Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1908-02-14
,TI,he c,Ifn ittee,s Report Il

The C mittee,s Report
Reportisg on the results of the; three
days conference of last week, Alderman
/ |C. H. Lester read the following:
Your committee to whom was referred,
as conferees with the waterworks com
pany, the matter of attempting the ad
justment OF a new franchise, beg leave t.
report as follows:
That SINCE the last council meeting
and especially during the past week
they have been in almost constant con
ference with the repreren entatiyes Of The
waterworks company and wish to report
as follows:
Thai, taking the franchise as pre-,
sented by the waterworkS company as q
basis, they have agreed on many Of the
minor propositions in that fra nchisa and
thatso far as these agreements go they
have been in line with the report Of this
committee as made at a former date.
This committee, owing to the volume Of
a report covering all of their labora a
recital o. all the reasons, arguments, pro
and con, are substantially estopped
from giving to this council at this time
the argument that has been presented
in regard to this matter. Briefly, this
committee wishes to report that the
water company has conceded and
agreed to number Of the minor prop
ositlons that this committee has asked
for. There are several propositions,
however, Of considerable Importance, in
fact the matters of prime Importance in
the Judgment of this committee, to
which they have not agreed. :.y
s First: They are still holding out for
a 20-year franchise; the committee offers
them q I0-year franchise.
Second: The committee insist by
reason Of receiving a new franchise, they
shall remove, at their expense, mains,
etc., on vacated strsets and in addition
thereto shall install the mains already
ordered by the city council, which at
this date they have not built, and that
the hydrant rental shall be fixed by this
COMMITTEES for old mains and that this
shall be absolutely precedent before this
franchise shall go into effect and be-
Il ,Dme ope eratiye. That in regard to the
extension Of nsW mains we should prac-
,tically go oack to the terms of the orig
inal franchise and should not require
the property owners to pay such an
amount, or any part of such an amount
as will in five years pay the first cost of
the construction of such mains. In re-
gard to hydrant rental, the committee
wishes to state that in its Judgment
when it offers a rental Of $25 per annnin
fer all hydrants nov located in the city
that it considers that, as committee,
it has offered all that this s;ervice Is
worth, In this respect the committee
have tried to be fair, that is has con-
ceded the general principle that the city
should pay for all the water that ituses;s
that the committee have conceded to
the waterWorks company, as commit
tee ONLY u cents per thousand gallons
ses a ltSr t ( use6s for saushsag sewers
watering public parks and school
grounds, and for the consumption OF the
schools themselves.
Third: We also agree as to the length
OF time in which they, the water COM
pany, shall be prepared to give an ex-
treme test Of their plant for fire protec
tion purposes in case of a bad fire. In
the judgment Of your. committee, they
should be prepared at any and ali times
during the course Of any twelve months,
to give this test upon. thirty minutes
notice. In this matter your committee
and the water company Disagree, they
having previously asked three days
time: but now having modifedit to one
days time.
Fourth: A further matter of dis.
agreement is in the price of water to be
charged to the city. The water com.
pany demands u 2115s cents per th>:a.sand
gallons; the committee is not willing to
concede ything greater than II cents
& Fifth: Another matter of difference
is in regard to lawn rates on flat rate
schedule. Your committee after care