Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1908-04-24

crises. 1t Is not well TO ser up
man Of straw, call him Municipal
Ownership" and let his mention or
shadow scare you from absolute duty.
A single item will not bring you into
a program of municipal ownership or
blast the vested rights of independent
contractors. Personally, l cannot
yet recommend the doing of all this
work directly by the city. l only ask
or recommend slight measure of
independence or relief from the present
exIgencies of this board. The many
pules in streets used tor public service
should be regulated by this board, by
prescribing permits for locations,
then. too, the great unsightliness of
these poles should receive it's attention
at once and always.
The physical condition and safety of
the city is then within the care OF
this board. 1t must have it's system
wherein it has division Of work and
united responsibility.
WAIER COMM loSlON-
To this delegated branch is intrust-
ed the priceless worth of supplying
bounteously wholesome water. The
use of water is growing and plans are
now being made to gather the pure
water, hereto running to waste, and
use the same.
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Your policy toward this volunteer
and protective body must be liberal
ard not fur the purpose of reward
alone but also for the commercial
reasons OF enjoying a security against
the ever present destructive element.
The small loss suffered through fire
should not lessen your diligence or
hinder your preparation for big
BATTLE against fire. Owing to a deli
cate adjustment of business relations,
any loss, however small, always
threatens the continuance of industrial
progress. Though our system of
waterwUrks, has an excellent pressure
for extinguishing fires, as we know
by record, which accounted for
practically every minute during the
past year, still this system is an unit
and like any other unit. hmuan eX-
perlence teaches that it may be sud-
denly Interrupted. The two fire
engines should always be kept timber
ed and ready for action. The city's
present lack Of space and shelter
interfere in this respect. When, how
ever. the city's utility building has
been built, then. both fire engines
should ba placed therein in reserve and
be ready for any emergency. In that
future building. also, another wagon
supplied with fire hose should be
maintained and reserved for use in the
center Of the city tor service in event
Of the present wagon being called to
far distant points. | would recon-
mend that your honorable body make
thorough investigation and report
upon the condition and amount of fire
hose row in use by the city for the
purpose of supplying in time want,
if theirs be one.
PARKS AND FAIRGROUNDS.
American cities are now thoroughly
aroused to the beautiful and recreative
phases of city life. Many cities are
doing wonders in the matter of public
park and drive systems. The inhabit
ants ask for it and the charters pro-
vide therefore. 1t is not every city
that has SO superb a lay of land and
such attractive course of water, as
those that lie within the bounds of
the city OF Watertown.
In this work, a start has already
been made outside of the efforts of
your body and it is with the feeling
of appreciation that we can recall
gifts Of citizens, legacies Of testators
or testatrices and the good work Of
the "Uut- Door Art Association. !"
The mention of this subject is no
bid made to your body to rush into
big expenditures, it Is merely re-
commentator to prepare for a work
whose beginning and end may be
twenty years or more apart. The
city should prepare itself in this
matter and if we take an example
we need but to refer to the institution
of sanitary sewers in this city. A
general plan for sewers was pre-
pared fifteen years ago for a great
population and we still are building
them according to that general plan.
A general plan Of the park and drive
system outlined by an expert, perhaps,
is the most that you can do at
present; also the planting Of hardy
shade trees along drives together with
the completion of driving circuit by
improving missing links in present
drives is within your influence.
Due more or less to the regularity
and business like plan Of our main
street, the city is always facing the
problem of boys, who loiter upon its
walks and corners. Some citizens
think. if they but complain about
the violation Of the rule against lott
ering, that they have fulfilled their
duties as citizens, but | ask fathers
where should your minor sons go,
what shall they do and what shall they
y