The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-07
A Vast scheme for Municipal Owner
ship Likely to Come Into OPP
GRAFTON Soon.
THE PEOPLE DEMAND A CHANGE
CITY NOW SERVED BY EIGHT PRI-
vATE COMPANIES.
They VIII Get One Hundred Million
Dollars for Their PIants-Anti-
quated Methods I'm Use.
Correspondence Of the Indianapoli. journal.

Correspondence OF the Indianapolis Journal.
LONDON. Aug. 25.-The people OF Lon
don are about 10 inaugurate the most gi-
gantic experiment in municipal control the
world has ever seen. To supply water to
six million people living on an area OF go
square miles OF densely settled territory Is
the task they have set for themselves.
London Is now served with water by
eight companies. The rights and privileges
of these companies are the growth OF five
hundred years The system began with
wator wheel moved by the tides under Lon
don bridge and is to-day represented by
plants the aggregate value Of which Is
nearly s1O0O OCO. Public control Of these
plants has been agitated for many years
and has finally eliminated In a measure
which il is generally admitted by oppon-
cnts as wen, as advocates. will be adopted
Ly Parliament at the autumn sitting.
The Taxpayers expect. to derive benefit
from the change OF ownership. The man.
ogeTs OF the water companies assert that
the people are not only doomed to disap-
pointment. but that large number will
find thei- water costing them more under
municipal than under private ownership.
The reason they give for this is that
whereas under the present system water
costs more in some parts of London than
It does in others, under municipal control
the rates will have to be universally alike.
u result only to be obtained by lowering
the few and raising the many.
However this may be. the experiment Is
TO be tried, and the task set before the
London Water Board. which will control
the works is no light one Not only does
he nd Ia bax
10 be satisfactorily supplied. but all future
increase of territory and population must
be provided for In ample time to prevent
complaint and even disaster.
London is growing daily. The city now
extends into six counties. The tide of HUI
nanity flows first in one direction and then
in another without apparent cause. The
fields of yesterday are the suburbs of to-
day. To add thirty or forty thousand peo-
pie tof the city population seems a mere
matter OF some great landlord or syndicate
providing the housing. When the streets
are opened. the houses built and transport
tation provided the people come as though
1t were but for this they were waiting.
NOT ExTRAVAGANT WITH WATER.
The average water consumption is about
So gallons per capita. This means a daily
The Thames river now furnishes about $780,
100000 gallons. The River Lea about 50OO0,-
COO and about 100000 gallons more is
pumped from the deep chalk wells of the
surrounding country. The nearness of the
supply, the purity of the water and the
possibilities of future development of this
same supply are the wonder of those who
have shown sufficient interest to look into
the matter.
The Thames and the Lea, with their COM
paratively short streams of any volume,
are practically in the city. The wells are
sunk within half hours travel of where
the water Is used. The people of London
use less water than those OF American
cities. though more than do the people of
nearly all the great cities Of the continent.
"A supply OF IS gallons per capita for Lon
don looks small. compared to the 143 gall
Ions of Washington. the 102 gallons of Chi
cago, % gallons for Boston, so for New
York or 81 for San Francisco.
The density OF population, the vast pre-
ponderance OF the poor. the lack of sani-
tary flushing arrangements and, above ALL
a climate which calls for no irrigation OF
yards In summer must all be taken into &C.
count. Then IL will De realized that the dis
crepancy is not really so great The proof
OF this lies in the fact that the people use
all they want and only in exceptional in
stances of great drought do the compa-
mics find 1t necessary to exert the full
power of their plants
No city OF magnitude in the world has
purer water than London. and for twenty
years past 1t has been impossible for the
experts 10 trace the origin of water borne
diseases to the city water supply. The av-
erage death rate in London from this
source Is lower than other English cities
and very much lower than in the principal
cities Of the United States There are good
reasons for the purity of London water
for such as does not come from deep wells
IS sand-fltcred under the most rigid SUPER
vision and by the most improved methods.
Some idea of what the London water
companies have done TO purify the supply
can be gathered from the size of the plants
employed In it's transmission. Over $4,000
horsepower pump the water into reser-
voirs and through the 5000 miles of pipes.
The great storage and settling reservoirs
hold over 2.o00.000000 gallons The storage
reservoirs for filtered water hold DDS. 0O9. 900
gallons and Us acres Of filter beds in reser-
~voirs are needed TO purify the supply. II is
said that no water supply in the world is
subject TO more careful inspection or hercer
or more constant criticism than that OF
London. As TO the cost to the consumer,
the American householder can make the
comparison himself. for on house which
would cost the tenant from $500 10 $1,000
per year the water charge is about S25 per
a1num. In some OF the American cities
water costs less and in others as much or
more than il does in London.
WANT CHEAPER RATES
IL Is the question of rates, however
which has brought about the demand for
municipal ownership. This and the fact
that the water companies have been pay
Ing from to 10 per cent dividend TO the
stockholders The measure. as IL will be-
come a law. provides for the compulsory
sale to the city Of an the plants at such
prices as specially created board OF arbi-
tration may agree upon. The price is to be
paid in cash municipal water stock, as
the shareholders may elect.
The city Is to take over the properties on
christmss day. 1908. or at such time as the
board OF arbitration may elect providing