The San Francisco call., 1898-07-24
IN MONOPOLY GREEDY HANDS Exorbitant Rates for
 Water. STOCKTON'S POOR SUPPLY NOT ADEQUATE TO THE NEEDS
 OF THE CITY.
Officials Pledged to Municipal Own ership Have Made No Move to Carry Out Their
 Promises.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

the long suffering city of Stockton will own its own waterworks is drawing near. Public sentiment is ripe for a decisive move in that direction, and all that impedes the carrying out of the wishes of the public is vacillating City Council. So strong are the peoples de- mands, that it is hard to see how the Council can longer delay granting re- lief. It may be said without exaggera- ton that there is no open champion ship of the Stockton Water Company. The only influence at work to coun- teract the wave of public sentiment is that which is created by the few pc culiarly interested in seeing the present company continue it's grip on the con- sumers.
 An actual necessity exists for the city taking charge of it's water supply. This arises from two causes, the most press ing of which is the inability and in disposition of the company to supply the city with even a reasonably limited quantity of water. The second is that no matter what kind of a schedule of water rates is fixed by the Council, the company always manipulates it so as to charge an eXOrbitant rate for mis- erable service.
 For weeks the pressure has been so weak on the pipes that water could not be drawn from a faucet in a second story. Worse than this, there are hours at a time when it seems like an effort for a faucet on a ground floor to give bucket of water. For some time the public was misled by statements from the company to the effect that repairs were being made, but now the time has long since passed when the company promised better things.
 The source of supply is artesian wells at the east of the city. and the quality seems to be as woefully lacking as the quantity. The water is simply becom- has made no effort to increase the supply by sinking addi- tional wells, it is hardly thought 1t would endanger its large dividends by establishing a new plant with a view of improving the quality of the water.
 Assessor Ortman has found it very difficult to get any facts concerning the profits of the company, but enough is known to show that the dividends must be enormous. It is conseryatiVely es- tlmated that the entire plant could be duplicated for S175,000 But the credit for investing this much does not be- long to the company, as a few years ago 1t obtained possession for less than nominal consideration of fairly good plant belonging to the city. This, of course, has become part of the gen. eral system. No plant can ever be op- erated on a cheaper basis than is this one by the owners. Practically all of the cost is in maintaining a small pumping plant and a local office.
 The managers of the company, on their part, claim to be paying interest on bonds which by their own state ments equal the estimate given of the amount invested. By their way of com putting values these bonds should be added to the value of the plant and on the result the council should fix the lawful rate to be charged. But when | it comes to making assessment the 1 bonds should be deducted from the ! value, which leaves a very insignifi- cant amount for the Tax Collector to handle. A very just estimate of what consumers are paying may be arrived at by comparison of the local sche- dule and that of Oakland It will show that for this miserably inadequate ser vice the people of Stockton are paying on an average 75 per cent more than the Oaklanders. The people down there came near hanging their Council men for perpetrating on them sche- | dule 75 per cent lower than that ir Stockton. Be it remembered also that this city pays for every drop of water used in sprinklng it's streets
 1 Consumers were led to believe that rates would be lower after July 1. But where the company has lost on one item an effort is being made to more than make 1t up on others. No item where raise is possible has escaped the keen manager of the company. He found numerous openings on restau. rants, hotels and rooming houses When the keeper of small restaurant laid his customary $2 on the counter the other day he was informed that his bill hereafter would be $4 50 It was explained to him that the raise was lawful. Several others in the snme blcck have had similar experiences
 The action of the company in the mat ter of rates and the aggravations oc. cIsioned through the unreliabi1ity o1 the supply has given boom to the well borers. These firms are daily refusins new contracts, as they have forty wells to sink within thirty days. It would thus seem that the companys actior is calculated to lose it many patrons while the question of municipal owner. ship hangs fire. The question has vir. tually resolved itself into one of sell preservation to the people of this city They must have healthful water fo1 necessary uses, and they must have reasonable rates. It seems that the company Is not inclined to grant either
 The municipal platform of the Re publicans, upon which they elected William Inglis Mayor and portion o1 the Council, pledged the party tc municipal ownership. The city has the 1 option of taking charge Of it's owr mains and compensating the company for such as it has put in. The present city government has been in power g year and no move has been made. The local press is without exception favor able to giving the people charge of this most necessary service. The actual growth and prosperity of the city de bends on early and favorable action or the peoples demands. The City Coun. ell holds the key. The voters have ar eye on their servants and very soor each will be put on record.