The herald., 1897-08-03

| for the present, at least, and even should
your honorable body direct resumption
| of negotiations looking to this end much
| time must elapse before another conclu-
| sion could be reached
| Your committee deems it expedient
and wise to not complicate the situation
at present by taking any step which
| would interfere with the free intercourse
and active prosecution of negotiations
with the water company in the event the
| city should desire to resume the same
along any approved line. Nor would we
| advocate the abandonment of all effort
before and during the tendency of an
| ticipated negotiations.
| To utilize this enforced lapse of time,
and with the view of attaining an ulti-
mate complete plant at the earliest pos
| sible date, your committee asks the
prompt action of your honorable body in
| inaugurating the work of constructing a
| system of headworks, including main
supply conduit and high level reservoir,
| in accordance with the suggestions of
| the city engineer as contained in both
| his report on the estimated cost of a
new system and the available value of
the old plant In the former report Mr.
Dockweiler states:
Whether the city acquires the plant
of the present water works or builds an
Independent plant, in either case it will
be necessary to construct the upper
headworks, the main conduit leading
therefrom, the new reservoir and power
house, as we'll as main trunk lines.
Taking into considerable that this work
will require two years time for con-
struction, 1 earnestly urge upon you the
necessity of taking immediate steps to
commence operation. In case the pres
ent works are obtained, they will dove
tail into the plans in the manner hereto
fore presented, otherwise an independ-
ent system will have to be constructed -
In his latter report Mr. Dockweiler
under the heading of Value of Plant
cites two practical plans looking to the
utilization of the old plant, saying:
First plan-"To expunge every item
from the present plant which does not
commend itself, etc, to build two new
reservoirs, new headworks and main
conduits, etc.
Second plan-"The second plan would
embody the immediate construction of
new headworks, main conduit reser-
voirs, etc.
1t is thus made evident that the work
herein contemplated is a component fea-
ture of every contemplated system.
either new or old, and it is equally an
parent that its execution does not de-
pend upon the prior settlement of the
requirement of the old plant 1t is sep
arate and distinct from all other features
in its construction, yet susceptible of
utilization as part of each proposed
system. The desirability of its con-
struction is common ground on which
we can all stand and we submit that the
early commencement of the work is de-
sirable in order that the progress may be
materially advanced by the time a de-
cision is reached regarding the old plant
Contemporaneous with the institution
of the proceedings above outlined it an.
pears desirable to your committee te
reopen negotiations with the water com.
pany along the line of arbitration. The
wide monetary difference now existins
between the city's offer and the water
company's selling price renders hopeless
all expectation of an agreement alonf
| that line, and unless some mutually sat.
isfactory plan of procedure can In the
/ interim be decided upon, the question OF
the requirement of the old plant must re.
main in desuetude until the expiration