The log cabin Democrat., 1907-02-14

| those that were most III ldVOI ol municipal ownership nd opera ton in this city are greatly in doubt whether or not their desire could be accomplished and express hope that it might be possible if the proposed bill should be passed under which the second petition must be presented by those oppos- ing the Improvements.
 The affirmative may tell you that there is not sufficient demand here for waterworks and on account of this that municipal ownership is the only solution of the problem. On this point MT. Allen Ripley Foote says: "If such a demand does not exist, or cannot be quick ly developed, the undertaking should not be entered upon" But men who have had experience on this question and who have been studying the local need say that there is sufficient demand and that private capital is ready to invest, because Conway is a growing town. For this reason they say that it would not deter private cap ital if the investment would not pay for some years.
 But our opponents have told you that water is of better quality un- der municipal ownership and oper- ation than under any other man. agement. They have cited Little Rock as an example. But we find that it is not as they would have you believe and that city that has municipal ownership may have undrinkable water. We quote from a recent number of current magazine concerning the New York water supply: "The water is undrinkable, the service is er- ratio and the most important em- ployees have been repeatedly proved to be practically ignorant of their business. In Cleveland Ohio the annual death-rate caused by typhoid was for B years before 1905 an average of 52 per 100, 900. After the opening of the new in take in 1905 which private capital had offered to do g years before, it fell to IS per 100, ,ooo.
 Our honorable opponents have given you list of prices charged for water under municipal and pri vate ownership and operation. But in making this comparison they have not taken account of the fact that under private ownership the users have all the expense to pay, while under municipal own ership there is always great deal collected from taxes. There is property in this town on which the light plant tax is 5000 per year. Evidently the price to consumers could be lowered and so make the appearance of being cheaper than private ownership when 1t really was much higher. The taxes are high in this place now and it has been estimated by one who has studied the local situation and one who advocates municipal owner ship and operation that water works, allowing the notes thirty years to be paid, would add about twenty mills to the taxes and make a combined tax of nearly fifty mills. That is almost all the legal interest on money. Some of the most up to-date men say that this could scarcely be tolerated and that they would rather buy the plant for cash than pay these taxes. But this is not possible solution of the prob lem for the poorer classes could not afford to pay their share at one time.
 But the affirmative may say that the payment might be deferred a longer term of years. This we found to be against public opinion, since most of the men that we in- terviewed on this question said that i'll the near future Conway would need other Improvements such as drainage canals and sewer systems which manifestly belong to the city. They say that on ac- count of this that the city would become over indebted if the water notes ran longer than thirty years.
 Our opponents cite the Conway light plant as an example of suc- cessful municipal control. Indeed it is and as my colleague has al ready shown you it is the excep- ton. Even some of the men most in favor of municipal ownership and operation say that this has been accomplished only through tbe ,uanaoenent keeDinp if out of