Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-31
AS TO WATERWORKS
Interviews With Several Citizens
Concerning Municipal Ownership.
THEY DO NOT LIKE THE IDEA.
=. 3. nIowery Thinks City Has No Righ,
to So Increase Taxation e. Il.
McElroy Thinks Political
Jobbery Would Result
From Tuesdays Daily.

From Tuesdays Daily.
The Courier presents this evening a
second installment of its interviews
with prominent business and profes-l
/, sional men on the question OF munich
pal ownership Of water works by this
city. AS may be seen by perusal of
4 the interviews printed below the gen
tlemen with whom the Courier has
talked are decidedly opposed to the
idea of Ottumwa's4 involving herself in
municipal ownership. They believe
that in matters of this kind it is better
and cheaper Tor private corporation
to be in control. Furthermore they do
not think that at the present time this
city can afford to burden itself with
sdebt to the amount that the proposed
water works scheme would require.
a y. b. Mowrey.
6 j. B. Mowrey, president of the OF
tumwa Natio9al bank, in response to
"a Courier reubrter's inquiries, said:
I'm regard to ottumwa's purchasing
the water works plant, am OF the
same opinion indicated in your COM
ments, and am for many reasons oppos-
led to the municipal ownership Of the
NatSi5 wins W IiS TUT UIle DdSt
ten Years l have had some knowledge
OF the expense it requires to keep up
such works. and it is no small item.
II am well convinced that the city
docs not want to get such an elephant
on its hands. think we have many
other enterprises that we can take up
that will be more to the interest of the
city, such as manufacturing plants,
etc.
''Furthermore, i don't see how our
= city could make such contract. for
such an increase of indebtedness would
far exceed the legal limit. It seems To
E me there should be stop put to any
undertaking that would increase taxa
tfon.
1T certainly would be detrimental
to any such an enterprise to be in a
position to be influenced by party poll
tics, and the management of the wa.
ter works would be influenced by party
politics if owned by the CITY,"
Il. Il. RIcElroy.
Hon. r. E. McElroy said, when asked
concerning municipal ownership OF
the water works plant by Ottumwa:
II think we had better let it alone.
To start with, if we are now paying an
unreasonable price for water, the city
council has the absolute power to re-
duce il to a reasonable price,
IF the city owned the works and
s-eshcGhl lease them to some. one to OPP
erate} do not see how the city could
expect its tenants TO take any better
care of the rented property than other
tenants do. Tenant property is sup
posed to be the poorest kept property
we have. The owner will take better
care of his property than his tenant
will He will also take better care OF
property he lives in or does business in
himself, than he will property he
rents to some one else. A tenant is
expected to make as much out of the
property as he can, hence the less re-
pairs and keeping up the fences the
more he makes, but the worse the
property looks. ] should expect the
same, of one who should lease the wa
ter works from the city.
If the city should run the works
Itself it would just have that many
more jobs for people to scramble for
at our city election. Frequently per-
sons who scramble for these jobs are
& not the best persons TO fill them. The
positions are frequently filled by the
influence of politicians in payment Of
< their political debts. An old. trusted
elnploye is quite a necessity to a bust
8 ness man. To him the knowledge and
experience the employee has acquired
in his service is no reason he should be
turned out, and some inexperienced
person put in his place. Under the po-
litical methods of doing business, when
an employe has been in Office two
terms and thoroughly understands the
machinery he is working with, and the
requirements OF the position, he is
turned out and some hungry fellow
8 put in his place. The business man Sc
lects his employee, because the employe
has knowledge of his business and is
the best qualified for the money he
receives. TO do the work. The polite.
ian selects his not because he is best
qualified TO do the work, but because
he can control the most votes.
Yes, think we had better let it
alone. The men whose money is in
vested in the plant are better able to
select some one to run it than we, are,
# they make a fizzle of it, it is their loss.
and not ours. 1t may be there are
men in Ottumwa who can run such
works, but they are not the men who
would get out and scramble for the
job. Yes, ! say, let it alone. The wa
ter works has been losing investment
from the start. The citizens of OF
iunwa sank from $4,000 to $4,000 in
it before the wheels were turned The
man who cleaned them out on mechan-
ics liens sunk money in it. Ii the
present owners keep up the repairs
; and keep the works in proper shape I
s DOUBT whether thew will mako much
on their investment. Yes, say think
It is best to let it alone"
8. H. Harper.
$. II. Harper said that he was OPP
posed to the municipal ownership of
the water works. A private corpora
ton can manage a plant of this kind
I UIn-~-o@ 49,