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

buy the Water Works, and what the
city should receive from the water
users would then be SO much gain.
/ This argument looks very good on the
/ lace OF 1t and would be very gOO1l if
/ ii were a fact that the Water Com.
panys plant was new and would con-
tlnue for number of years, but the
very fact that, it would have to be
rebuilt makes it an entirely different
proposition.
The city had much better pay out
Thirty Thousand $3.50. OOO) Dollars
for rentals for the next thirty years,
as per contract with the company.
than TO pay Two Hundred Thousand
(S2OO,O00) Dollars for a plant that
would not last one third of thirty
years. The saving in the purchase
alone would be One Hundred and
Seventy Thousand C$17O.0OO) Dollars,
supposing the plant can be bought
for Two Hundred Thousand (S2OO-
OOO) Dollars, or it is a saving Of One
Hundred and Twenty Thousand
(S120,000) Dollars to the people, pro-
vided the plant can be purchased for
One Hundred and Fifty Thousand
($150,000) Dollars, which figure l am
informed, the plant is bonded at. So,
though We may look at the matter any
way We choose, the buying as pro-
posed is very bad business PROPOSE
ton.
The City can afford to pay, the
Pensacola Water Company the Nine
Thousand Nine Hundred and Twenty
(S9,920) Dollars a year for the next
thirty 600 years, if it be compelled
to, because it can take its Two Hun
dred and Fifty Thousand ($250000)
Dollars and build an elegant Water
System. Up-tO-date in every respect,
which will give the city ample fire
protection and give the citizens water
at one-third the price they are now
paying the old company, and out Of
its revenues. pay the contract to the
old company. Hence, if it spends its
money for the old company it will not
have an up-to-date Water System, nor
any money to buy one with, ana will
be but very little better off than It is
at the present time.
In regard to the city having to pay
this Nine Thousand Nine Hundred
and Twenty (S9.920) Dollars a year
for the next thirty 800 years there isl
a very serious question. In the first
place the Pensacola Water Company
has never lived up to its contract
with the city from the beginning. The
plant was never constructed accord
ing to franchise, but taking it for
granted that the city is esstOpped
from raising that question now BY
having used the Water Works for a |
long period of years without raising
any question. it is still fact made
a part of the contract, that the COM
pany should give continuous service /
and keep the plant in maximum
state Of repair ana efficiency. which /
means that this company. in order
to keep it's contracts with the city
must be able at any and all times to !
SUPPLY the city with a fire pressure /
Of One Hundred and Fifty (150) /
pounds TO the square inch.
It will be remembered that the
CITY Council last year investigated /
a destructive fire. in which the Win
ter Rest and three other buildings
were destroyed. and in that investi-I
cation the president of the Pensacola /
Water Company testified that thei
Water Works was not able to stand
only about One Hundred .1OO) pounds
10 the square inch. Here is direct
testimony from the company itself.
showing the the company cannot live
ID to its contract with the city.
1t is my candid opinion that tie
franchise of the Pensacola Water
Company can be abrOgated at any
line that the city sees fit to carry