Evening journal., 1899-03-07
TUESDAY. MARCH I. 1893
mo -THE HOUSE ANlD GovnRNOR.


the Board OF Water Commissioners,
which should have protected, cherish
ed and conserved them. For several
years they have suffered from the ef-
fects cf this betrayal, and the hour OF
their deliverance Is at hand. The Pyle
water bill, which has passed the State
Senate and is now In committee In the
House. only nights a portion OF their
grievances. But it Will do for the
present, and other remedial legislation
will naturally ccme in future years.
Let us set forth by items what the
water consumers OF THE city are doing
under the present system and present
rates.
Maintaining bhe Water Department
at a cost on $4,000 a year.
Purchasing sl2,O 900 worth OF pipe
two years in advance OF ITS use.
Supplying surplus Of $4,000 to the
general fund.
Maintaining Cool Spring Park at a
cost OF nearly $4,000 a year.
Supplying the entire city with water
for fire lighting purposes at cost OF
$2S,OOO a year.
Furnishing free all the water whHdh
is used in the publ9c schools CT the
city.
Sprinl1sing The public streets.
Keeping all the fountains playing
Giving free water to every city office.
Making the State OF Delaware a pres
emit OF the water used at the State
Armory.
Paying their fair proportionate share
"a taxation. at the rate Of s14O on the
500, under the general levy
Paying their fair proportionate
share OF the water bond interest ac-
count under the general levy, and then
paying the whole water bond interest
account cut OF the water surplus whlch
they contribute.
Paying interest on loans for the Gre
alton OF which there was absolutely no
necessity had the Water Department.
attended to its own business and run
itself instead OF trying to run the en-
tire city.
Paying interest on s554,OOO worth OF
water bonds out OF a total issue OF
$87700O i'm the face Of total declared
water surplus Of not less than $685.
600 at the end Of the current fiscal year
Paying water fund money over tC
City Council tor general purposes ant
borrowing money for water purposes
Supplying waiter surplus money L
the general fund to keep down thl
raxes OF n-coneumeIs OF water unde
The general levy.
Paying enough money in enc year fo
water to run the Water Department
completely In all dts branches for tw,
years and FIVE months.
Giving every non-consumer in th0
city free water, free fire protection
free park facilities. free water n
SCHOOLS. free comfort from fountain
and sprlnksed streets, and exemption
from fire tax llability under the gen
eral levy
These are the things which The waite
consumers are doing: these are tn
grievances from which they are sui
fering. Their proper pace to cBtai
redress should be the Board Of Wate
Commissioners, but that b,dy has be
come so estranged from its creator
and supporters by reason OF it's auto
cratic bearing that they can h,pe fc
no Consideration there. The naturs
appellate court should be City Cour
cil. composed OF men e,ected by tn
people and directly amenab,e to then
but that body has been shorn Of if
powers in that respect. and they al
now vested in these three commits
sioners who sit and lock at the wat,
consumers i'm wonder and disgust whg
they aek for. certain things to whiC
they are entitled. Hence, the Gener
Assembly is the only place to whi,
they can go for Justice The correcth
measure which has just passed q
Senate is only remedial in one pa
ticular It reduces the present rat
for water 40 per cent. on a schedu
Of the COMMISSIONS own preparatio
# the present schsduie is just as b
tween consumer and consumer, the o
in the Pyle water bin must Of necs
sity be just because the schedule
scaled item by item. 40 per cent.
Now let US see tlhe effect OF that q
In 1898 the revenue of the Water I
penses were $4,000. Its real surpl
was s9s.0o0 by the purchase OF 81
600 worth OF pipe for use in 1899, 1s
and 1901. the 1898 surplus was {
down to $500 Forty per cent.
$4,000 will leave $4,000. sixty-t'
Thousand dollars for expenses "
1eaTe an emergency fund OF s32.O
From 1858 to 1898 the average yea
increase Of Water Department reyen
has been 5000. In only one instar