Evening journal., 1898-12-30
nm WlATER srRPLrs.

commentator for turning a surplus Of
$S6.sss.C2 over to City Council. It sim
ply indicates that the board has
squeezed that much more money than
it needed FOR It's water service out OF
the property owners Of the city. BY
making the water rates higher itmight.
with equal ease, turn over 500, 600 OF
100000 next year The people must
have water and any demand made by
the department must be acceded to
until the people arise and turn out men
who show a disposition to bleed them
Tor the sake OF declaring a surplus.
We would remind the Board OF
Water Commissioners that the water
system Of Wilmington belongs 10 the
people and that they are merely the
peoples agents. The system was put
in for public convenience and safety
and not for public extorton. Owners
Of property should only be compelled
to pay for water service their pro rata
share OF the expense Of MAINTAINING
the department in a state OF efficiency
under an honest and economical al
minlsgrauon. It is senseiess to squeeze
out Of them for other uses nearly SiOO
600 more than the legitimate cost o.
the water supply.
The financial statement of the de
parsment for the year shows that the
total receipts were si64, ,O6s.32, and the
expenditures s77 7.2297O. We do not
think that this showing is credNable
to William II. Porter, Alfred Belts
and Washington Hastings, The commits
sioners. If the yearly expenses Of the
department. are but approximately $780,
COO, why ehould the commissioners
make the water rates 80 high that the
revenue derived for the expenses Of the
department is si65,000 in round fig
ures2 Is there any dpccial cause in
this for gratih,ation on the part Of the
people? Can the commissioners lay any
general orspecialcAimtosuperior busi-
ness capacity when they make man
dAtory and indcxihle schedules which
they know by past experience, will not
only bring them IN an the money they
need for the conduct Of the affairs OF
the department hrt leave them many
thousands Of dollars whlch they cannot
honestly expend for the public benefit
1t is not fnanclerlng, but juggling with
figures in the hope that it win delud,
the taxpayers.
We do not believe that the act Of the
General Assembly creating the Board
Of Water Commissioners ever contem.
plated that the department should con.
situte itself a slirplus-producing body
or that it should, fer the sake Of gratl
Tying the personal vanity Of the com
missioners or serving the purposes o.
political workers. charge the peopl,
twice as much for a service as thai
service costs. and then endeavor ts
blind them with that glistening thin,
called a surp,us We do not imagin,
that the trainers Of the law evel
dreamed that the Beard of Water Com
missioners would evolve into the pa
tron and aimoner Of City COuncil. an,
say to the councilmen from year I,
year Here, gentlemen, you are har,
up, and we have substantial Christ
mas present which we trust Will eae
your financial distress And yet tha
is what il has come to. We admit tina
the Board Of Wetcr Commissioner
cannot forctel to a penny or dora
or thoueand dollars just what tn
needs of the department. may bc. O
What cmergeueios may arise for an ex
traordinary expenditure OF money. bu
il does nu need a leeway Of from $50
goo to $4,000 in making IFS esiimaaes
Other deparmenss. much more cam
plex in their operation, can caicu,at
20 "A degree Of nlcefy just how muo
money they win need FOR the hscs
year. II the Water Commissioners ar
possessed Of the business acumen wit
which they are credited and whic
they do not hesitate to claim for them
selves they can do #, too, and max
me water rates just high enough {
meet the legitimate expenses Of the de
parfment. Year after year they hav
been squeezing the people and declaI
ing a surplus until It has become a rec
cgnized item on the estimate list q
City Council. which Is. and because q
its represenrativs character. ought I
be. the financial body Of the city m
people DO not want surplus fcl
the Water Department. Neither 9
they wan deficit They want th
ccmmiesoneIs 10 use their mental an
written arithmetic more and their pei
aopal vanity less in making charge
for city water. Taxes are supposed I
be levied % raise sufficient money
meet the lilsi and reasonable demand
of sc7ernmeni Eu-rilora.c taxato
and iugsllng with fgu-es have led {
more trouble IL ths world than man
rfhn~ rhfnrc r-~nff-,-1 --rs.l.