The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-02-14
MAJORITY REPORT ADOPTED
Continued from First Page.)

ed to say that his employer had not in- fluenced him in that matter and did not have him by the throat He said the corporation counsel had recommended the continuous contract as the better business proposition. He stood there prepared to swear that he was not in timidated or influenced by anything eX- cept a sense of his duty. He wanted it understood that he was not throttled by anyone. He signed the report for the continuous proposition because he thought it the better one for the city. The city was paying now too much for the benefit of future generations. Now 1t costs the city $900 GOO a year in inter est. In ten years it would cost the city , $400000 at the same rate of increase.
 Alderman Minor submitted an opinion on the water contract compiled by At torney II. P. Arvine, and already pub lished in the papers. Alderman J. J. Walsh thought that to accept this opln- ion would be an insult to the corpora ton counsel, and he moved that the communication be tabled. Alderman Savers seconded. Alderman Beecher ob- Jected and thought all communications from citizens should be received and N'NNf
 had a right to offer petitions and com munications, and have them read.
 Alderman Miller agreed with MT. Beecher, his, colleague, and thought that the opinion should be read. The motion to table was lost, and the opin- ion of MT. Arvine was read.
 After the reading of the communica- ton and opinion of MT ArVine by the city clerk Alderman Wright said that, in response to the resolution passed by the common council, the committee had ascertained that no present member of the common council now owned stock in the Water company, nor had for ' three years.
 N Alderman Wallace preferred the mir nority report to the majority report because the majority report contained many ambiguous things that might cost the city thousands of dollars. He thought that if the members remember they would remember that Mayor saf- gents inaugural address was mainly ln favor of municipal ownership ot the waterworks. .He certainly would never be in favor of a contract with no llmlt or any measure that would put the city in a place to bear the burden Of any corporation. During the twenty years existence of the company the people oI New Haven had enriched 1t to the e&- tent of four and one-half millions. The idea of putting in clause forbiddlng the city from ever getting water from any other source was one of the worst features of the continuous contract. He fully sympathized with the mem her from the Twelfth, but these ru- mors must have some grounds. He did not intend to cast reflections on the member from the Twelfth, who, he be- lieyed. acted honestly, but he knew that members did not always act for the hest interests of the city He was satisfied that there was something akin to--he didn't know what to call it- Something that made a cohesion be- tween members of the common council and the Water company. He proposed that the majority report be taken up item by item. It had been said that there were reductions to priVate con sunoers in the continuous contract, but he failed to find them. He hoped that { the members would not so act that pos terity would say they were lot ol { d---n fools or something worse.
 Alderman Conway opposed the ma iority report and didn't know why the city should contract to purchase water X from only one company any more than 1t should contract to buy ire englnes from only one concern.
 Alderman O'Keefe spoke against the adoption of the majority report, as did also Alderman Minor who said that it Hved things so tf1at the Water com- pany would be guaranteed an $ per rent dividend for all time, paid out of inc pockets of the people. The people would get but little in return. He thought that the franchise tax was in- evitable, and that to shoulder it on the city was unjust. He knew that Dill for a franchise tax was now belns prepared for presentation at the next legislature.
 Alderman Miller spoke in favor of the continuous contract and thought that < # was inadvisable to enter into a con- tract to pay the company $2o,ooo per year for water used for public puf- noses as proposed and recommended bv the minority report. He took up the varior1s clauses of the continuous con- tract and spoke in favor of each one
 Alderman Dickerman said that It seemed to him that if a franchise tax was laid on the company and 1t was cheaper for the city to pay water rate than to save the company harmless from the tax and the amount to be paid nv the city was indeterminable While 1,nder the ten year contract the amount to be paid by the city was fixed at S2o,- GOO per year and therefore better bus- i1ess proposition.
 Alderman A1corn differed with his colleague MT. Dickerman, and said at The last time when the matter came up he had supposed that the franchislng clause was in when he voted for the continuous contract but he had been f mistaken. Now it had been inserted and other notifications had been made he was thoroughly in favor of the con- nuous contract recommended in the
 lajority report.
 Alderman J. J. Walsh spoke for the majority report. He didn't see how any
 airer proposition could have been
 made. He thought that the committee
 yas "pure as the air we breathe" The members were men against whom the finger of scorn could not be pointed and that was more than could be said of some of those outside" There was