The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-05

formation. This information is being
gradually furnished and a chapter of
ii is set forth in Mr.. Rowe's letter,
extracts from which are here pub
lished:
To the Editor of The Herald:
Ny attention having been attracted by
an article which appeared in the morning
Standard of May Is, signed by the honor
able mayor of ogden City, deem - my
duty. as president of the Bear River r.
rigation and Ogden Waterworks com
DanY. to enlighten the public on few
questions which the mayor dwellS upon,
and questions which are being discussed
daily by the citizens of Ogden City. The
mayor seems TO think there has been a
great damage done TO someone by the
company not building a canal from Bear
river TO flow into Ogden river.
Any fair-minded citizen knows too well
that a great many large undertakings
have failed on account of the general de-
preston of business and scarcity of
money. These are things no one can help
or avoid The company spent nearly
100000 on this branch of the canal, and 1t
still remains in that unfinished condition
In the first place, to what extent has
Ogden City been damaged2 The mayor
seems to be under the impression some
one has been damaged to the amount of
S5OO.000 He says the present system is
not what it should be. The reservoir IS
too small. and not properly constructed.
and the best cast iron pipe has not been
used.
When the present system of water
works was built, the city council appoint
ed committee, who Investigated the pipe
question and recommended Kalamine pipe
Iney also inspected the building OF the
system and accepted it. We were COM
PEELED at that time TO build a water sys-
TEN suitable to the wishes of the council
who were in office, and should we change
every TWO years, to conform TO the ideas
of some of the city officials, the company
would be making changes continually.
Had the present company completed their
canal and spent half a million dollars, II
is true the money would have been spent
here. the same as the money Was spent
here for building the present system
Should an individual or company make a
similar investment. it would be unwise,
fog some future council might deem 1t
advisable to attempt to confiscate their
property or endeavor to handicap them
to such extent that their investment
would be worthless.
The mayor states in his letter that the
fire hydrants under the present contract
cost the city $75 each per annum- If we
were TO charge according to the terms of
the contract, this statement would be
true. but. as matter of fact, for the
past two years the city has only paid the
present company $50 each for fire
hrdrantS for the first 100 hydrantS and
SIS each for all over a hundred, which re-
ductlon has voluntarily been made by the
company. Then the company had to dis
count their warrant 10 per cent leaving
net revenue to the company of S54 for
each hydrant. The company has also re-
duced their rates about 90 per cent since
they took charge OF the waterworks. Do
these look like boom prices?
If the voting for $4,000 bonds to build
waterworkS does not mean that the coun-
ell is going to issue bonds for that
amount and build a water system, why
should the public be called upon TO vote
at all? If the city should build a water
system and reduce rates in accordance
with the mayors message, namely so per
cent then pay interest on $3.50, coo at per
cent-Sl5,00 per annum, and set aside
$1,000 each year into sinking fund to
pay the bonds. this would be an outlay of
$4,000 each year; to say nothing of the
people on the bench who have been prom
ised water free. and additional expense
for operating and maintaining the sys-
TEN.
The mayor and President WardIeigh
claim they are unable TO get an interview
or any satisfaction from the water COM
pany. This is untrue. l have had, in the
past week or ter days, several meetings
with the mayor and with some of the
councilmen, and l stated to them that
the company was ready to adjust rates
and make a reduction of from 10 to 1913
per cent, which, taking into consideration
that the company have already made a
reduction of nearly so per cent from the
old city water rates, is quite a large re-
duction- If ii is the desire of the mayor
and council TO save the citizens money,
why not accept of a reduction which
would be saving to the city and to the
water consumers.
Salt Lake is said to have the cheapest
water rates of any city in the United
States. Compare our rates with theirs,
then draw your own conclusions as to
the exorbitant rates we are charging in
Ogden Salt Lake owns her waterworks
| system and it is operated by the city.
LAIr. Rowe here presents nearly a col
umn schedule. alphabetically arranged,
showing
of the two cities. The tabulation cor
roborates Mr. Rowe's claim.-Ed.l
The present company are supplying Og-
den City with water for all the public
parks, the city hall, Jail, all school build
ings, fire station, street sprinkling and,
in fact. all water used for public build
lngs tree. The amount OF water SO sup
piled would amount to about $500 per
annum if the city paid for the same The
city pays for fire hydrants about $1,000
per annum, but the company are put TO
the expense of keeping them in repair
| each year.
The water company pays a yearly tax
on its property of 5000.
THE CITY's BUSINESS.
The citys present bonded Indebtedness
| Is S50S.O00. On June 10 the city will again
offer for sale bonds amounting to $50. 600
and on June they ask the taxpayers TO
vote $4,000 more. making a total bonded
| Indebtedness of $685., 900. They are paying
5 per cent on SS50,000 and they are paying
6 per cent on $l5S, 600; say they pay pei
cent on the new bonds-S339 600. This
would make an annual interest to be
paid of SAG. $50. This is for interest alone
and does not include an amount which
Will be set aside each year as a sinking
! fund to pay OF the bonds when they fall
/ due.
KEEP MONEY AT HOME.
The position at present which all bust
ness men are considering is how to re-
/ duce taxes. and not increase them. A
rumor which has been current on the
streets IS that the water company send
| their money away from home. Where
| does the interest on above bonds go? Is
I there 81 of the interest the city pays re-
/ tanned even in this state?
will state that not 81 of the water
company's money is sent away for inter
est or dividends, but, on the contrary. we
/ have put into our enterprise a large
amount of new money far exceeding oul
/ entire revenue, and yet the honorable
mayor recommends litigation and con-
| fiscat-on of property where capital was