The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-01-07
BETTER
WATER SUPPLY
Holmes Makes Supplemental Re-
port to Commercial Club.
WANTS IMMEDIATE ACTION
GOVERNING BOARD TO DISCUSS
FREIGHT RATES TONIGHT.

In a communication to the board of
governors of the Commercial club. read
at the special meeting last evening,
President Edwin F. Holmes urges that
some action be taken By the new
board towards establishing a peTma-
nent water supply for the city. He
calls attention to the fact that since
the matter was agitated so vigorously
last year little or nothing has been
done in the interim towards the COM
pletion of one of the many plans then
submitted and talked of.
The president signs the communica-
ton as the chairman of the citizens
committee OF fifty. which was appoint
ed at the time to make investiga ton
into the matter Of q permanent water
supply for Salt Lake City. His letter
last evening was, therefore, more in
the light OF an amended report upon
the matter than new commUnicat ion
upon the matter. The letter reads as
follows.
Urges Permanent Water Supply.
"Geuuemen-As chairman of the ex-
ecutive committee and the committee
OF fftN appointed in 1902 TO. consider
the matter of a permanent water sup
ply for Salt Lake city, I would state
that during the early part of 1893, when
those committees. after making an ex-
haustive examination Of the subject,
preparing a plan that seemed to the
club most desirable and receiving the
approval of the board of governors,
this plan contemplated a most compre-
bensive plan of financing, together
with specific recommendations regard
ing the work to be done. accompanied
with maps and approved Of and helped
by the city engineer. The plan contem-
plated the creation of a special board
of water commissioner. under an act
that was framed by the club committee
on laws and legislation, which said act
failed of passage by the legislature of
the state. Not as it is understood on
the merits of the plan itself but in the
natter of the commission itself, and
since which time nothing has been
done. Now it is recommended that the
matters be again taken up or the sub
ject otherwise disposed of. as al pres
ent the matter stands as unfinished
business. There are in connection with
this examination of the subject highly
important and interesting matters that
must be of value to any person or per-
sons working on this problem, one of
the greatest if not the greatest that
ever viii come before this people.
Little Done During the Year.
During the past year little has been
done by the city to improve this con-
diticn: and while il was hODed that
the past winter and the year just closed
would witness. a greater precipitation,
which would aid US in overcoming the
present shortage in the available wa
ter supply. the hope has not been
borne out by the facts.
The average precipitation for the
last thirty years. as outlined in the
city engineers report. has been 1880
inches; the average for the last FIVE
years has been 1925 inches. The pre-
eipitation for 1908 was 14.02 inches, be-
ing a trifie in excess of the last five
years. but Is inches short Of the aver
age of the thirty years.
Now, this plan Of Hast winter was
not the only plan thought of, but it
was thought to be the best one, and
il this plan cannot be carried out on
account of the necessary legislation. let
sCTne other plan be recommended, and
TO this end I would suggest that the
matter be turned over to the new board
OF governors of the Commercial dub
to be acted upon at its earliest con
venience. and that this committee be
discharged from further consideration
OF the subject.
Very respectfully.
EDWIN Z. HOLMES.