The herald., 1898-01-20

osition could not be submitted or tn
bonds legally issued hereunder unles
the amount required were first accu
rately determined and the purpose t
which the funds were to be applied def
nitely stated. 1t would have been pre-
mature for the reason stated by the cit.
engineer in his recent report to tn
council, that the city could not under
take the construction of headworks un
til certain pending litigation witt
Pomeroy & Hooker involving title
to the lands and water rights neces
sary for new headworks is settled. Il
would also be premature to begin the
construction Of a complete system OF
water works until it is first definitely
settled whether, under arbitration, the
city would be legally bound to take and
pay for the Improvements of the water
company, and if so, the amount of ex-
pense involved.
We quote from the report of the city
engineer filed with the council on the
10th of this month:
The city has won the suit for the con-
demnation of the Pomeroy & Hooker
lands and paid the amount of the judg-
ment (S25, ,0OO) into court. The owners
of the land, Messrs. Pomeroy and
Hooker, took an appeal to the supreme
court of this state, which appeal is now
pending, but it is confidently expected
that a decision in the case will be
handed down at an early date. If the
case is decided in favor of the city, then
the city should Immediately call an
election for bonds sufficient to build the
headworks. main supply conduit. mid
dlelevel and high level reservoirs pump
ing station, force mains and main trunk
lines of the distribution system and
commence the actual work of con-
structing the same as soon as possible.
This work must be done whether the
city acquires the present plant or
builds an entirely new system. Until
the headworks site is settled nothing
can be done. 1t certainly would not be
policy to expend any money in con-
formity with a plan and then. after
perhaps. the work is half finished. be
confronted with the alternative, in
case the city lost the case. of either
paying an enormous sum for the land
or abandoning the work already under
way. Neither is it good policy. just for
the purpose of being able to build
works, to locate the same on less favor
able ground, whilst the question of the
site best suited for the city's interest
is being determined in the courts.
In accordance with the lease between
the city and the Los Angeles City
Water company, the present water
works owned by the city should come
into the city's possession on July 20. 1885,
Under this lease the city is to pay for
the value of the improvements made
by said lessee on said works. AS the
case may take some time to determine,
and until it is determined the amount
so fixed, either by the arbitrators or,
which is the more likely, the courts,
no bond election can be called therefor.
Here is abundant justification of the
position taken by The Herald long be-
fore the city engineers report quoted
from was filed. 1t is a justification
on common sense. One does no
need to be an engineer to see that. Blu
the self-proclaimed hustlers of the wa
ter question evidently could not compre
hend it.
The disposition on the part of hi:
honor, the mayor, and the councilmer
be to "crowd the mourners." They
want arbitrary action taken right away
of the fact whether it be
wise or foolish. In his communication
published in the Call, Mr.. Snyder says:
Every effort on my part and on the
part of others to bring about settle
ment of the controversy has been re-
ferred to by certain members of the
administration as gallery play" and
our sincerity has been otherwise ques-
toned by these people.
Well, your honor, that is because II
was manifestly galleryplay. The
methods of procedure which you sug-
gested have been unnecessary or ill-ad-
vised, tending more towards stirring VI
than to solving the problem
In spite of your plant of procrastina-
ton the car of progress has been movina
on. You have neither hurried it mol
delayed it. At the very time when yor
were writing a perfervid message to the
council berating them for doing nothing
Mr.. Abs Hagen. in the city engineers
office, only a few .eps distant, was put
ting the finishing touches to his report
giving a detailed appraisment of all thl
water companys improvements. Yol
have never raised a question as to thy
of that report. Why dij
you not inform yourself as to it's state
If forwardness before you wrote tht
aforesaid perfervid message? AS tC
in general, the time nee
sssary for fulfillment of contract so tha
when the city starts it may start or
he fright foot" is time well spent
all the preliminaries, such as
oerfecting data for the final negotio-
ions have been going forward as rapid.
y as could be expected.
The mayor and his co-agitators Should
study Davy Crockett's maxim and
move a little more slowly and more
safely. They should not attempt to as
oerse the motives of other members OF
he administration or of the local press
simply because they, the agitators, have