Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-12-12
THE CITY WATER QUESTION.
The Wausau Herald, in its last issue
saws

The Wausau Herald, in its last issue
says:
| The Pilot charges that if a private corpora
uon owned the waterworks system The Heral,
would have gone for ii with a club long ago fO
supplying its customers with bad-tasting water
but that because the plant is municipal-ownet
one lhls paper has had no consure of it. B,
| this statement the Pilot proves eonclusivell
the charge of The Herald, made against il dur
ing the electric light controversy two years ago
| TO the effect that that paper was a eorporatioI
| sympathizer and opposed to public ownership
The Herald is in error, it has never
had any controversy with the PILOT as
10 whether 1t was tor or against munich
| pal ownership. The Herald made the
charge at the time mentioned that the
editor of the PILoT was a stockholder
in the Wausau Electric Light company,
basing its opinion, no doubt, upon the
fact that the PILOT was not "hysterical
or obstreperous' in its support of a
municipal electric lighting plant. The
| Herald simply made its statement upon
| hearsay and so acknowledged AS to
municipal ownership, for the benefit of
| the Herald or anyone interested, the
PILOT will say, that it is in favor of
municipal ownership only as a last re-
sort. Private ownership, ander proper
restrictions, being preferable in its
| opinion, and time will demonstrate that
| 1t is right However, no one cares rap
just now whether the PHOT or Herald
are for or against municipal ownership,
so long as they do not allow their
prejudices to blind them as to true con-
ditions The patrons of our water sys-
tenn are the ones to judge whether the
PILOT is justified in the course il has
pursued on the water question, and it is
satisfied that nine-tenths are united in
the demand for pure water supply,
and this, too, to take precedence of all
other public improvements
In Wausau the water works has been
owned by the city for twenty years or
more. Not one cent has been paid on
the original outlay There have been
extensions made from the earnings, it's
true, and the plant is perhaps worth
double what it was when first put in
(Which we doubt but the taxpayers,
when they pay up the first cost, will,
together with the interest, have paid
more than that amount.
In what condition is the plant? Some
SIX years ago vegetable growth COM
menced to fill up the mains and pipes
OF the system. At times the water has
been vile in taste, which has been even
startling to many of us who have been
used to drinking various kinds of con-
coctions, and it has at all times con-
tanned a most uninviting sediment All
this has been borne with the utmost
patience by our people who lived in
hopes that the promises made by our
authorities, that the troubles would
soon be overcome" would be verified
But, alas, conditions have steadily
grown worse. Last winter the river
NO FOR Al
hopes of destroying the growth, and
about all who could, purchased spring
water from the various venders rather
than to drink that which come from the
river through supposed decaying veg
etable growth. This cost was from rs
cents to S4 and more a month, accord
ing to the size of the family. Still the
consumers of city water barred their
backs to their burdens and said nothingy
Another year has gone by and nothing
has been done. And again suffering
public is called upon to face another
winter OF river water and its accom-
panying filth, aud vast sums being
drawn from their pockets to purchase
water from the springs
There is great agitation in the minds
of fully nine-tenths of our people on
this burning question of long standing
The opposition, who think the water
good enough and mo t injurious to
health but perfectly pure and whole
some" may call this "hysteria,'
ObstreperOusness," or "childishness, >"
or whatever they please, this agitation
is here now to stay until something is
done to cure the evil. What has brought
about this revolution of feeling at this
time, when the same conditions have
existed for so long time? One does
not have to go far for resolution to the
question.
There is amove on foot to build another
city hall, at an estimated cost of about
$50, 600 and everyone knows what that
means-an expenditure of fully S75, 900
or more on the project. The PILOT
does not think that it has been done
with full realization of the vast amount
of money that it is going to take to place
our water works in prime condition, but
rather it was thought perhaps, the river
water would, this winter, prove all
sufficient, but it will fall far short of
relieving the situation. Now it has
suddenly dawDed upon our people
that their patience has not been fHlly
appreciated; that instead of raising a
vast sum for another city hall the
money should 90 first and last towards
giving the city purer water supply.
What could patient and long suffer
ing people do under the circumstances,
but become "hysterical ?'' They real
ize something must be done soon or
with the building of a city hall, i'm
provement of water works to give
pure water and ample fire protection,
and the furnishing of enough school
buildings to house the children and the
necessary improvement of our streets,
together with the present liabilities of
our city will pile up debt on our peo-
pie that is appalling to contemplate
The city hall, in the opinion of the
PILOT, can v ait for term of years, un-
til the finances of the city will admit of
the outlay and there is a necessity for
it. During the last fire in the Werheim
plant we are told that an accident hap
pened to one of the engines at the
pumping station, happily it was at a
time when the fire was under control
or the consequences might have been
very disastrous to our city. An en-
gineer tells the PILOT editor that
engines which have been in use for
twenty years, are about ready for the
scrap pile. The Pilot cites the things
in order to show the people what they
are up against.
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