The San Francisco call., 1906-09-27
ENGINEERS REFUSE
TO AID BOARD.

The members of the Board of Super
visors must bear alone the burden of
the iniquity that attaches to the deci-
sion to exclude from consideration all
proposed sources of water supply for
San Francisco with the exception of
that of the Bay Cities, Water Company
"a decision that spells the purpose of
the Supervisors to acquire this system
and at a cost to the taxpayers of S10,-
100000, without investigating thor
oughly the claims of other systems.
Alarmed at the promptness with
which the commission of engineers
Professor c. d. Marx of Stanford Uni
versity, Major c. H. McKinstry, U. S. A,
and A. NJ. Hunt-al1 eminent in their
profession-tendered their resigna-
tions when the board took action to
limit its investigation to one proposed
source of supply, omitting others for
reasons unexplained, the board, after
declaring It's preference for the Bay
Cities system, prepared second reso-
luton asking that the commission be
requested to once again serve the peo-
pie and determine whether or not the
Bay Cities system could produce IAN
adequate supply of pure, fresh water"
But. coupled with their ability as en-
gineers, the three members of the re-
signed commission are also gifted with
the power of discernment Reading
between the lines of the resolution, the
scheme of the board to cause them to
place the seal of expert approval, back
ed by their reputation for integrity, on
the plan to betray the city, they have
refused to consider the invitation and
have washed their hands of the entire
affair. In language that permits of no
misinterpretation Professor Marx has
made his position clear. and, 1T is said,
IN explaining his position. hetAxplains
n n e -
j desire to express my unwillingness
to handle this subject otherwise than in
the manner in which an engineering
project or this ma gnitude should be
handled-that is by making such an
investigation as will enable at least a
comparative estimate to be made of
the merits and costs of the various
available systems. This would of neees-
sity include systems which were not
referred to us by the Board of Super
visors for examination and report. J.,
as a member of the commission, will
not pass on any single subject sub
mitted for my approval"
Two reasons have been advanced by
those who have studied the action of
the board throughout the affair, now
growing rapidly into scandal, as to the
motive that prompted its decision. One
is that whenever the requirement of a
public utility calls for the initial ex-
penditure of s10.O00.00O. especially un-
der the existing system of American
municipal administration, theories for
observation at once arise within the
mind. As to this every man will be
permitted to pursue his own observa-
tions. The other reason advanced is
that political influence must be pre-
served, even at the expense of the pub
lie safety.
The alacrity with which certain
members Of the Board of Supervisors
attacked the Hetch Hetchy Valley pro-
Ject. Favored by the administration of
James D. Pheian and still advocated by
him snd his associates as the best and
cheapest, let some light in upon their
minds. To place tbs seal of approval
on the Hetch Hetchy Valley project
would be to confess virtue to the Phe-
Ian administration-a confession the
present board would rather resign than
make.
Men on the board whose engineering
experience never advanced beyond the
maintenance of ward-line fences and
to whom the mysteries Of mathematics
are as unknown as the hereafter, inn
meaiately opened discussion as to
the tremendous cost of retaining dams
In the Hetch Hetchy VaI1ey-a matter
that would take engineers on the scene
months to compute. No one had men
toned Hetch Hetchy until they relieved
their consciences by throwing it into
the maelstrom Of discussion. The
Hetch Hetchy project had been elimi-
mated in the beginning by the board
"