The San Francisco call., 1898-03-03
WOODWAR
 MAY CARRY
 A BIG GUN Councilman Granted Permission to Pro- tect His Person. Grand Jury Looking Into the Extraordinary
 Water Situation. Mayor Thomas Says No One Recommended His Latest
 Appointee. WHAT IT MAY MEAN. cor,hin.d Companies May Be De-
WHAT TT MAY MEAN.
Combined Companies May Be De- signing the Shutting Out of
 Competition.
oakland Office San Francisco Call.

oakland Office San Francisco Call,
 sos Broadway, March 2.
 The AIameda County Grant Jury be- gan It's promised investigation to-day into the water scandal. The council men who are not of the Solid Six, the Mayor. City Attorney Dow, City Clerk ,r,,nnkins and Secretary Harry Thou1- as e,f the Board of Public Works were on hand. and spent some hours in the 1 oorr.dors Several of them were before tho inouisitors, but the day was spent i, finding out how the Council had pre- eeaded to fix rates and what testimony tbev had taken. President Pringle who attended all the meetings oe the Fire and Water Committee. was the. first witness. and he was in the room nearly an hour.
 The jurors were particularly anxious to know from the Mayor, who had rec | commended Woodward for the vacancy caused by Fibush's resignation. The Mayor said that he had not received any recommendation, but had appoint ed him because he thought he was a good man for the office. The Mayor also said that the resignation of MT. Fibush was a complete surprise to him, as he had not anticipated any such ac- T ton.
 City Attorney Dow's presence gave rise to the belief that not only were water rates under discussion but that the other numerous stories of bribery that have hung over the City Hall for the past six months were also under investigation. MT. Dow is supposed to be in possession of a secret regarding the recent appointment of the police l~o int
 Councilmen Upton, Rowe. Cuveilier, 1 Pringle and Girard were on hand, but all could not be heard in one day. They spent hours discussing matters in the hall, but not more than one- 1 half the witnesses testified. The pres ence of Harry Thomas lent color to the rumor that the Grand Jury intends to take up more than the water rate busf- ness, for Harry can know but little of that, although 1t is probably presumed that he may be possessed of other in formation.
 The Grand Jury will meet again to- morrow afternoon and the Solid Six may get chance later to explain their votes.
 The water rate question is being brought very prominently before the people this week, and in a manner that appeals very forcibly to them. This is 1 the first week in which the companies | 1 them under the existing ordinance, and l people are more than ever impressed with the fact that the existing ordi- nance will provide ample income for l the companies. The cutting has been so deep while the competition lasted 1 that in many instances not more than one-fourth the legal rates were charged, and in very few did the 1 charge amount to one-half. Yet even with these cut rates the two companies last year did fairly well and had they collected all that the law allowed they would have had surplus.
 It is this proof of the sufficiency of the income allowed under the existing ordinance that is increasing the fndig- nation among the rate payers and which is spurring them on to see if something cannot be done to prevent the job that is now almost legalized.
 It is being realized as each water rate payer visits the companys office that the ordinance prepared by the commit tee is more than generous, and as this fact becomes more plain the enormity of the proposed steal stands out more clearly.
 The idea is now dawning upon Oak land that the positive stand taken by the water companies is for no other purpose than to crowd out competition. and the high rates are wanted not so much for the income they will bring as fer the possibility that such an income will create. This possibility is the en- hanced value that the stock of the com panies will at once gain and the fur ther opportunity of unloading the stock upon some investors not familiar with local conditions.
 When MT. Dingee was before the committee he could not say anything about the value of the plant, but he did know that there are out three mill H. He stated that none of this is on the market. and consequently has no mar ket quotation, and he also said it was held mostly by himself and MT. Hay ward Shculd this stock be unloaded. no interest could possibly be paid on it. and after time the two plants would be merged, and Oakland will have only the old Contra Costa Company.
 Major Woodward applied for and was given permission to-day by Mayor Thomas to carry gun.
 Woodward at Washinuton.
 WASHINGTON. D. C., March "A member of the California delegation said to The Call correspondent to- night: There are a dozen candidates for pension agent at San Francisco, but one thing is certain. the name of E. w. Woodward, Oaklands disgraced city councilman, will not be considered any further. He stood good chance for the appointment, and probably would have been recommended by the Califor nia delegation, but for the revelation as contained in The Call that reached here today
 Alameda News Notes.
 ALAMEDA March "A windmill. tank and platform on the premises of Thomas White. at 2z2S Pacific avenue, collapsed af hnndinr ha q