Waterbury Democrat., 1903-01-30
DITTRRENCE IN REPORTS.
City Streets Suffer from Too MucI Rain, Says Superintendent Kelley.

City Streets Suffer from Too Much
 Rain, Says Superintendent Kelley.
 The annual reports of Superinten- dent Kelley of the street department and Superintendent O'Brien of the bureau of water differ widely in one respect, Mir Kelley pointing out how much the city suffered during the year on ac- count of heavy rains, and Mir O'Brien telling what q great blessing the wet season proved not only to Waterbury but ito all the towns and cities in the state. There is nothing wonderful about this difference of opinion. 1t is simply the old story of eevry man look ing at things from selfish standpoint. A freshet that would cost the street de partment anywhere from $1,O00 to $5.- 00O might be exactly what the water department wanted, so that when we see It raining and big slices of the pub iic streets being carried off by the cur rent We should not weep, for probably the damages caused to the streets is more than offset by n thorough soaking of the water sheds of the reservoirs. | That part of Mir Reiley's report rela- uvegfo the cost of maintaining streets l conveys pretty good idea of what 1t means ito the rate payers if everything | people want should be attended to. but IS doubtful if even this is entitled to more consideration than what MT OBrien says regarding meters. The water question is a big one in this town and 1t is on the increase every day. At the present time real estate speculators on the outskirts of the town, who find It profitable to invest there on account 1 of the low rate of taxation compared With that in the second district. are re- | Slrfin<r ffN u11 ..nt.r vince the city that it would be economy to extend the water mains into all parts of the town, and the matter is
 being handled so skillfully that 1t re- quires considerable courage on the part or people who have to do with such questions not to be overawed or talked
 lnto making larger appropriations for I this purpose. Some of the wiser heads
 have gone so far in this direction as to
 employ counsel to state their cases be-
 fore the city boards and also to create
 a sentiment in favor of such action by
 preparing statements for the newspa-
 pers. This is a serious matter and
 should require careful consideration
 Tn answer to a question from Commis-
 sioner Whiting of the board of public I works the other evening as to whether
 1t would pay to put mains in all the |
 that 1t would in time. 1t is not likely I that anybody would care to deny this,
 but readers should ponder over what that word time" fmpli ses. The money
 invested might yield some returns in
 1920 and there might not be much in
 it for the next century.
 The situation is quite different now
 to what it was before consolidation. when people in the town who desired
 to use city water were glad to get 1t
 and pay p per cent over and above the
 rates charged in the city, But under the
 new order there must be no discrinl-
 inatfon made in the price or terms for
 the use of city water on account of To-
 cality, so that a man in the most re-
 mote corner of Waterbury is entitled
 to the same rates as ne would pay for
 similar service in Exchange place The K point is to get it. but it must be ap-
 parent that city water cannot be con-
 veniently or economically furnished to
 every section of the city as 1t now aex-
 ists.
 N It is the easiest thing in the world
 to get signers to q petition for water
 main. All you want is blank and d . pencil. There is no direct tax for it
 upon the ajbutting property owners. 1 and he would be selfish man who would not be willing to lend q hand to 1 something that is not going to cost ] hdm anything while at the same time enhancing the value of his property from 10 to 25 per cent. It is different with applications for 1ayouts of streets.
 sidewalks and sewers These mean u
 large assessment against those espe- cially benefited, and as n consequence
 you don't hear of many citizens break ing, their necks about such matters. Improvements of thds character are not made for the accommodation of a few, and when they do come it is be- , cause public necessity and convenience : require them. Under the conditions that exist in Waterbury to-day many
 believe that it would be good plan , for the city to stick to the old custom of making no water main extensions in the outside districts except under ? contract with the petitioners to do the work at their own expense, and get back their money as soon as the amount invested shows net profit of
 10 per cent This proposition staggers those who are not honest in their rep- resentations, but it is accepted cheer . fully by those who are sure of their ground
 . At the last meeting of the board of { public works Mayor Kilduff remarked that every petition asking for water in
 the full taxation district should be act
 ed upon before considering those from : the other districts, still at this same
 meeting it was voted to run about 800
 feet outside the second district on the Watertown road, and similar dis
 tance into the first district on North
 Main and North Willow streets, This
 action is being criticized by those who A claim that there are still places in the second taxation district that need at- tention, and that instead of confining
 the order to the removal of the cement
 pipes in First and Hillside avenues, it
 should have included every cement
 main in Waterbury, and thus avoid this
 constant patching and give people who
 pay the interest on the water bonds
 and their water rents besides the kind
 of service they are entitled to. This
 is a case where officials are between : the devil and the deep sea. The people
 on the outside say that the mains z1f z.