Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-06-13
The Water Question.


The approaching election on the
water question is entirely free from
politics, and from matters of a per-
sonal character. 1t is question sole
ly of what is best for the community
whether the people shall own their
water system or whether it shall re-
main in the hands of the corporation
which now controls it. AS is well
known this corporation is not con-
trolled in Augusta. While several of
our citizens are connected with it
officially, and three or four have small
and comparatively unimportant hold
ings, the great bulk of it's stock is
owned in Portland, and it is there that
the profits made from its operation
have gone.
The question. therefore, to be de-
| cided at the polls is not merely
whether these works which supply our
| city with a necessity of life shall be
| owned in Augusta instead of in Port
land; but also whether they shall be
| owned by the people of Augusta. with
every voter and taxpayer a share
holder or whether they shall remain in
the hands of a private monopoly.
1
| of supply are not in issue in the COM
1 ing election. If the people own the
works they can and will do whatever
may seem for the best with them, and
| for the welfare of the community.
| There will be no personal profits to be
squeezed out under public ownership,
and the total revenues of the plant
can be devoted to paying for 1t, and
| reducing the cost of service to takers
The question, and the only question to
be voted on at the polls, Monday, Junn
D. is
SHALL THE PEOPLE OF AUGUSTA
OWN THEIR OWN WATER SUP
PLY?
If the people vote "yes'-the ques-
ton of price will be determined by a
fair and impartial commission to be
appointed by the Supreme court, none
| of whose members shall be residents
of Kennebcc county. The price de-
termined will depend upon the actual
cash value of the plant. Friends of the
local company have expressed the
opinion that they would get $780,
600 for their plant, and some have even
ventured the prediction that they
would get 100000 for it. This is per-
fectly natural. People who have q
thing to sell usually ask what they
would like to get, rather than what
they expect to get for it. The figures
quoted above would call for "a first
class plant" and acting under the in
structions of the court, the commits
sion would have to be shown that the
plant conveyed was actually of that
description
What constitutes a first-class water
plant?
l. An adequate supply of PURE
| water.
If it could be shown that the water
was not pure; that hundreds of citi
Zens were put to the expense of pur-
chasing other supplies for drinking
purposes; and that the exigencies of
the public health required a new
source of supply, the commission
would be under obligation to deduct
whatever expense would be necessary
to render such plant adequate to the
public needs, from what it might
award if the plant was actually first
class and fully met the public re-
| quirements. No man would expect to
get first-Class price for a secondhand
carriage; neither could a water COM
| pany expect to get n first-class price
for its plant unless it could, as mat
ter of fact show the commission that
it was giving the public flrst-class
| service.
2 a first-class plant must be up
to-date in all its equipment. If it
could be shown that a plant did not
come IN to this standard then the
commission would be in duty bound to
take the fact into consideration in de-
termining it's actual worth.
Good judges express the opinion that
no commission which the court would
appoint would value the local water
plant at more than $350,000 or 100000
Naturally the company will get all it
can, and put the highest possible value
upon its property No one need
blame them for this. The fact re-
mains, however, that the duty of fix
ing the valuation will not rest with
the company; but with a commission