The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-10
BONDS OR DIRECT TAX
How Prominent Salt Lakers
Look at Matter.
MANY VIEWS EXPRESSED
WIDE DIVERSITY OF OPINION
AS TO WISEST COURSE.

:
grows more animated. There is the
widest diversity of opinion among men
as to the wisest course to pursue. but
upon one point at least everybody
seems to agree; that is that the water
supply of the city should be increased.
At the same time many who purpose
! to vote for the bonds feel that the city
took snap judgment in going ahead
with the work before submitting the
matter to the people. Many others are
of the opinion that the work now being
done will not add TO the supply of
1 water.
The following views of prominent
men were obtained by The Herald yes
terday, with the intention of aiding in
a proper solution Of the problem:
Must Have More Water.
Mayor Thompson said: Everybody
will agree that we must have more
/ water in this city. / think that most
people will agree that in getting this,
I water bonds are better than direct tax.
/ l think that we can sell twenty-year
bonds bearing 31s per cent interest;
! certainly per cent.
1T is 2 mistaken idea that many
! people have that the Improvements will
not furnish more water. The farms
J Z
/ will increase our water supply 1000 600
/ gallons Q day: this is water that the
| farmers have been using for irrigating
| their farms. Then the new reservoir
/ VIII save 100000 gallons a day that is
now going TO waste in the night flow or
/ overflow. This water that is now going
/ to waste can be stored up in the Iaser-
voir at night, TO be used the next day.
! "Of course the real problem that the
| people of Salt Lake have to meet in
! regard to their water. supply is the
/ bringing in of the water of the Big Cot
| tonwood. That Will have to be done
/ before the water problem is solved, and
/ that will solve it until the city reaches
| population of 100000; but even if
/ that is done the work we are doing
now Of charging the mains and fur
nfshing reservoirs for the surplus must
be done anyhow This is a part of the
] general plan. To bring the water of
the Big Cottonwood into the city and
give the farmers in exchange water
from the lake viii cost 81 600 600. or
$15O,O0O in addition to what is being ex-
pended this year.
But the question that is pressing for
immediate settlement Is how to get
water now There is less snow on the
mountains than for many years past:
/ there IS no water in the top floors of
some Of the high buildings today; and
if we don't make. provisions now to
meet these conditions there viii be sore
people in Salt Lake in August and Sep
tember. We are making from forty to
fifty water connections now every
month 1t would not do to tell these
people who are coming into our city to
make their homes that they cannot
have water. Then what are we to do?
In my judgment the best thing that we
can do is to vote these bonds"
Mayor Thompson said that the pres
ent irc1rovements would cost S240, 900:
that the contracts call for that much.
Opposed to Funds.
L. E. Hills, president of the Deseret
National bank. said-I am opposed To
bonds. The bonded indebtedness of the
city is too large already. and l shall
be very much disappointed ii the peo-
pie vote for more bonds at this time
The city council has gone ahead with
these Improvements without asking the
people whether they were in favor of
them or not and now they expect the
people to vote these bonds to pay the
bill. Such improvements should be
paid for out of the regular taxes.
Judge lie Grand Young-If these
bonds are intended 10 furnish more
water, all right; l am for them. If
they are intended to pay for building
a reservoir and charging the mains
without adding to the water supply. 1
am not in favor Of voting a dollar.
There are people down in the neigh
bOrhoOd of the Rio Grande Western
tracks who do not pay for any water.
but who always have a plenty, while
the people on the east and north
benches who do pay are choking. I am
decidedly against the bonds with my
present understanding Of the matter
Get Supply First.
EX-Mayor John Clark-The sensible
and proper way for the city to have
done would have been to get the water
supply first; then determine what it
would cost to distribute il over the
city and submit the proposition to the
people to be voted upon Instead of
that, the council has gone ahead and
let contracts for the work on the reser-
voir and for the enlargement OF the
mains, and now they come to the peO-
pie to pay the bill. 1t Is really coercion
and we are forced to issue the bonds
as the least of two evils. At the same
time the people should know before the
bonds are voted what is to be done
with the balance of the money The
work now going on will cost about
the general fund it will be spent here
and there, and there win be little to
show for it in the end. We seem forced
To pay for this work, and l shall vote
for the bonds as the least of two evils
Against DIRECT Taxation.
Frank Knox, president of the Ma
tional Bank of tine Republic am
heartily in favor of the bonds. I am
in favor Of all public improvements
when l know that the money is prop
erly expended. And l am decidedly
against making such improvements by
direct taxation. because we may not
1--we but two or three years. and may
not get the good of our work. Let
those who come after US pay part of
the bill: they get the benefits Just the
same as We do. That is the only right
ana equitable way 10 improve in my
judgment
w. A. Nelden-I can look at this mat
ter IN only one way, and that is that
we should vote the bonds 1t is
proposition Of the greatest good to the
greatest number. The burden is too
great to be placed on the people all at
once by direct taxation. BY issuing
twenty-year bonds, the burden is dis
trlbuted over a series of years and
does not bear down very heavily on
anybody. 1 am thoroughly in favor of
the bonds.
Mr., Dooly's Position.
Il am in favor OF increasing and
improving our water supply It can
only De done by the erection of reser-
Nolrs ana proper distributing system.
ana the purchase Of additional water
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