The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-05-23

uInlC lOStItOdu NOulDuny aIC OuCA Va
this agitation in favor Of municipal
water plant. l know this to be true,
and want to state it openly, SO that
every member of the council will
know my reason for opposing it,"
In these words Councilman Thomp
son, in spite of the objections of other
members of the council and Mayor
Reed, offered his explanation for OBJ
jecting to the entire proposition. The
statement brought forth considerable
comment from all parties concerned,
and was particularly oppesd by Mr..
Armbruster. In reply to vigorous
denial by that gentleman, Mr.. Thomp-
son said:
81 notice that your right-of-way
runs along the right-of-way of the
Yakima and Valley road"
That's only bluff" replied Mem
her Armbruster.
Councilman Thompson's sensation
al statement followed the reading of
the report by Chairman Armbruster,
and furnished food for reflection.
Among other things, he said:
This is serious question. 1t pro-
vides for water main only six miles
long, which will have a pressure of
only 70 pounds. Then, the question
of how to raise the money is not le-
gally considered"
Mr.. Thompson then mentioned the
amount of the citys Indebtedness,
which is $1S3,000. Following, he
said:
'The city cannot legally vote for
enough money to pay for this sys-
tenn. The question of the bond is
sue is one that l have studied care
fully for three days. / am convinced
that we cannot borrow the money,
and, if we could, we would have to
strap the city and sidetrack all the
host of other improvements that we
need right away. Then, the division
of the city into improvement districts
is also impossible under the pre- seal
charter. There is only one way in
which we can vote bond issue, and
that is to put it up to the people as
to whether they wish to bond the city
for the balance that it is entitled to
borrow. That will be the difference
between $1OS,000 and $137,500,
which would be insufficient. And it
would also have to be decided b., the
people as to whether we wish to ap-
propriate anything out Of the current
fuid, that would tie us up financially
for long time to come"
Councilman Thompson then spoke
plainly on the subject of competent
engineering services to superintend
the work in first-class shape, stating
that a surveyor was not needed, but
an experienced hydraulic engineer.
IA year ago." continued the coun-
Gilman, 1--WE wrestled with the Don
aid matter, and through that gentle
man, we were held up on stree.
railroad at that time. This we have
to thank Donald and the Northern
Pacific for. Now, through their COM
bined efforts, they are trying to be-
little Strahorn in this water PROPOSE
ton, and making tools out of the
members of this council to pick their
chestnuts out of the fire.
George Donald is at the bottom
Of the whole thing He brought on
the question himself, and has said
to people l know that he would fur
nish money for the purpose a1 to
100000. There are great many
things underneath this proposition
that some of the members of this
council have never dreamed"
At this point Mr.. Thompson was
embarrassed by cries of Question:!
Mayor Reed also tried to declare the
speaker out of order. He continued,
however, as follows:
1.-THE plant that you are planning
for is entirely inadequate. 1t will
be far worse than the system we are
now putting up with. l also under
stand 1t is the ultimate intention OF
the promoters of this proposition to
extend the system twenty miles FUR
Their up the river, involving a total
cost of not less than 100000"
Councilman Linbarger then made
a few remarks, telling how nicely the
committee had been treated by the
water company. and also calling the
attention of the council to the many
ways in which the council had benefit
ted Mr.. Strahorn's interests. Coun-