The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-01-03
THE WATER PROBLEM.

T HE REPORT of the special com
L mittee appointed by the CONNER
cial club 70 investigate the city's water
supply contains many features that will
at once recommend themselves to those
who have given the problem any
thought. While it is not at all prob
able, in view of the recent heavy and
fortuitous snowfalls, that Salt Lake
VIII experience a water famine during
the late summer and early fall of this
year, no time should be lost in putting
into effect some of the plans suggested
by the special committee.
The city cannot afford to depend from
year to year on so uncertain a quantity
as snow precipitation. If such a course
is persisted in the people are sure to
Suffer severely, sooner or later. In
deed, they have suffered, in past years,
when there was, or should have been,
10 occasion for them to suffer. The
work which the Commercial club now
proposes should have been under way
lOng ago.
The trouble has been that a penny
wise and pOund-fOolish policy has been
allowed to govern. Money has been
- AINEAEu away III 4O0llSn SCnGIlleS LQaL
have resulted in no permanent good.
Instead of acquiring water rights the
city has purchased interminable law
suits; instead Of securing more water,
pipes have been laid to conduct water
that has never been found. The time
has come to call a halt
The first important recommendation
Of the committee is the appointment by
the mayor of a water board to consist
Of three members. This board, or COM
mission, is to have absolute control of
water supply betterments. It will have
the power to award contracts for per-
M nent improvements. to purchase wa
Ger rights, to construct canals and res
ervoirs and 20 fix the rates which shall
be paid for water by the residents of
the city.
The principal objection The Herald
finds to the committees recommends
tons with reference to this commission
is the smallness of the salaries to be
paiS to its members The chairman is
% get $1,000 per year, and the other
members 81. GOO per year. Those amounts
seem altogether out Of proportion to
the responsibilities which will devolve
upon the commissioners. Three or four
times as much would not be exorbitant
Men of the right caliber will not give
ali their time to the work for the small
salaries suggested, and the real object
OF the commission will be defeated If
it is made up of men without talent or
business ability. The members of the
commission should be paid enough
serve the city exclusively. However,
this is a detail which will doubtless be
satisfactorily arranged when the bill
crea ing the board comes up for dis
cussion in the legislature.
The bond issue recommendation is of
equal Importance. It is proposed to
issue 81 900 600 worth of water bonds in
four annual installments of $3.50, 900
each, and the committee is able to
demonstrated that the increased rev.
enues from the service and the growth
in value of the plant will easily meet
both principal and interest within
twenty-five years from the date of is
sue. This, in effect, gives US the i'm
prOvements so earnestly desired with
out the necessity for excessive tax
alton.
The Herald feels that Chairman
Holmes of the special committee and
all OF mis- co-laborers are entitled to
the thanks of the community. They
have given freely of their time and
their ability. and their labor has been
without hope of reward other than the |
satisfaction which comes from the eff
cient performance of an important pub |
lie duty.