The San Francisco call., 1899-02-09
The Spring Valley Water Com
pany Violates Precedent and
Submits a Statement.
Discussion of Water Rates Is Postponed
Until the Members Of the Board May
Analyze the Report Presented
for Consideration.

THE Board of Supervisors and Mayor
Phelan were -paralyzed into official inac-
tivity last night by the Spring Valley
water Company. The board met as a
committee of the whole, with Supervisor
Phelps in. the chair, to discuss, water
rates. At their last session the Supervis-
ors had adopted resolution calling upon
the Spring Valley Water Company to SUBJ
nit a detailed statement of its affairs, in
cluding, under tabulation of seven clas-
sifications, the assets, income and la
bilities of the corporation. Such a state
ment, which might be suspected to reveal
valuable corporation secrets, the Spring
Valley Water Company had positively re-
fused to submit to former Boards of Su-
pervisors. The present board made the
demand, however, as a matter of form,
and to the surprise of everybody inter-
'ested, the water company complied with
the demand.
Over the signature of Pelham w. Ames.
the secretary of the Spring Valley Water
Company, a most formidable document
was presented for the consideration Of
the board The water company. through
its secretary, went into the most minute
details of its business, even descending,
in. its record of financial incidents, to the
cost of telephones and the labor of en-
.Hl
revenue to the company was apparently
exploited in detail. All of the alleged ex-
penditures found place in the statement,
and for the satisfaction of the official
rate fixers a comparison was drawn be-
tween the financial condition of the water
company in 1897 and 1898.
The Spring Valley Water Company had
never before in its history been so frank
the public, and Attorney Kellogg and
Herman Schussler fairly bristled with ag
gressive Importance as Clerk Russell read
the statement of the company. The Su
pervisors had not expected that such a
statement would be submitted, and they
were ready to listen to the long arguments
which it is the privilege of Mr.. SchuSsler
to present to every Board of Super isors.
When, however, the statement was pre-
sented there was an uncomfortable hesi-
tation on the part Of members of the
board. Supervisor Perrault. who is heard
more than he is listened to, was on his
feet to object to the reading of the state
ment until the members of the board
could be assured that the Spring Valley
Water Company had rendered a detailed
statement. The Supervisor insisted that
1t was unjust to ask the board to pass
judgment upon a document of which the
members had no knowledge and which
they had not seen before 1t was presented
in open meeting. DR.. Perrault thought
that II would be wise for the board to ad-
journ and digest the statement of the
water company.
, Supervisor Lackmann moved that a copy
of the statement be placed at the disposal
>of each member of the board This mo-
tion was adopted, and Mr.. Lackmann
urged that the representatives of the wa
ter company be heard. In advocacy of
his suggestion the speaker said that rep
resentatives of the water company usual
:ly consumed several days in talk, and he
was in mood then to listen. Other Su-
.pervsors interjected to urge that it would
be wiser to wait and listen to the visitors
understandings. There was nothing to
show, they argued, that the statement of
the company was in conformity with the
demand of the board, and it would be