The San Francisco call., 1898-03-08
LOS ANGELES
 COUNCILMEN
 ARE DUPED Month of Valuable Time Needlessly
 w asted. Waited Patiently for the Water Company's
 Inventory. Receive Instead a Letter That Gives Absolutely No h.
 formation. THE MONOPOLY DEFIANT. Again Shows It's Contempt for the Lawmakers of the South
 ern Metropolis.
Receive Instead Letter That
 Gives Absolutely No In- formation.
THE MONOPOLY DEFIANT.
Again Shows It's Contempt for the Lawmakers of the South
 ern Metropolis.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

LOS ANGELES, March 7-The water company to-day made answer to the Council resolution requesting an inven- tory of the property it took over from the city thirty years ago. and of the improvements made since then. The answer is signed by the attorneys for the water company-White & Monroe and J. s. Chapman-and is addressed to the City Attorney.
 The tenor of the letter indicates that the four weeks which have been con- sumed in obtaining it have been wasted Another month has passed and what was sought has not been obtained, nor will it be. The water company stock holders have united themselves and will now proceed to fight municipal control of the plant to the bitter end. They have buried all their differences and are enlisted for a war against the peo- pie of Los Angeles, in which they will be supported by the syndicated daily press. The Times, Herald and Ex- press will do the bidding of the com pany on all occasions.
 The company says that it is ready to sell at a reasonable price. That reas- enable price is $3,0O0, O0O-just s2.O0O,000 more than the value of the plant as es- timated by the City Engineer.
 The litigation over the ownership of the water of the Crystal Springs drags its weary way through the Superior Court and it will probably be hung up for years to come. AS time goes by 1t becomes more clearly evident that the water company does not intend to give up the city's plant at the expira- tion of the lease. The following is the letter the water company has sent to the City Attorney in answer to the call for information:
 Yours of the 14th ult. has been sub mitted to us, together with the resolution of the Council to which 1t refers. We are not sure that we exactly understand what is intended by this resolution. If refer enee is made to the property received by the Los Angeles City Water Company we required the replacing of the wooden pipes with iron pipes, which. was done nearly thirty years ago, and that the re- mainder of the old city water works has long since gone to decay and has been replaced improved and extended by the Los Angeles City Water Company, and ments under the contract and there is nothing in the hands of the Los Angeles City Water Company. in the shape of water works received from the city.
 If the reference is to the works con- structed by the Los Angeles City Water Company we would remind you that both
 
 Company and the Los Angeles City Water Company furnished a schedule to the water supply committee of the City Coun- cil of all their properties nearly year ago and which said properties were ex- amined by the City Engineer and all the information that we possessed was given mittee at that time. Since that time some additional improvements have been made. We have also, or could quickly compile, in general terms a complete list or in- ventory of all the property of both com panieS, but have supposed that the city was in full possession of all those things It is but recently that we have entered into stipulation with you in the United States Court concerning the pipes, fire hydrants and reservoirs of the Los Ange- les City Water Company.
 If, however, the meaning of the resolu- tion Is that the Council desires a specific statement from us of our claims under what we claim is not under the terms of the contract, we would answer that the Crystal Springs Land and Water Company Is the owner of certain lands, rights of way, waters and water rights and conduits which we claim are not i'm provements under the terms of the con- tracts, but constitute the property of the Crystal Springs Land and Water Com pany.
 However. it has never been our inten- ton to raise any hair-splitting distinc- tionS on the meaning of the term i'm provements,' as used in the contract. It would doubtless be a matter of interpre- tation were we disposed to make any con- troversy about it. and that tnterpreta- tion could be made as well by you as by us. and we suppose that the inter pretation of neither party to the con- tract would be conclusive upon the other; but it has always been our desire to avoid any question of that kind. and to say to the Council again, as we have said before, that we are ready to sell all of the property of the Crystal Springs Land and Water Company and of the Los Angeles City Water Company upon receiving ade- quate compensation.
 Finally, if any further or more specific information is desired we will supply the same to the best of our ability; but re- quest that inquiries regarding the same be definite as practicable, as with the ex- schedule was furnished you. we are not aware of any property belonging to either company of which you have not already detailed statement