The San Francisco call., 1898-02-09
Reservoirs of the Company Should Contain Supply Suf=
 fiCient for Three Years.
Money Has Been Collected From Rate=Payers to Build Pumping Works and Provide
 Adequate Storage.

The Spring Valley Water Works, through its president, Charles Webb Howard, sends this petition to the Board of Supervisors, asking that the old rates heretofore established for the year commencing July l, 1895, be re- stored:
 SAN FRANCISCO Feb. I. 1898. To the Honorable Board of Supervisors of the
 City and County of San Franciscan
 The Spring Valley Water Works respectfully represent that to the present date the condi- tions as to rainfall and catchment of water therefrom have been such that water what ever has been added to the storage supply of the company in Its reservoirs that all in dications point to what Is usually termed 8 ''dry winter; that the present and probable situation in this behalf has compelled and will compel the company to make large ex- penditures in way of new works and machin- cry, and to resort almost constantly to the pumping of water to insure safe and ade- Quate supply for the consumption of the city and its inhabitants and for adequate fire protection during the coming year; that such pumping and new works have, for the reasons stated, become positive necessaries, and are now being constructed. plant at Crystal Springs and one at Millbrae, besides the plant lately built and now running at San Andreas reservoir; that thereby without any compen- sating increase in revenue the operating expenses of the company are largely increased and its interest account upon the capital in- vested made greater; that the estimated cost of such new and absolutely necessary works and machinery is the sum of S670. 900, or more. and the extra and unusual cost of pumping for the year will be about ss0,000 and that besides these amounts new forty-four inch pipe was necessary Qaid from San Andreas In place of a thirty inch pipe) at cost of about s2s6. 900; basis of the works in use before these extra expenditures for construction and maintenance had been incurred. at time when the water supplied by pumping. as compared with gravi- tation, approximately small; that such basis for the coming year is not fair or equita- ble and will not produce to the company suf- COmDeQSate service, to permit 1t to incur the extra in terest on this and other new construction and the extra operating expenses demanded by the circumstances In its duty to the public: but that without such additional and extraordinary expenses for works and machinery and without such pumping and the consequent in- crease of operating expenses. the supply of water, the storage Of which has been largely reduced by the wasteful use during the past year, will of necessity be limited and insuff- cient the ensuing
 Therefore, the undersigned represents that the present rates work injustice to the com psny and will impair its ability to render such efficient prudent and full service as in the board, by proper proceedings, to restore the rates heretofore established for the year com mencing July l, 1895.
 SPRING VALLEY WATER WORKS,
 By Charles Webb Howard. President.
 This is the old, old story. The rate payers, after paying for thirty years or more the interest on bonds and all the vast sums of money which have enabled the corporation to pay divi- dends on its stock, are now asked to come forward again and pay for more machinery and pumping works and the cost of pumping. Going back as far as 1886, when Washington Bartlett was Mayor, one can find definite and interesting figures. Solon Pattee. the expert, then reported that the com pany had up to that time expended $11 100000 in dividends and had collect ed more than $22,OOO, 900 in water rates.
 An accurate statement of dividends paid to date would startle the public. The amount of money that the com pany has collected on water rates, added to the amount obtained by the