The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-22
COST IN SACRAMENTO
A Government Employees
Ideas on the AFteSian
Water Supply.
CHICAGOs WELLS ARE DEEP
San Francisco Said to Pay Much
More for Its Supply Than
Eastern Cities.

The Union for Practica! Progress ap-
pears to be meeting with no difficulty in
gaining signatures to its petition to the
Board of Supervisors for special election
TO decide whether or no San Francisco
shall own its own water and lighting
plants.
All day yesterday men went in single
and in pairs to the office OF John M. Key
nolds, in the basement of the Croker
building, where the petition blanks are to
be obtained and took them away, some to
be used themselves in soliciting support to
the movement and others to be given 10
friends for the same purpose.
Though the blanks have been out only
since Thursday many have already been
returned full and those who held them have
taken more to carry on the work. One
man took two at the time they first came
out and filled them within twenty-four
hours without going out of his place of bust
ness.
Another man, who works for multi
millionaire capitalist and manufacturer.
filled a blank in the office where he works
within few minutes and took another TO
circulate among his friends.
Among those with whom blanks have
been placed, and who are willing to take
signatures openly, are:
H Simon, grocer, sol Larkin street; c; H.
Hoeceker & Co., grocers, S29 Polk street; J. L.
Redmond, 701 Polk street; A. Constlne, grocer,
14O8 Buchanan street; h. NJ. Herzog, black
smith, 739 Broadway; C. NJ. Johnson, 6O2
Market street; c. A. Reynolds, Crocker build
ing; NJ Faust, Market street; ii. S. de Roche
mont, 1912 Larkin street; J. C. Jens, 1896
Treat avenue; J. II. Johnson, IL Essex street
Dr. E. H. Bertrand, 222 Post street; F. Entz, go
Tehama street; William F. Boothby; ]. Asch,
tobsccO-dealer, 101 Grant avenue; NJ seller,
tailor trimmings, 80 Geary street; c. Marcuse,
notion-store, ga Geary street; &. d. Ihlelle,
6O9 Ellis street; c. II. Davis, halter, LA Geary
street; J, D. Zetel, shoemaker, 51S% Geary
street; H Planz, tailor, 525 Geary street; II.
w. Roth, grocer, Sol Geary street; +. NJ. Clark,
518 Hyde street.
Four more we're started out with blank
petitions yesterday. They were w. Beer
man, H. Spiro, ]. Wyatt and John A.
Wall.
Others who are doing active work are:
w.D. Farrell, P. Molloy, n. L. Wendells, NJ.
McGlynn, Thane brothers, F. Zahn, Labor Blu
reau Association. Dr.. George w. Davis, A. W.
Ryder Raschen & Co, Harry Knox, P. McCol-
gan, J. G. Klemm, H. Euler, JOB Hartman,
Gaden, H. Lowenstein, j. A. Klnghorn-Jo9e
E. S. Barney, T. II. Porter, B: P. ober, Nj; Holm,
Rev. J. E. Scott, A. B. Kinne; ?. Henley
Oliver Everett Marks Bros, j. Foley, J. Nc
CURE, Dunkelman & Jansen, J: Gibney, &. b
Long, S. A. C. Nelson, ]. f. Witzel, J. A. An.
thoney, H T. Begtor, Fl. A. Clifford, R. B. payy
J. A. Miller, T. B. Gibson, A. Cridge, A. Lletz,
NJ. L. Farland and DR.. A. 0. Brown.
Meanwhile the officers of the union. are
wasting no time in gathering the vast
mass of figures and statistics with which
they will fortify their case when it comes
to be presented to the Board of Supervi-
sors. Dozens of letters have been sent
East to towns owning their own water
and lighting plants, and estimates OF men
who are familiar with the advantages OF
such institutions when operated by city
governments are being obtained and
placed in such shape that they can readily
be explained to the Supervisors.
Within the past few days Mr.. Reynolds
has received figures from the City Clerks
of Stockton and Sacramento on the water
rates of their towns, and is very much
pleased by the showing in favor OF the lat
ter municipality, which owns and operates
its own water works. Mr.. Reynolds makes
the following statement based on the in
formation already received:
Drawing q comparison between Stockton
which buys water from private corporation
and Sacramento, which owns its own plant
shows how advisable 1t is for municipalities
to have water supplies of their own.
The Board of Trustees OF Sacramento some
time ago fixed the rates for householders as
follows: Houses of rooms or less, 81 pei
month more than rooms and less than 10
81 Is; for 10 rooms and less than Is, 81 50
for each additional room, 10 cents. Rates fol
business-houses are fixed in proportion.
Now here is Stockton, supplied by private
corporation. Houses OF the size for which Sac
ramento charges 81 per month pay 81 so pei
month, and all rates are proportionately high
in comparison with those of the capital. Thai
ought to convince any doubling Thomas who
fears that the city cannot handle its OWE
water supply.
nave also q letter here from the City Clerk
of Sacramento in which he states that, low al
the rates appear to be, they yield profit to the
city of 200 per cent on the cost of running.
figures that are fully as startling as those jus
given This table will give an idea of the
cost of lighting before and after the lighting
plants passed into the hands OF the munich