Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-12-31
THE NAUCATUCK RIVER.
City Should Purchase it Fefore Out.
 saders Step in Go Buy.

k The combine organized with view to getting hold of the Naugatuck river and its tributaries appears to be gain ing ground every day. At first people were appalled, Ut the boIdness Of the scheme and few could believe that such a thing was under way. But they received the plan in small lots so that when they saw the whole of 1t they had reconciled themselves to the inevitable and instead of talking fight they felt thankful that the smart fel, lows are our own neighbors and friends and not strangers. This Is exactly what was said when few Waterbury men petitioned the legislature for per
 mission to operate hrose railroad service i'll Waterbury. and the self same argument was put forward in the aldermanic chamber when the com pany squared its paving accounts for less than 50 cents on the dollar while real estate owners in the same street had to come down with the full amount. Who owns the trolley now3
 If you're about to be held up ana robbed. it may be source of eonsOla- tion to be able to say that the foot pad Is your next door neighbor and q pretty decent sort of fellow, who never would have thought of doing such a thing only he knew that parties un- known to you had their eyes on your pocketbook and would get hold Of it sooner or later if somebody didn't head them off. Isn't it tough on the people
 who own land abuttfng on the Nauga- tuck river 10 hear that the stream is to
 be turned over to Il private corpora ton so that when q COW or horse looks at it in the future it will have to peer through barbed wire fences. or worse. still. 1t may be deprived of the pleas | ure Of seeing the water roll onward to the sea and have to content itself by l listening to it's melody from behind Il high board fence.
 It may be all right 10 use the water
 for such purposes as it can De put to without depriving the public Of the right to apply 1t to any use that might be found necessary. Why, it is only the other day since the Mad River I Water Go, corporation composed of
 mostly the same parties as those now after the Naugatuck river, sent Il bill of about $1O,OO0 to the city for water I pumped out of the Mad river during
 a dry season They pleaded and threat
 ened and did everything except sue,
 and they would have done that only the bill was outlaWed. and felt very much abused because they did not geS
 the cash. The city may want water from the Naugatuck river some day and if the stream is to become the property of a private corporation the
 company's application should be
 amended so as to meet this case. It is understood that the representatives l from the rural districts of the state 1 are not taking kindly to the bill and that considerable lobbying will have to l be done to put it through Some oi
 them claim that it is but the beginning
 of a plot to corral all the water of the state and if not checked a farmer wifi
 soon have to pay for the privilege ot watering cattle at stream running ] through his own land
 The strongest argument that could
 be offered In support of the bill from l the standpoint of a resident of Water. bury, is that it promises to relieve the 1 city reservoirs from the demands made on them by the factories. Tn this way
 private individuals would get water I at greatly reduced rates and the pres l ent supply would be ample until tho population reaches about 125, ,O00 souls l It would turn the attention of the fac
 tories from the public water soufees
 and put the city in position to ust
 the supply as originally intended fol fire protection and domestic use.