The San Francisco call., 1905-01-11
WATER IN OAKLAND.

~ AKIAND had clear sheet on which to write municipal
water policy would protect her people against bad ad
mnsraton, and thoroughly busnesslke policy IN
acquiring and running municipal plant There has been progress
the world in these matters and there accumulation OF e
perience guidance It settled in this country
Europe that private plant should be left the held to
compete public plant that the of the public plant
should upon alone leaving the public credit free 1t is also
organization of the municipal should
machinery required the creation and operation
public plant and that this official machinery should be per-
resting merit and not subject to the political changes
age city have turned her back each OF
these settled principles might under such
proposition that to all OF the obJec
that may be brought against municipal ownership and to
Others Serious nhere the specific plan adopted
regret that this noted California city has refused to make
datum n from which all future experiments in municipal
trading With opportunity that
municipal plant be bought its credit and successfully
and paid for of its leaving the public credit
the desirable public improvements which upon
Cities regrable that Oakland should prefer to m-
the policies of the rather than take the honor OF
originating better policy of the future
will be that refusal make municipal water plant
carry its own bonds and it's own cost gnif
cant admission that municipal ownership failure The propo
of that policy should be glad OF the chance to prove that its
private plant they the chance prove this and
refuse it, they cannot complain the opponents OF municipal social
In the Oakland proposition singular features that
be examined independently views for or against mun
ownership With the power condemn the existing plant and
eliminate its competition it proposed to bond the city Tor
plant yet and whose rights to water
litigation and the city is denied the right to make any con-
for that plant until after its hands tied by voting the bonds
mortgage public credit competitor the field without
having for anything AS the plant for which the bonds
condemned by the only who has
the bonds be pledged advance of
for the delivery specified quantity of water and the
propose pipe instead of ron the
be in dscord to all business principles
If interest in such public questions and our friendly interest
neghboring qualify advise would surely advise
the people Oakland complete contract before they
bonds down all bonds until they have
for what they voting The expenditure of
without would
No individual firm corporation would think OF doing
unbusinesske thing then why should city with
public it? We have either by
members of the city the sellers of the proposed plant
for refusing make contract before voting bonds
the of the law for such bond issues that
voting rafy contract In
Oakland millions for which there
We regard such void in law. OF
implication that the proposed contract has features which the
people ndorse therefore these be concealed All
proper policy all fair dealing that the people shall have
the before them a reject as they see Mt Instead
of this the asked their property for millions
which they not permitted to Such
proposition has in the elements of all kinds Of lo scandal and
trouble should be stopped by making contract and
letting the people it and upon it.
have the satisfaction of seeing right start made
by basg the bonds the plant they create have the salts
faction advising that least the people, who to the bill
be permitted the contract which they voting