Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-02-18

the Mayor eontendcd that the Ea
= Barre water was good water for dome'
tic purposes, and that the epidemic {
typhoid fover. that was then raging
was not caused by it. or in any wa
connected with II. This he maintaine
in season ard out of season. Subst
qucnt Developments. however. indicat
tnat the Mayor was in error. The Stat
; Board Of Health twice condem ned tbi
water, and the public sentiment becan'
so strong against it lhai the water wa
finally shut Off by the city authorile
with the result that during last fall an
the early part of the winter, the cit
was comparatively free from typhol
/, fever, but 10 make a long story shol
/ the city voted, al the meeting called fl
=, the purpose, to either buy or condemn
the Barre Water compauy's pant
, strictly >peakiny they have done neither
Under a contract made prior to MarcI
, 81, 1898, the city took poss ssion Q
their plant, and subsequently, a com
mission was appointed according TO tho
agreement whereby one commissioner
was selected by Mr., Goodhup, another
one by the city, and the third by agree
ment of both. Two of these commits
sioners reside in Massachusetts, and one
in Vermont.
This is not the ordinary method of
selecting commissioners in condelnna-
ton proceedings and was not in our
judgement authorized by a vote of the
| ,,nnt,1n II l., To l,,, b,,,n,I tIut hn
missloners will he free aud impartial it,
the matter and the City'; interests be
protected.
As citizen have not indor-ed this
contract, and as a candidate for Mayor
| cannot advocate it asa goodpolicy. The
corG ract is made, however, with MIR.
tioodnu4h, aud there appears to oe no
way to avoid it, 1t has been my judge
ment, and is now, that ii was the duty
Of the City Immediately after making
/ this contract to proceed without dclay
to bring the question of the value Of
this water plant to an immediate hear
| ing and determination. We have drift
ed through the year, however, and APP
pear to be no nearer II conclusion Of
this matter than we were W acn the year
began.
At the time the City purchased this
water plant all the spring companies,
furnishing water to citizens of our City
We're strong competitors OF the Barre
Water Company, and by the action of
the State Board of health in condemnn9
their supply OF water, the spring com
panies nade rapid inroads into their
sbnsinasss and ..'rniits. L. man OF coed.
hard business sense it will be seen
that the Barre, Water Company was in
a bad iN and something had to be
done and done at ouce,
have believed all along, and now
believe The water question tnat has "gi-
taled the people OF this City could be
deal, with in Il business way, aud in
panics Wer" allowed to come in bV,
and with the consent of the City Autho-
rites. They were competitors OF the
Barre Water Company when they sold
thci" piaut 10 the City and they are no
less comgetitors now. They may be
driven from the field, and from their
business by just competition with the
Cities plant, but their property will
never be cunlI>cattd. ur converted by
the city in any proceeding. either leg
i>la,lNe or otherwise, without comi,en-
>ulion. These companies being COM
puli.ors of the Barre Water Compare
les plant, and the city having under
aiken the burdrn OF asccrtuinlng the
value OF the Barre Water Companies
plant ii is poor policy for the city to
say much about the Spring Companies
until Barre Water Companies plant
has been condemned and its value as
ceriaincd.
Ii elected Il, Mayor shall urge and
insist upon an immediate hearing to
ascertain the value OF the Cities plant.
am opposed TO admitting amy more
Wafer Companies into the City while
the City have II plant of their own, or to
grant any further rights to the Spring
Companies than those they now have py
virtue of their charter, or the rights
conferred upon them when they were
admitted into the City.
Why is it that we hear SO much said
against the Spring Companies and in
1avur of the Barre Water Companies
plant until we know how much we are
to pay for their plant?
The policy for the last year rs con-
nected with legal proceedings pending
has been one of procraslinalon and not
action.
1t seems to us that the Mayor might
have furnished a clean cut financial
statement that an ordinary business
man could understands There is II
vague ness about his statements that re-
quirc great deal of argument and eX-
plauation, and after explanation they
are not comprehensive.
We are not able to get Il very salis-
factory idea of the amount uf the debt
created in the erection of the new City
Hall, neither have we any information
concerning the additional debt created
in the extension of our water system,
and as stated before we do not know
how mnch has been expended by the
city in this connection.
No city of the size of Barre can afford to he
without good public streets and side walks.
1t is better policy to bond for this purpose
than to wallow in mud and mire. 1t would
be very interesting reading matter If the May
or would make a statement OF the amount of
money that has been expended on our public
streets during the last five years. 1t cal.
hardly he said that satisfactory results hayo
been obtained. The condition Of Main street
from one end to the other, during last season,