Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-11-11
A SERIOUS PROBLEM
VIII Confront People Upless
 They EcouomIze on Water.

The water question Is now serious | to say the least and unless It rains pretty soon there is likelihood of trouble which may result In a temporary suspension of some Of the business concerns, but the officials do not think that 1t will come to that. Everything possible Is being done 10 make the supply on hand hold out. but the water department cannot do much ir that direction without tho cooperation of the public Un- Fortunately, very considerable num- Der make light of this matter and continue to use water in tho same manner as they have always done with the result that great deal more is being used than Is really necessary. If the dry weather con tinucs and consumers cannot be made to see the necessity of econ, omizing 1t will be necessary to shut off the water certain portions of tho day. This would be bad enough, but 1t would be far worse to run the iVoCiNoilo uly NithOut knowing when or how they would be filled up.
 While this Is not time for fault finding, 1t cannot be denied that the department of public works and the | aldermen have not been alive to the needs of the city in this respect else | the work of building storage reser- voir would have been undertaken | four or five years ago and have 1t filled and ready for use last spring. | The situation that confronts the city
 now was pointed out on time to ! guard against it, by those who ought to know what is best, but people
 who thought they knew better ridi- culed the proposition and the public | then as now took sides with the scoffers and as a consequence the | public is now face to face with a
 water famine. But that is not here or there now. The question is where can the city find water to tide it over the present crisis. It would
 not have helped things one jot if operations had been commenced at
 the Branch the day after the propo- i sition was submitted to the present
 city government, for 1t was then toe l late to meet the present situation, | but even at that the shilly sahlly- | ing policy of the aldermen is not creditable and they will have to do better unless they want to prove that they are unmindful of the trust the public placed in them when they | delegated them to care for the needs of the town for two years. It Is but fair to assume that everybody means we'll and is aiming to do what he thinks is best, but the trouble is due | to too many cooks, most of whom know practically nothing about the subject. and even now don't seem to appreciate how near the city is to d l calamity compared with which the
 big confiagration of few years ago would be but trivial affair.
 | Mayor Thoms, Superintendent
 Kennedy. City Engineer Cairns and the board of public works have plans under way which they hope will serve as a temporary expedient so ! that while things do not look en-
 couraging. the officials are keeping
 up courage and may be depended
 upon to do their full duty to stave off serious trouble, If you have good suggestion, this is good time to
 make it known, but it is most iiop- perfume time for criticism. Let that
 go until after we have worked out of
 this snarl and then come along with
 the axe letting the chips fall where | they may.