Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-29
First Of a Series of Interviews on
Municipal Ownership.
CAPT. ]. c. HUTCHISON'S VIEWS.
He Thinks the Ownership of Public
Utilities by the City Would Lead
to Debt, Political Corrup-
ton and Ruin Credit.

With the object OF sounding the sem
timents of some of Ottulnwa's promis
nent citizens and chief tax payers, the
Courier will from time to time publish
interviews on the different phases of
municipal ownership, as relates to the
purchase by the city of the old water
works or the erection of new plant,
the ordinance authorizing which has
been passed by the council and is to be
submitted to vote of the people.
A prominent citizen of Ottumwa for
many years, and one who has watched
the growth of the water works here
from it's infancy, Captain }. g. Hutchi-
son, was asked by Courier reporter
this morning what he thought of the
action of the city council towards
municipal ownership. \
Il believe" said Captain Hutchison,
"that municipal ownership of water
works would be an undertaking which
the citizens of this city will long regret
if they now adopt such policy. l see
no necessity for doing so. IT is an easy
matter for councilmen to theorize on
a subject of this kind, but they will
find, as will the citizens, when they
undertake to put into practical effect
municipal ownership that it will bring
inefficient management, poor service.
a debt burden to the community, ofic-
ial jobbery, lazy hangers-on, an ,eN-
pensive salary list, and an army of in
competent men in the positions con-
nected with it, to serve the term of the
politician in power.
II have no interest directly or in
directly in the present water works
company, but as a citizen, feeling ca
pable to intelligently judge what the
difference would be between the expert
and intelligent management of water
works company by man like Mr..
Vino, and such management as munich
pal ownership would afford, say the
latter would be most inefficient. 1t is
true there has been much complaint
about water service here in Ottumwa,
and yet Ottumwa has been fairly taken
care of in that regard. / am quite
sure the present management is in no
way to blame for this. Any OF our
observing citizens who have been in
construction of our water works, and
know its history, know that it has had
a, hard time in financial way. The
SohiPaHS Weut tHIouSu liliSdlloH anu
Struggles which put it into the hands
of receiver for years, and from that
into the present organization. l hap
pened to have an opportunity a few
weeks ago to meet and converse with
Frederick B. Van Worst, of New York,
the present acting president of the
City Water Supply company. He i'm
pressed me tas being fair man, and
one who greatly desired to have the
opportunity to reorganize and put the
present water works on a first class
financial basis for the best, interest
of our whole community. He is con-
nected with men in New York City,
Boston and PHILADELPHIA, who are
among the great financers of this coun.
try and to have their good will and will
lingness to invest capital in our
city and push private enterprise, are
certainly wonderful considerations fol
this community to bear in mind.
| "Now, / would like to ask our city
council. if its recent course with re,
gard to the vested rights of the owner:
of the present water works does moi
smack a good deal OF confiscation.
] believe, conscientiously, as believe