The San Francisco call., 1909-07-09
Representatives of Transbay
Counties Will Consider Pro-
pOsaI at San Rafael
Meeting TO Be Held July Is for
Purpose of Forming New
Water District
William Kent Offers Land for
Project and Other Owners
Willing to Assist

" hhhS ~ AASCASt
hLANS TO convert Mount Tamalpais
into a vast public park for the
direct benefit OF the people and
10 eliminate from its beautiful heights
the feature Of private control are now
being made and viii cone to a focus
al a meeting Of the representatives Of
the transbay communities to oe held
July IS.
Out Of the contrary threads OF legis-
lation and counter legislation. OF ami
mostly and factional fight. out Of the
whole intricate warp Of technical
weaved at the instance of cunning
counselors for private corporations,
there has been found means by
which an effort win be made TO place
the control of Mount Tamalpais in the
hands OF the people.
And this lies in the new water district
act passed by the last legislature
Scheme for Water Supply
For. apart from parking Tamalpais.
the main purpose Of the scheme is TO
give the transbay cities q municipal
water supply.
Behind the scheme are some Of the
leading citizens Of the state. William
Kent is at the head. J. H Dockweiler
is managing the engineering end of the
water project and with them are
Surveyor George Richardson Of Marin
county, District Attorney Tom Boyd, S.
3. Cushing and J. E. Lewis. These men
are the leaders. and backing them are
the citizens Of san Rafael. Ross, Kent
field. Larkspur. Corte MADEIRA, Sausa-
ito. Homestead. Mil Valley and Fair
Tax. Representatives, ron each of
these places viii be at the meeting
10 be held in san Rafael July 2s. when
the proposition of banding together
into a water district for a municipal
water supply. viii be taken up.
should this be done, these communi-
ties win. under the power given them
by the water districts act. proceed TO
condemn and buy up the property along
Mount Tamalpais, the chief Of which
are the Howard Shafter ranch and the
Marin water and power company hold
ings. for the construction Of munich
PAL water supply
New Act JuStifies Project
As the new act also allows water
district TO park and properly care for
such property 10 save the water from
being defIed. the project of making
Mount Tamalpais into park for the
use Of the people can thus be accom-
plished.
The cost Of such an undertaking
VIII be about sl.5Oo.OO0. and it is pro-
posed 10 issue bonds for this amount.
The plan Of parking Mount Tamal-
pals started about years ago at
meeting at 'rhe Marin country club,
among its advocates then being Pro-
fessor Merriam Of the biological de-
psrtment Of the United States geo.
logical survey: Clifford Pinchot. chief
OF the forestry department; BENJAMIN
Ide Wheeler. president Of the state uni
Versity and William Kent. The mat
ter progressed for some time, but was
dropped when the trustees Of the stan
ford estate raised the price OF their
holdings from 100000 to s25O.O0O.
Old Laws Were Inadequate
Two years later the citizens Of San
Rafael began to sgitate for a munich
pal water supply. the rates of the
Marin water and power company being
considered exorbitant- This agitation
died down also, it being discovered
that the laws were inadequate.
Then began a fight with the Marin
water and power company on the one
side and the public against it. The
battle waged to and fro, sometimes
dying away. only to burst out again in
greater heat than ever. The passing Of
the water districts act gave the public
the Necessary advantage and with this
81 is intended 10 push the scheme until
it is an accomplished fact.
Owners Offer Their Lands
That those who are leading the cam
paign are ready to go to considerable
lengths TO attain their ends is shown
by the offer of 1000 acres. which in
cludes the famousIy beautiful Steep ra-
vine. by William Kent, toward the
project
Mrs. Emma Howard, one of the prin-
cipal owners Of the Howard ranch, has
declared her Willingness to part with
whatever Of her holdings is necessary
for a nominal sum. Other owners OF
lands have taken similar stand.
Besides the transbay citizens the Cal
ifornis Promotion committee of San
Francisco has come forward with its
aid in the matter of parking Mt Tam
alpais and has appointed a committee
with r. B. Hale of Hale Brothers as
chairman, 10 represent it.
There are three water companies
which have holdings on Mount Tamal-
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