grant the request, and not understanding as fully as they did subsequently the financial straights to which the city was reduced they failed to see either the justice or expe- diency of complying with a mere sug gestion; and a majority of the board of directors joined in a letter to Mayor Van Hoose, in which they say: We recog nize the fact that the interest of the city, of Birmingham and the interest of the Birmingham Water Works company are in great measure identical, and that the prosperity of each is to a great eX tent dependent upon the other. The wa ter works were built. not so much with a view of profit out of the investment as for the purpose of securing to the city of Birmingham that most important ele- ment of it's continued prosperty-a bountiful supply of good water. We are largely interested in the city of Birming- ham itself, and as such we would gladly concur in any plan by which the bur dens of turning Cahaba river through the city of Birmingham, which is practically what we have done, should be equitably and justly borne by everybody who reaps the benefits of the work.
 If you can suggest any plan by which this can be accomplished we will give it prompt consideration, with an earnest desire to concur with you. But we can not see the justice of temporarily sur rendering one-half of the compensation which the city contracted to pay, and on the faith of which we extended the works to the Cahaba river, nor can we see that such a temporary expedent will place matters, either so far as the city of Bir- mingham or the water works is con 2 cerned, on a business basis sufficiently satisfactory to justify us in recommend ing it to the stockholders whom we rep resent. What the city pays us is largely for fire protection to private property of other property holders in Birmingham, and we fail to see the justice of protect ing mere private interest without ade- quate compensation. The burden should be borne equally and approximately by the interest benefited"
 After this letter was written confer ences were held between representatives of the water works and the city govern ment, and it became obvious to both sides that the temporary relief to the city treasury, suggested by Mayor Van HooSe, would not enable the city to pull through; that a reduction for longer period was necessary, and that during that period of reduction justice demanded a large increase in the fire plugs so, as to furnish approximately the same measure of fire protection to all the citizens of Birmingham It fur ther developed that the water works were actually pumping nearly double the water required for an ample supply to the city and citizens of Birmingham and that this waste of between 5000 900 and 4.O0O,00O gallons daiy very nearly doubles the cost of operating the water works.
 When the stockholders of the Water Works company met on May the mat ter was laid before them, and Mayor VanHoose's proposition was taken up, and after discussing the same was re- quested to call on Mayor VanHoose and invite him and a committee of the coun- ell to confer with the Water Works com pany, with a view of reaching an ad- justment, if possible, in response to the mayors suggestions.