The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-07-09
SOME FACTS ABOUT SEWERAGE
Why the City should and Can Own Its
Own System-voting Bonds Would
Add, IL Anything, Only Five Cents
Per Hundred to Ones Taxes.

I lly SHAH " cA ~ - " - u
sewerage. We should not grant public
franchises lightly or g~ratuitously. This
city granted to the Street Railway an
exclusive privilege to operate street
cars. The promoters constructed a line
costing about $780, 900 and afterwards
sold it at a price which, as one OF them
has stated TO his writer, netted them
SAG, 900. What was it that sold at a
profit of 4 5000? Certainly not the
street railway itself, for at the time of
turning it into an electrical road, the
system was practically worn out. h
promoters made it by owning the yalu-
able franchise given to them by the city.
Again, although certain railroads had
asked for it and the request had been
refused, the Aldermen of this city
granted to the street railway the right
to operate a dummy line on Water
street. The construction of this dummy
line the dummy included probably
did not represent an investment of over
six or eight thousand dollars, if that.
Within a year or two, this same street
railway company leased this dummy
line to the Atlantic Coast Line at 5000
per year for forty years Does anybody
doubt that the Atlantic Line
would have paid just as willingly the
city a handsome annual stipend for this
franchise as to private individuals?
But we gave II away.
We are under a contract with the
Clarendon WaterworkS Company cost
ing US &c. 500 to 1000 per year for water
to supply the fire department, while
people who use the water for private
purposes have to pay SO per annum, or
1.50 per spigot, yet we do not get h
the contract calls for-goOd domestic
water, suitable for drinking purposes.
You'd it not have been wiser for the
city to have issued its bonds ms Cead
of contracting with private individuals
and have owned it's own water system
in all these years past? / am quite
certain that the owners of the stock of
the Clarendon Waterworks now wish
that this had been done. for the works
hay not been to them a profitable in
vestment as generally understood, and
the contract has blocked the way for
the city to have established a system
which would have furnished us with
good water on a more extended plan.
There was more reason for granting
these franchises referred to at the time
mentioned "a there is now, in the
light of past experience and in the face
of present conditions, for granting a
franchise to lay a private sewerage
system in this city. The franchise is
admitted to be a valuable me-. 1t means
that it's promoters will receive for MOTH
ing what they dispose of at a profit, and
| 1t invites all the COInpllcdllOHS winch
will arise from private ownership Cf a
public utility. True, the city has no
right to grant an exclusive franchise,
but it has the right to refuse to grant
it to private individuals. or it has the
right to grant it upon condition. 1t can
make the condition that it will grant
only in consideration of a sum of money
being paid the city, STIMULATING that
sum-, or it can refuse to grant only one
franchise and that franchise to the man
who will pay the most for it. The men
who receive the franchise and once lay
their system over this town we'll know
that it is then practically exclusive be-
cause no one will lay another system in
competition with them. The solution OF
the whole sewerage question lies in the
city owning it's own system and refus-
ing to grant any rights to private indi-
VidualS. The aldermen nave wisely
determined to submit the question to
the qualified voters of this city, and
let them decide whether or not they will
issue bonds in the sum of one hundred
thousand dollars for the purpose of
building a public sewerage system.
The advantages to the city Of owning
it's own sewerage system will hardly
be denied. Sanitary regulations may
be enforced with less friction and bear
less severely upon individuals, where
there is a public sewerage system. The
S1NSs 1lLN 11S pAON luCo oSS lACS
then require the residents and property
holders to abolish closets and onnec
with the system. If this system he
owned by private individuals every eff
fort made in this direction would be
met with opposition, because the indi-
vidual would feel he was being forced
to contribute to the revenue of a pri-
vate concern. The entire influence of
a corporation owning these sewers
| would be used in electing aldermen and
| in influencing them to make such reg
ulationS in regard to the use of closets
as would make it burdensome upon res
idents and property holders not to con-
meet with the system. 1t is said that
the city cannot force its citizens 70 con-
meet with a private sewerage system.
\ This may be doubted, but admit it, for
arguments sake, and yet we know that
sanitary regulations might be made as
would make it more troublesome to sub
NIT to the regulations than it would be
to conneo with the private sewerage
system. 1t will De conceded, however,
by every sensible person that the pub
lie system is preferable. The only ques-
ton. then, which presents itself is, can
the city afford to build it's own system?
Mr.. Mcqueen, the commissioner of
the sinking fund, in a report to the al
dermen in January last, as to the con-
| dition of the Indebtedness of this city,
makes this statement:
Since January, 1895, the sinking fund
has increased s21, S11.7S. and taking this
into account, the total reduction of the
city'S Indebtedness (referring to bonded
i~ndebtedness) is SIC, 211.7S, and of the
annual interest S4,924."
If in 1895, with a taxable assessment
less than that of today, we could carry
the then bonded Indebtedness upon the
existing rate of taxation, and if the an
nual interest which We have to pay has
been reduced by the amount stated,
then, it follows that if we issue bonds
to the sum of 500, 600, at 4 per cent pay
ing $4,000 annually in interests, we
would pay in interest on the bonded in
debtedness no more than we were pay
ing five a ago. Our bonded indebt-
edness would be increased only $40
over that of 1895. 1t is estimated that
this years taxable assessment will be
increased between one-half and a mil
lion dollars even over last year. Ger
talnly. our next assessment will repre
/ sent an lncrQa So in tayahla nrnnprtv Of