The San Francisco call., 1908-07-01
1907 Schedule Expires and 1908
Tariff Is Held Up Pending
Court Hearing
Spring Valley Presents Mass of
Documents at Beginning
of Case in Court
Engineer DOckweiIer Files Affi-
davits for City Which Riddle
Company Valuation

San Francisco will begin the new
fiscal year today wit1crt any water
rates. The 1907 scse -li- expired at
idnieht. The 1908 tariff, adopted re-
-ently by the board Of supervisors.
cannon become effective today by rea-
son of the restraining order issued by
Judge harrington. The directors Of
the Spring Valley have taken no ac-
ton in the matter and the consumers
are for the present, therefore, without
knowledge as to the rate at which they
are to be assessed for their July bills.
The restraining order of Judge Earring
ton holds only the present proceedings
and viii be either dissolved or replaced
by a temporary injunction at their con-
ciusion a4 the end OF tins or the begin
ming Of next week.
The proceedings took wide range
yesterday Afrom oral testimony in sup
port OF thel contentious. OF TIE company
20 zHritten .sfsgavits hpholding the
claims of the city. Arthur L. Adams, a
widely known hydraulic engineer, took
the witness stand and put in strong
brief for the company
The afidavits filed by Assistant City
Attorney Thomas F. Haven yesterday
included dispositions made py J. H
Dockweiler, the engineer attached to
the city attorneys Office; City Attorney
Long. Supervisor j. y. Johnston, Henry
Schwartz, secl>Stary Of the stock ex-
change. John 5. Partridge. James D.
Pheian and Zoeth S. Eldridge.
ACTUAL VALUE 81, ST, ,eSs
Dockweiler submitted two sffidavits.
in the first he figures the value of
Spriar valley by taking the average
price Of the stocks and bonds from 1893
10 the present time and reaches a valua-
tion OF S20.757.t70. In the second af1-
davit he estimates the actual value Of
the properties in use at s24,S71,63S.
In his first affidavit DOcikweiler states
that he found the average price of the
stock TO have been s22.40 and the av-
erage price Of the bonds SS0.6S75.
Dockweiler then submitted table OF
estimates as to the value Of the compo-
nent parts Of the Spring Valley system.
The other afidavits were Of minor i'm
portance.
Zoeth s Eldridge. president Of the
National Bank Of the Pacific, submitted
an afidavit in which he stated that
per cent was a fair rate Of revenue for
a public service corporation. In SIM
ilar affidavit James d. Phelan placed
the rate Of revenue between and 51a
per mt He adds that 5 per cent is
the susl income on real estate and c
per cent on improvements.
READ CHIEFS REPORT
The session opened yesterday with
the reading by Attorney Frank Powers
OF the AFFIDAVIT of Herman Schussler,
chief engineer of the water company.
Schussler's method Of calculation by
comparison with the unit value" of
Hetch Hetchy was explained, although
Judge harrington had stated the day
before that il might be omitted. Powers
then read at length from reports of
former City Engineer Grunsl1y, in which
the latter estimated the value Of the
conpany's franchise at 2,5eO,0
After reading the testimony given in
previous cases by Engineers Schuyler
and Herring, the attorneys OF the Spring
Valley water company placed Arthur L.
Adams on the stard. His examination
continued for the rest OF the day and he
will be recalled thfs morning.
Adams is at present consulting engi-
neer for the city OF Victoria He was
formerly connected with the Los An
geles water system and the Contra Costa
company in Oakland. He testified that
be had made an investigation into the
Spring Valley plant covering q period
OF six months, and believed that il was
uapable or great development
During the examination Of Adams.
Attorney McCutchen asked where San
Francisco would be compelled to go for
the nearest adequate supply.
Either the Sacramento river or the
Sierras," replied the witness Adams
added. however, that the river could not
be considered seriously.
The city viii strengthen its case to-
day with more affidavits. including a
long one from J. II. DOcl1weiler.