The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-21

On June s, a little more than two
weeks hence, there will be a special
election in Ogden to determine the
question of whether the city council
shall or shall not issue $3.50, 900 worth
of additional bonds for the purpose Of
acquiring water works system either
by construction or purchase.
Such in brief is the information
given by the official published notice.
There are many of Ogden's best citi-
zens who wish further information be-
fore voting on the proposition and as
matters stand the question seems in a
lair way to be decided not on it's
merits. The people of Ogden will be
very 10th to vote on such a PROPOSE
tion unless additional information is
furnished on several matters connected
with the proposed project. The crea-
ton of $250.000 more Indebtedness is a
serious matter and unless the details
are fully explained people will defeat
the proposed bond issue
The proposal is to acquire a water
works system either by purchase or
construction for $25O, 900. Will that
sum be enough to purchase the pres
ent system? VIII it be too much?
VIII II be enough to construct a new
system? VIII it be too much? Why
cannot these questions be answered
before the proposition comes to a vote :?
Are the present water works for
sale, and if so what are the terms on
which they are for sale? There should
be no great difficulty in getting an
answer TO that question.
Directors of the water works COM
pany and members of the city council
have already held conferences on this
subject. Is there something so COM
plicated and abstruse about the plan
that the public cannot be entrusted
with the knowledge of it?
In case the permission is voted to
issue the bonds and satisfactory ar
rangements can not be made with the
water works company what will be
the cost of constructing the
system? Will S250,000 be sufficient?
Until a plant is completed it is value
less.
Again what viii be the source of
supply for the system? In case the
rights of the Bench canal are acquired
will these rights be sufficient to fur
nish Ogden a water supply? Has the
bench canal any right to any water
during the dry season? Would it be
possible TO acquire the right of the
bench canal without giving its pres
ent shareholders perpetual free water
rights in the new system? In case
the new system be operated success
fully with such a perpetual drain on
its revenues? All these are questions
being asked every day and will be
asked with greater frequency as the
time for the election approaches. They
are perfectly proper questions. The
people cannot afford to make any mis-
take in such an important matter. The
money once voted, the control of it
passes fronnthem. They cannot undo
a mistake. made at the polls. Surely
the members of the city council have
facts and figures to answer such uues-
lions with. Otherwise they would not
have undertaken the project and
called the election. The Herald sug-
gests that an address to tax payers is
IN order from the city council and
suggests too that unless such cues
lions as are above indicated are
satisfactorily answered the PROPOSE
ton will be defeated June s, and de-
feated not because the voters disap-
prove OF municipal ownership of water
works but because they fear serious
mistakes might be made in endeavor-
ing to acquire such ownership.