The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-08-29
HOW TO SECURE BETTER WATER
SYSTEM.

SYSTEM.
Last week the public school building oil
Medford was burned to the ground, because
of an Inadequate water supply. The build
ing was recently erected, and cost, together
with its furniture and equipment, in the
neighborhood of $l5, ZOO.
/ Corvallis has a school house of which she
my justly feel prond. 1t has cost the tax
! payers of the district about as much as the
school building at Medford, and like that
building, it has no protection in case of fire;
there are no fire hydrants in the immediate
vicinity.
| For the past three or four years the pee
| pie have heard waterworks talk until they
| are tired. Every few months the matter is
| revived in the council. Each time the sub
ject is brought up, the taxpayers have hoped
| that something would be accomplished to-
ward securing an increased water supply.
At the councils last meeting the fire and
water committee made report to tho effect
that the city should be pro 'ided with thirty
new kydrants, but the matter, after consil-
erable discussion, only ended. as all previous
efforts, in nothing but smoke
This question is of too much Importance
would seem that for the best interests of the
city special committee should be appointed
at the next meeting of the council to inves-
tigate the water system of other towns.
After so doing, the committee would be in a
position to report intelligently upon the
needs of Corvallis, as regards water supply.
With the data afforded from nsighboring
towns it would be an easy matter to draught
out the plans for entirely new system and
estimate the cost of its construction; also
from the data at hand could be made an ap-
proximate estimate of price the city could
afford to pay for the service.
When this is done in systematic way
the city will know what it wants, and what
it can afford to pay. Then a proposition
should be made the water company to ex.
tend it's plant in accordance with the plans
submitted by the committee with the under
standing that the present contract is to be
cancelled and new franchise granted the
company for term of. say twenty-five or
thirty years. With such valuable fran
chise the water eompsny would doubtless be
willing to grant the city numerous conces-
sions, and within five years Corvallis might,
if the matter is properly managed, have one
of the best and most complete water systems
of any town in the state.
It is useless to expect any Improvement
to the system under the present contract.
Under it the company can be forced to do
nothing in the way of extending the mains,
and of course it can be expected to do but
little of it's own volition under the present
arrangement and with no prospect that a
new centraet will be negotiated when the
present one expires in 1900. .--
1t is no longer possible to bond the city
for the putting IN of water system. Pub
lie sentiment has changed materially, re.
garding the city's ownership of the plant,
and our citizens almost unanimously favor
sums plan that will increase our water facil.
ties without increasing the ratio of taxation,
or advancing the cost of service.
Some such plan as outlined above seems
to be the only practicable one. If the coun-
Gil will take the matter up in busiuesslike
way and push it as its Importance deserves,
the deal could easily be closed by the first of
the year. All that is necessary to accom-
plish this result is to talk less and work
more.