The Advocate and news., 1898-11-09
CITY WATERWORKS.

upon lne important QuehLlOu vi inc CITY
ownership Of waterworks. We sincerely
hope that they will not forget the date
nor the Importance Of this subject and
that they will take the time and go to
the polls and express their desire upon
the question of the water supply for the
people Of this city. Seventeen years ago
the city granted charter to a Kansas
corporation composed Of Topeka men to
establish plant and supply water to the
city and It's people. The ordinance con-
tanned a schedule Of rates for supplying
water and that schedule was of course
based upon the situation as it then ex-
listed. The city at that time had about
15, 900 inhabitants and a total assessed
value Of 100000. Now the city has
about 10000 people and an assessed value
Of over $10000,000. What was reason
able rate for water seventeen years ago
might, and undoubtedly would be, an un-
reasonable and extOrtionate rate at the
present time. Last December the city
council passed an ordinance lowering the
water rates about 20 per cent. But the
water company at once applied to the
United States court and obtained tenn
porary injunction preventing the city
from enforcing this new ordinance, thus
compelling the citizens to continue pay
ing the same rates that they had to pay
seventeen years ago and placing over the
city one phase Of government by in
junction. That case Is still pending and
original water company had capital
stock OF 100000, but since that time,
through devious speculative methods the
plant has passed into the control of
New Jersey corporation where 1t now
seems to have been loaded with stock
and bonds amounting to eight or ten
times the value of the entire plant. But
the charter of the New Jersey corpora
tion shows that there were but three in
corporators and that only $1,000 Of the
capital stock was actually subscribed and
paid This shows the rank and reckless
speculation that has been carried on over
so important a subject as supplying so
great a necessity as water to the people
of Topeka, and which involves the life,
the health, the safety and the comfort Of
forty thousand people who have not been
consulted in the least in regard to what
was being done. Surely the people Of
this city are far more greatly interested
in their water supply than New Jersey
or any other corporation possibly could
be- The corporation Is interested only
in its income and profits and it would
like to have the water rates so high that
the people of this city would be Obliged
to pay an income on the total amount Of
its inflated stock and bonds. About one
third Of the population of the city is in
what are called "dry districts" into
which the water company refuses to ex-
tend the water mains because they think
it would not pay them to do so. These
dry districts have paid their taxes for
many years to help maintain fire de-
partment and yet have not had any pro-
lection from it nor benefit from the water
company. If the city controlled its own
waterworks it could supply these dry dis
tricts with water and fire protection and
furnish water to the people at actual
cost, The proposition to be voted on
next Saturday Is for or against the city
ownership of the waterwOrks. If this
proposition is carried the city will then
procure the present plant at its actual
fair value or else build an entirely new
plant, and in either event the city will
own and control it's own water supply.
Water is an absolute necessity to the peo-
pie and the city. The very life, the
health, the safety and the comfort of the
people depend upon an ample and eff
cient supply of pure, wholesome water.
Such an absolute necessity ought not
L. .N.rkg.