The San Francisco call., 1909-04-24
GOOD BY, )" SAYS
BOURN, AND FLITS
Spring Valley COmpany's Presi-
dent Throws Down Gauntlet
to the Supervisors
Water Rates Committee in
Sharp Clash With Head of
Public Utility Corporation


Supervisor A. A. d'AneOna. If this
board would fix the rate at an increase
OF Is per cent and SIS hydrant rate,
would the Spring Valley, water com
pany promise TO increase the service
100000 gallons and establish all hy-
drsnts desired by the hre Department.
President W. b. Bourn of,the Spring
Valley company, We would bring in
the 5.ooo.ooe salons additional and
would install the hydrants desired; but
. We could not increase the service in
the putlaIng sections of the city. We
would bring. in the water within two
years.
Supervisor Daniel Murphy, This
proposition OF raising the water rates
simply means that the company would
be Borrowing money from the rate
payers 10 pay for work which should
he done out of the capital l never
u aeard Of such proposition before-it
lS utterly unprecedented
President Beurns Is that all, gen
inE.D
A new specimen Of the ''liberaiity'
was manifested Yesterday when Presi-
sdent ". B. Bourn. Captain Payson and
a Borel met with ~the special water
rates committee OF the board of super
Nisors for a discussion OF the proposi-
lions submitted by the company last
Tuesday, The discussion was infor-
mai, giistened with generalities like
soap bubble for short while. and
then dissipsted like a soap bubble.
supervisor Murphy pricked the bubble
by declaring that the "liberaF' PROPOSE
lion which Bourn agreed 10 was ut
terly. unprecedented and wrong.
Fro FIX WATER RATES
At the regular session to be held
Monday the supervisors will adopt the
water rates for the ensuing fiscal year.
The water committee, of which Super
visor James A. Johnston is chairman,
has recommended that last years rates,
now in litigation. be adopted, and the
Spring Valley cOmpany's president at
the hearing last Tuesday, submitted
three alternate propositions. One OF
these was that If the board gave the
company a 20 per cent increase and a
s. hydrant rate the company would
agree to do whatever the board con
sfdered necessary during the next two
years. Yesterday Boprn promised 10 do
that for a IS per cent increaseLthat is.
70 bring in 5000 .oee additional gallons
. That bland promise broke up the
party.
The supervisors present at yester-
days meeting were Johnston (chair-
mani, Bancroft. Booth, Comte, Center,
Jennings. D'Ancona, Broderick. Murphy.
Pollok. PayOt. Giannini and McAllister.
Attorney Long sat with the supervisors
and took an active part in the discus
sion.
STATEMENT BY BoURN
Bounn sepened the discussion by say
ing that the propositions tentatively
submitted by him Tuesday had received
yesterday morning the full Endorsement
OF the executive committee of the board
Of directors.
Captain Payson argued that the board
should agree upon rate with the
company, for. he contended. if an arbi-
trary rate WAS fixed and the eompan ny
should take it into the courts both par
ties would be prevented. in some de-
d gree, from agreeing mutually on a val
uation for the property, as by the liti-
cation they had left that question to
the determination Of the court.
THROWING DOWN GAUNTLET
so the company is throwing down
the gauntlet TO us in this matter?''
as soon as this rate is fixed ] intend TO
call 4 conference to discuss the valua-
ton OF. the property
III We raise the rate now in all
probability the people viii vote us
out OF Office at the next election "
said Murphy.
THAT should not influence you in
this matter" commented Bourn
1T does not influence u.s. returned
Murphy quickly. but A new board
would he elected that would restore
the lower rates"
BOURN Is NONCONMITTAi.
Supervisor d'Ancona then tried to
get from Bourn what the company
would do If an increased rate were
given Bourn was quite noncommit-
tai
D'Ancona brought the Wayward dis
cussion back to the question of what
the company would do if il were
given 3 per cent increase. IF this
board should grant 2. Is per cent in
crease and a s. hydrant rate, would
YOU promise TO bring in 100000 gal
Ions of water and place hydrants
where the fire department wished
them2"
Bourn and Borel withdrew into a
committee room and soon returned
promising everything. When pressed
for definite agreement Bourn said that
the company could not increase the
service in outlying sections of the city
under that rate, but simply would
@ bring IN 5.0OoOVO aQoftlonaj gallons
during the next two years at a cost
Of upward of $500, 600.
Then Murphy grew excited. This
proposition Of raising the water rates,
he said. simply means that the COM
pany would be borrowing money from
the rate payers TO pay for work which
should be done out Of the capital
never heard Of such q proposition be-
fore-it is utterly unprecedented
Then Bourn said goodby-