The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-03-15

lnch.
Now, l wish to call the attention o
the Council to the fact that the Pen
sacOla Water Company has bee:
! charging the people for water at TIT
rate Of fifty 500 cents a thousan,
gallons, in addition charging then
a rental upon the meters tina
measure the water. This price i,
from five go to ten 1O) times a.
much as is charged for water il
large cities, and is from two (2) Il
five CD times as much as is charged
for water in many cities of the size
of Pensacola. The result of these ex
orbltant charges can only tend Il
swell the income of the Water Com
pany enormously and enable the
Water Company to pay large divi
aends upon watered stock.
was informed by the late Gen
Geo. Reese. former Tax Assessor o.
the County, that Mr. B. R. Pitt made
a sworn statement to him that the
cost of the Pensacola Water Company
was about Sixty-e' GIT Thousand
1858 000) Dollars or, Sc 7 rememh er
correctly. Sixty-seven Thousand and
several hundred, the exact numJer OF
hundreds l do not remember. but
think it was nearly Sixty-eight
Thousand (S6S.0O0) Dollars.
These Water Works have been built
about twenty (2S) years, and many OF
, the mains e5e, at the present time,
much dilapTdated. as is demonstrated
by occasional bursting under the or
binary pressure now carried. The
pumps and engines have had twenty
(20) years of useaga and are practic-
ally to-day, fit for the junk pile and
7should be replaced with up-to-date
and modern machinery embracing the
Improvements of the past twenty (20J
years.
In the statement made to me by Mr.
Reese regarding the affidavit of Mr..
lFitt, who by the way, was claiming
he had been taxed too high. Mr.. Pitt
stated that the Standpipe had about
liveG its lifetime and would soon
have to be replaced with a new one.
According to the opinion of experts,
the water mains of the Pensacola
Water Company are entirely too small
10 give good service, and to give ade
qUate fire protection.
In order to have an up-to-date
Water Works in the city the plant
would have to be almost entirely re-
built, with the exception OLA few out
lying mains. And. it is the opinion
OF men who have some knowledge of
the works, that, if the city should
pay Fifty Thousand $3.50, 00O) Dollars
for the plant. the city would certainly
get the worst end of the bargain, for
1t would be practically buying a
junk pile, which it would have to get
out of the way and replace with a
new system.
Now. the question for this Council
to decide, and it is a question that
should be considered very carefully
and without too much haste, is
whether the city should avail itself
OF the privilege under the franchise.
and buy the present Water Works. or
whether it should take the money that
has been voted and build a new
Water Works.
There are two very desirable rea-
sons for purchasing the Water Works
and the first is. that city should own
the Water Works and that by buying
the old Water Works the city would
get rid of any opposition in the bust
ness of furnishing the people with
water, in other words it wouLl elimin-
ate competition. In the second place
the city would save the large sum of
money that it is paying out from year
to year for the rental of fire plugs. |
which is almost wholly profit.
On the other hand there are serious /
objections to buying the Water
Works. Unless the price be reason /
able the city would gain very little
to pay all Of its money! or nearly all
Of it, for an old, worn out plant, be /
cause it would not have any more
protection than it has now. and would /
have TO wait several years before il /
would have the taxable property |
upon which to issue more bonds to-
get more money to improve the Water
Works. And, as the Water Works
will practically have to be rebuilt, il
would be like beginning the thing
anew.
Something over year ago | went
INTO this subject very carefully ana
had estimates made of a new Water
System. and l have in my possessio.,
/ bid for the construction of a new
Water Works for the city of Pen.
;acOla, which Is more elaborate than
he present system. And which will
give us a nest of fourteen inch mains Z
the heart of the city with OUTLYING
lcadends, capable of giving a fire pres.
;ure Of one hundred and fifty Q5O)
sOund per square inch. and a pump
ng capacity much greater than the
present Water Works; all strictly
irst class and up-to-date for One
hundred Thousand (S10O.O OO) Dollars.
This bid is made by responsible
irm, and was understood to be an
'rOximate the detailed specifications
icing liable to make it. slightly more
II. slightly less.
Personally, I am of the opinion
hat this estimate for such a plant as
re need is rather low. in fact. | be- /,
Ieve much too low. But. the fact re-
Mains that We can get fine Water j
system everything in it new and
and up-tO-data throughout 4
auch more comprehensive than the
Id system, for One Hundreds Thou
and (S100.000) Dollars. and hence it ]
Till be seen that if the city should ;
ay Fifty Thousand 1850 000) Dollars !
Or tho old illuminated miami that If 1