The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-07-19
CARRIED INTO
THE COURTS
Los An geIes MOnopOly's
New Move.
WAS GRANTED AN INJUNCTION
CITY MAY NOT SEIZE THE WA
TER PLANT.
Mayor Snyder VIII Direct Citizens
to No Longer Pay the Company
for the Water They
Consume.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

LOS ANGELES, July 18.-The Los
Angeles City Water Company to-da y
applied for and was granted a tenn
porary injunction restraining the Mayor
and Council from taking possession Of
the water company's plant on the ex-
piration Of the thirty-year lease next
Saturday. The order is returnable on
Monday, when an application will be
made for permanent injunction.
Should the city fail to answer at that
time the water company asks the court
to proceed to name arbitrator to fix
the value OF the company's plant and to
enter Judgment for the amount of the
value so determined.
The injunction proceedings are no
surprise to Mayor Snyder and the CITY
Council, as they were expected. The
city will answer next Monday and ask
to have the proceedings dismissed. 1t
is understood that on Saturday next
the Mayor will issue a proclamation di-
recting the citizens to no longer pay
rates to the water company for water
consumed, but to pay the amount into
the city treasury. The water company
officials say that If this is done they
will cut off service from consumers
failing to pay to their representatives
the regular rates. This is liable to
cause complications.
The City Council to-day laid all the
water propositions, including that Of
Kessler G. Co., on the table, exc apt the
one matter of selecting the city's arbi-
traitor, who is to be one of three to de-
tern.ine the value Of the water com
pany's improvements. This action was
expected and clears the deck FOR some
procedure along the lines Of municipal
ownership.
An ordinance was introduced In the
Council providing for and creating a
municipal water department Of the city
government. 1t is quite lengthy and
detailed. 1t provides for the carrying
on of a municipal water plant, the col
lection Of rates at the present figures
and for the maintenance of the sys-
tenn. This ordinance was presented
by the City Attorney and was in the
nature of a surprise.
A mass meeting of Democrats was
held tonight at Turn Verein Hail. at
tended by about 200 people. The OBJ
ject was to condemn the Democratic
City Committee for indorsing the Kess-
Ter proposition and resolutions to that
effect were adopted. A. r. Burke acted
as chairman of the meeting. Consid-
cradle bitterness was aroused by the
speeches. Frank James was in favor
of having an investigation made, and,
if it was found that any members of
the committee had been unduly influ-
enced by coin, he wanted them read
out Of the party.
Judge A. j. King made a bitter
speech denunciatory of the action of
the committee, which he styled the
basest treachery. Members of the
committee present were accorded
hearing after loudly demanding it, and
Earl Rogers defended their conduct.
He admitted, however, that he believed
the action indorsing the Kessler prop
osition was mistake. The action of
the city committee has hopelessly d.
vided the Democratic party in this city,
The Republican committee, the I'm
ion Reform League and the League for
Better City Government have declared
against the Kessler scheme.