The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-24
CITY LIGHT AND WATER
Project to Place Them Under
the Control of the NUM-
Cipality.
! START HAS BEEN MADE.
TIC Union for Practical Progress
in the Van of the Rerorm
Movement.

Work in earnest has been commenced by
the Union for Practical Progress In the
matter of bringing about munlclpai owner
shin Of what the members class as pupho
utilities. such as gas, electric-hght ana
water works street-railway lines, etc. Inc
first efforts of the union will be concen
trated ON the light and water problems.
Members of the executive committee are
already busy canvassing the SITUATION III
its legal phase. AS soon as thls Is asoei,
tanned with clearness and certainty re-
port will be submitted to the unlon' ihcor'
porating also some plan OF action.
J. M. Reynolds, who, since the deatn OF
Charles C. Terrill. is acting president OF
the union and ex-officio member OF the eX>
ecutive committee, had this to say OF Inc
immediate objects of the union:
We are not going to let the grass grow unaeI
our feet till we have accompllsneu soLnet h
in this matter AS soon as our report has Deen
acted upon by the union, 1t is the 1ntention o,
the members to carry the project OF municipal
ownership before all the reform ana pontlctar
organizations of the City. 1t is not party
question and there is no reason why we snoulo
not secure the cooperation OF such Dooy'
whether it be Republican, Democrat or PoPu-
list 1t is q matter OF Vial interest W every
resident of the community.
Light and water will be the first subjects
that Will De nanQleQ. IL is the IuOsL HaS' a.
kind of wrong to grant away the privilege OF
furnishing these necessaries to private corpora
TONS for which right the City gets nothlng-
These people are thus permitted TO make Dig
fortunes out OF tn cir investment at the expense
of the general public. In the hands OF the mu-
nicipality there is no doubt that both water
and light could be furnished to the residents at
q much lower figure than at present and or
much better quality.
We have but little doubt but we shall find
many obstacles in the way of carrying out our
ideas, not the least of which will be the legal
bulwarks behind which the water and gas and
electric companies are intrenched.
1t is not proposed to wait till even the exist
ing franchises expire, but as soon as we get the
proper public sentiment awakened We shall
endeavor to have the whole question submitted
to vote of the people, was done about two
months ago in Kansas City. There but few
hundred votes were cast against municipal
ownership of the water system, while many
thousands were cast in its favor, and am sure
the same preponderance OF public sentiments
can be created here by a persistent and 1nteln-
gent agitation of the subject.
Of course this state of affairs cannot be
brought about in month or two, or even in q
year or two, but that it can be accomplished
we have not the slightest doubt, but SYSTEM
attic effort is necessary, and this the Union
for Practical Progress intends to inaugurate
1t is possible that in this work we shall en-
counter some constitutional objection to the
condemnation and acduirement of the prop
erty of these private corporations, but that can
be remedied by the people OF the State by
amending the constitution.
AS an instance of the advantages to the
people of owning their own water works the
experience of Chicago was cited. Under
private ownership it cost the citizens of
that city $93 81 per 100000 gallons; under
municipal ownership the cost is $36 IL, con-
siderable less than half.