The San Francisco call., 1897-08-26
MAYOR NJ P. SNYDER, h, Asserts That Los Angeles VII
Probably Own and Control Her Water Works Within Year

City nearly week quietly attending to
some business connected with the pros
pective change.
He started from here last night By train
on his way back to Los Angeles, leaving,
as he said, verything moving along
smoothly and indicative CT success TO the
a!limportant project.
The city of Los Angeles actually owns
her water supply now. a little over
twenty nine years ago it was leased by the
city for thirty years to a private corpora
ton,
The water company's lease expires on
July %, 1898.
There is difficulty over the terms OF
settlement incident to the final transfer
back to the city. The original contract
declares tuat at the expiration of the lease
the city shall pay The water company for
the pipe lines and all other i'm provements
made in the thirty years. talso provides
that taree arbltrators shall determine the
cost or value OF these i'm provements; one
of the arbitrators 10 be appointed by the
water company and one by the city, and
the third chosen by the other two.
The city expected that there would be
difference OF opinion as 10 values when
the time for the transfer should arrive.
It said nothing, but asked the water COM
pany some little time ago for an itemlZed
list Of all the added properties and I'M
provements, and the com pany furnished
1t. The City Engineer then went care
fully and painstakingly to work with this
data. de ascertained not only the cost
OF each piece of property but its va ue
and the cost of each separate piece OF Work.
With all these details he estimated the
total value of Improvements 10 be
81, 100, 640
The water company was then asked for
its valuations. Its reply was So 600. 600.
To quote Mayor Snyder: Nv hen we
produced our engineers report 1t para
lived the water company. 1t is one of the
most complete and splendid reports of
separate items OF water Improvements
possessed by any city in this country.
They saw that no arbitrator could get
around the city's valuation, it was so
carefully ite mized. The water company
is now delaying the appointment of arbi-
traitors contrary to the agree ement."
Some time ago, says Mayor Snyder. the
city made an effort to buy tract of go
acres in a favorable location for head
works for the water system. The owners
orieinaIiy offered TO sell the land for
10000 A jury afterward placed a value
of $50 600 on the properly during con-
demuation proceedings. Now the owners
refuse TO sell at any price. They have ap-
pealed to the Supreme Court and Its deci-
sion will not be rendered before October
The city's daily supply OF water is 1850
miners inches, OF which the water COM
pany owns but SIX inches, although 1t pays
on the basis of ten inches.
By building an extensive headworks and
sinking dams TO bedrock Mayor Snyder
gays he city proposes TO demonstrate 10
the wa er com pany that the company does
not own an inch OF water, but that the
little excess they claim to have developed
comes really from city sources.
The City Attorney has reported faVora-
bly, upon the proposed head works tract
and bonds are 10 be issued.
Ninety-fve ger cent of the taxpayers oil
Los Angeles would vo te to pay the water
company on the basis of the City Eugi-
neer's report, but the voters wouId not