The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-02-18
West of Castro-Street Property
Owners Demand Better
Service.
MAJOR M'KINNE'S CHARGES
Why Pipes Were Not Laid on the Cor
bett Road-Supervisor Hobbs
Lonely mo"

In quiet, unassuming way, that showed
that it was thoroughly familiar with the
subject with which it was dealing. the
Board of Supervisors listened last evening
10 q half hour talk from Herman Schuss-
Ter, the engineer of the Spring Valley
Water Company, and then fixed water
rates for the ensuing year.
When the matter of rates came up at the
meeting of the 10th inst, q resolution was
introduced setting last evening as the time
for meeting as a committee of the whole to
consider the question. Consequently when
the board adjourned yesterday afternoon
to meet at 7:30 o'clock, a number of the
Supervisors supposed it was to be simply .
committee meeting. The nature of the ad-
journment, however, made it a special
meeting of the board, with power 10 fix
rates. Those present were: Supervisors
bunker, Hobbs, Wagner, Hirsch, Scully,
King, Benjamin, Hughes and Morgen-
stern.
Immediately after being called to order
and electing Supervisor Benjamin as
chairman, the board went into committee
of the whole and requested those who had
anything TO say on the matter of rates to
address the com mittee.
Mr.. Schussler availed himself of the in
vitation and asked the committee not to
disturb present existing rates. He said
that the company had been under vast
expense during the past year in increasing
its facilities for supplying water to the resi-
dents of San Francisco and would be in
the same position during the twelve
months TO come. Under the circumstances
he believed that it would be an injustice
to the company to disturb the present
rates.
The attorney for the corporation and
several other employees were present with
Mr.. Schussler. and whenever the latter fell
short of material to convince the board of
the needs OF the company they coached
him with figures and statements.
Referring to the communication of the
Grand Jury to the board relative to the
water rates charged shipping, Mr. Shuss-
Ter said that 1t any discrimination had
been practiced he did not know of it. and
that he thought ships were not charged
high rates when the difficulties under which
they were served were taken into consider
alton. He said that the company was
willing TO meet the board more than half
way in adjusting the matter to the salts
faction OF all concerned.
Major Barna Mckinne, the only one
present aside from Supervisors, Spring
Valley representatives and reporters, and
who said that he repre- sented the West of
Castro-street Improvement Club and TO-
600 other people, then addressed the meet
ing. Major Mckinne said that the people
he represented had been paving water
rates for years and not receiving supply
half the time.
During the summer months" he said,
these people are without water from
i
that might start at any time and sweep
away their homes. The same condition
OF affairs exists during a part of the
winter, and we think it is time the matter
wac remedied.
The company has been promising and
promising TO arrange its system so that we
can be protected until we have become
tired. We want water, and we want this
board to delay fixing rates until the COM
pany will agree to do the necessary work
at once. 1t makes no difference to the
company whether we get water or not
they charge US Just the same, and it is an
outrage.
"Lastyear when water rates were fixed
the board agreed to see that the company
did what was right by US, but we are still
waiting for the fultiliment of that promise
We ask you to insist that our district be
protected from fire, ii nothing more, be.
fore you give the company what it asks. y
IN answer 10 MAJOR Mch1nne, MI
Schussler stated that all preparations h o
been made to lay adequate mains in the
district under discussion, but after the big
fire south of Market street Chief Sullivan
of the Fire Department had demanded a
better system in that portion of the CITY
and the pipes that had been intended for
the Corbett road had been used and more
ordered from the East, where all are pur.
chased.
THAT kind of talk is all right" said
Major Mckinne, "but we want water and
not promises. We want the board to take
q decided stand in this natter
Then Mr.. Schussler said that the com
pany would have water piped into the dis
trict west Of Castro street within three
months.
Without anv further discussion the
board rose as committee and went into
regular session. Chairman Morganstern
OF the committee rendering a report rec.
ommending that the rate be fixed at the
same figures as during the past year. The
same Supervisor then offered resolution
that the board fix rates at the old figure
IN fact re-enact the old ordinance. With
the exception of Supervisor Hobbs those