The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-11-12
HYDRANT CONTRACT
STILL UNSIGNED
Bailiffs and Water Works Co.
Far Apart.
OPINIONS OF VILLAGE OFFICERS
In Regard to Certain Condition Which
the Water People Do Not Feel Like
Agreeing To-Another Meeting to Be
Held Tonight

The Brattleboro Water Works company
has water to sell and is waiting for a
chance to sell il to the village of Brattle
boro for fire purposes the village having
voted to purchase water for such use. The
bailiffs are the purchasing agents for the
village, but the matter OF drawing up a
contract seems to be task that neither
party can do to the satisfaction of the
other There are two points OF conten-
ton in the draft submitted by the board
of bailiffs to the company last week. One
of the clauses would allow the village to
use water in unlimited quantity for
flushing sewers and for other purposes
1ieve comes under the head of fire protec-
tion," which is the specific purpose for
which the village voted to install SO add.
tional hydrants The other is in regard
to the term of the contract.
Mayor +. j. Waterman when inter
viewed on this subject said that the bail
ifs thought it wise to have provision in
the contract that would permit filling a
fire cistern and thought that the com
clause. He said "such clause was in
serted in the draft of a contract which |
drew up and submitted to the water
works company simply to provide, in case
of an emergency, that the fire department
may fill fire cstern and for no other
purpose He said he did not think the
company had any reason to believe that
the village would ever attempt to take
advantage of any such clause. Asked as
to why he favored fve-year contract
against a twenty-five year one, he said:
81 do not believe that the board of
bailiffs should bind the village by the
force of contract for 25 years" He said
that conditions may change in five years
and the village ought to be in position to
take advantage of such changing condl-
tons.
O. T. Ware was asked for his opinion
as to whether the village was not asking
the water works company for concessions
that were so broad the company could
not possibly grant them without putting
itself in a position where it would be
possible for the village to make the ven
ture Improbable to the company. Mr..
Ware explained that he had been out of
town and in speaking of the matter of in.
stalling new hydrants appeared to lack
any specific information. Several ques-
tions were asked Mr.. Ware, but he par
ried the interviewer with the statement
that the board of bailiffs had not arrived
at any decision in the matter. He was
unable to contribute even an opinion as
to the wisdom of making a short rather
than a long term contract
His colleagues, John T.. Kaine and S.
A. Richmond, were not reticent about
discussing the water works question. Mr.
Kaine said: 81 did not expect that the
water works company would accept the
clause calling for fve-year contract
The company has water to sell and I sup
pose it is to be expected that it would OBJ
ject to that clause in the contract which |
refers to the use of water for other than |
fire purposes"
Mr. Richmond said 'I don't object to
a long term contract. / favor it, 1 am
not in favor of a fveyear contract for it |
is not in the interest of the village and