The San Francisco call., 1897-02-04
Water and Water Supply Com
mittee Arranges the Pre-
liminaries.
The Company's Report Obi cted To
Yesterday and Additional De-
tails Demanded.

Dr. Z. A. Clinton, who presided, drafted
request for series OF detailed statements
from the company which will be forward
ed forthwith. The com mittee also recon-
mended the board to instruct that an in
o vestigation be made into the ou utside
sources OF water supply for the purpose
OF reporting upon and acquiring the same.
4lt:will be moved at the next meeting of
2 the board that the latter meet as COM
. mittee of the whole to discuss these mat
|. ters in detail, and at vest erday's meeting
the chairman of the board was empowered
to'procure the services of a stenographer
to take evidence on behalf of the City.
The. other members of the committee
present yesterday were Supervisors Dodge,
Britt, Rivers and Rottanzi. and Mayor
. Phelan was also in attendance.
The report submitted by the Spring
Valley Water Company was first dealt
with and objected to as much too vague
in character. Mayor Phelan pointed out
that the Information given as to receipts
and disbursements was insufficient, and
that the names of ratepayerswere no az
= ranged in alphabetical order.
1t was at this juncture that DR.. Clinton
suggested that the following communica-
tion: requesting additional particulars be
forwarded to the company:
Charles Webb RolCard Esq, President Spring
EdHeg water CompGny-DEAR SIR: AT meet
ing OF the ComDittee on Water and Water
Supply OF the Board of Supervisors, held this
day, the following detailed information was
pursuant to the statutes, required to be fur
nished by your company, 10 enable the board
to intelligently pass upon and determine the
water rates to be fixed and established for the
year commencing July l. 1897. AS the Boerd
OF Supervisors will meet in committee of the
whole in the first part OF next week I am in
s-rneted 10 request you to furnish these state
ments on or prior TO Wednesday, the 10th
inst, to wit:
Detailed statement OF the expenditure in
CURED under the heading OF operating ex-
penses; detailed statement of taxes paid in
= the dlrerent counties, and the assessed value
ot property belonging 10 the company; de-
1a4eo statement OF the real property owned by
the' company, used in the supply OF water
together with Its original cost and its present
valuation; detailed statement OF improvements
owned oy Ihe company, their valuation and
the uses to which they are devoted; detailed
statement of the personal prop rty owned by
the company. It's Valuation, condition and the
Uses to which it is applied; detailed statement
OF the pun ping plants, location, capa city.
uation and the cost OF msintenance; d tailed
statement OF the amount OF water drawn from
and furnished from the different sources for
the supply of the city and county and its in
, Bsb1tants; detailed statement of the amount
palo on account OF new construction and for
q permanent Improvements; detailed statement
OF the amount of bonds issued, outstanding
and. the rate OF Interest paid hereon; detailed
sta tement of the stock issued, and by whom
hid, and the amount of dividends paid there
:on during the year; detailed statement OF the
amount OF bonds and stock sold during the
. year 1880 ana The amount realized thereon
and'irE disposition.
The committee further requests you to ex-
plain your system OF keeping the Iatepayers'
accounts, IN order to enable tnis committee to
verify your statements and the reason why it
isnot arranged in alphabetical order for refer
ence. CHARLES A. CLINTON,
Chairman Committee Water and Water Supply
The foregoing was adopted. The Mayor
said that the company had failed to COM
ply with the statute, inasmuch as the
names Of some of the largest ratepayers
did not appear in the report.
On motion of Supervisor Dodge the
clerk OF the board was directed to have
the figures given in the report added, in
order to ascertain if the totals given were
correct.
DR.. Clinton informed the committee
that last Sunday, accom- panied by As
sistant Chief Engineer Shaughnessy, he
had driven over the greater portion OF the
City, and that during the tour they found
quite mum Der OF hydrants which, IN the
engineers judgment, could be dispensed
with; notably at the old fairgrounds. In
the course of a block and a half they
found ten hydrants protecting three or
four empty sheds. Six at least, in the en-
gineer's opinion, could be removed, and
thereby effect a saving OF $50 a month.
Throughout the City fifty or sixty could
be done away with on three or four inch
mains.
The clerk said that the Fire Department
would not recommend anything smaller
than a six-inch main, except in isolated
cases. AS to the hydrants at the race
track, Shaughnessy had explained that the
old sheds referred to were occupied by
lot OF stock kept there until recently.
In the course of further discussion, DR..
Cinton stated that in his opinion all the
| hydrants recommended by Chief Sullivan
we're really needed, and though there
0N%ere sixty hydrants of insufficient capa-
city, 1t would not be wise to deprive the
City OF them, but that larger mains should
'be laid to these hydrants, as the Engineer
advised. The latter was now engaged in
preparing map, which would show the
location OF every hydrant in the City.
Or. Clinton also informed the committee
that IN New York the hydrants were not
more than 250 feet apart, while here the
interval was three times as great.
An examination of the company's rate
schedule revealed the fact that no dis
tinction was made between rates as ap-
piled TO public or private dwellings, and
in this connection it was stated that the
Girls High School was charged S24 for
water last month.
"Supposing." said DR.. Clinton, 1--WE
placed meter in one of these schools
and found that it registered only $40 or
: SIS Would we be com mpelled under con-
Tract to pay $24 or $25?'
Toe clerk replied affirmatively.
The Mayor-To apply the same rate to
public buildings and dwelling houses is
preposterous. In the one case no water is
used except for drinking. There should
be separate schedule.
Finally on the motion of Supervisor
Britt it was decided to recon mend the
board 10 instruct the Water Inspector to
place meters in the following insi utions:
penman, Horsce Mann and Whittier
schools, the City and County Hospital
and the Alta plaza.
George Maxwell secretary OF the Fire
Department, waited on the committee to
1 give the memb bers verbal information re-
4 specting the bill now before the state Leg
Il islauure providing for f:eboat to be
built at the expense of the State and as
- signed by the Governor to any municipal
ity desirous of using 1t, in which case
such municipality will be required to man
and operate il at its own expense. Mr..
Maxwell said that the present boats be-
longing to the State were nothing but tug
boats, and, as they drew twelve feet of
water, they could not run into shallow
places. The bill provides Tor a boat of