Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-23
PASADENANS WOULD
KNOW WATERS COST
MAYOR EARLEYlSSUES LETTER
EXPLOITING HIS VIEWS
SAYS Only Point Involved in Securing
Supply Is Price to Be Paid for
Franchises and Equip
ments

PASADENA, June 22.-Following the
prediction in The Herald that Mayor
Farley, in his response to the communl-
cation of the Waterhouse party on the
water question, would not consent to a
consolidation Of the requirement Oh new
water supplies by the special committee
to be appointed, a letter was issued TO-
day by the mayor with that point as
one of its salient features.
The letter states it is the belief oil
the administration party that the IN
vestigation should be connned 10 the
local plants, although there would De
no objection to taking the possible price
of owens river water into consideration
when estimating the value of the local
plants. 49,.
The only point involved, the letter
declares, is the price to be paid for the
franchises and equipment of the Pasa-
dena water companies, and the mayor
states he will abide by the decision OF
the committee as to this Xaluatlon II
the Waterhouse people will make the
same pledge.
The letter was read and approved at
q special meeting of the city council
called in executive session this morning
and was afterward dispatched by spe-
ciaI messenger to the chairman or the
Waterhouse faction, Edmund d. Barry
VINO Will cali d llACINAAAES VI 49,
within a day or two Mayor EarIey
has suggested that conference OF ootn
parties with the mayor and councllme1
be held at l o'clock in the afternoon OF
June 30.
The text of the letter follows
June %, 1908. Mr.. Edmund y. Barry
Chairman; Mr.. Torrey Everett, Secre-
tary, Citizens COMMITTEE fasdueil'i'
ssGentlemen: Your communication in
answer to my letter Of May Is, 1903,
was handed to me by your secretary,
Mr.. Torrey Everett, Friday, June lS.
wish to thank you, your secretary anu
your committee for your reply. reply...oa so
Your committee has suggested SO
Yaanv things that we believe If we IN
vestigated them all, as you suggested,
IL would take so much time and there
would be so many different opinions as
to what course should be pursued the
citv would never achieve munlclpal
ownership of water
Investigate Cost of other Water
.gThe investigation, we believe, should
be directed to finding out what other
water would cost the city, so that the
engineers could arrive at just ana
fair price to pay for the water we now
have. If Pasadena goes into munlclpal
ownership of water IT does not want
To ACQUIRE a COSlly ~ oAN4Ai ~ ~NNN7N
nine all over the city, as suggested py
your committee, only to find that the
CITY has but a few customers compara-
fiI-elv for water We do not believe
the time has arrived to negotiate with
Los Angeles for a part OF owens river
water supply. Although the cost OF
water from this source should be as
certained as a factor in determining
the value of our present supply We
must first have our distributing sys-
fem and consumers for the water
have talked with the members OF the
board of public works of Los Angeles
and I consider them first-class pusi-
ness men, and would be perIectly w, W.
inc that the city should leave to them
ana their engineers what our present
plants are worth, and if the water COM
panies were not willing to sell at the
pr-icc so arrived at, I would favor any
legitimate course to influence thelr
stockholders to do so. ,.,,
oThe council believes that we should
adont the same broad principles that
our citv sister, Los Angeles adopted II
deciding for municipal ownership of It's
water suDply; that is, to purchase the
nronertv of our three large water COM
nanjes. if it can be bought at Just anq
reasonable price.
ONLY Question Is the Price
"We have taken the statements OF
your committee, of your Candidates
and platforms in our city campaign,
that YOU favor acquiring these plants;
hut the only question with you Is as
to their value, and the title or the
companies to the water rights, etc
With this understanding OF your posi-
ton l proposed the appointment of a
Joint c---..-.ittee to secure the services
of disinterested men who are compe-
tent to pass upon the value of the
water companies properties, consisting
of land. water, water rights, pipe lines,
reservoirs ETC. and also to submit to
the best judicial or legal opinion avail
able, any question your committee
might raise as to the title or status of
the companies. In regard to the size
of the committee, the council thinks
it would be great mistake to have
as large a committee as you suggest
that it would be almost impossible to
obtain ten or eleven first-class men
and also that the larger the committee
the harder it would be to secure a
quorum. They think committee of
three good men could accomplish the
work as well as a larger committee,
but they have agreed to accept COM
mittee Of five at my suggestion.
"In regard to the serviceability and
adaptability of the companies distrib-
uting plants 70 a municipal system, 1t
must be remembered that while the
water plants have been replaced within
the past ten years to supply the city's
needs, but we conceive that these are
the very questions that should be sub
mitted by a joint committee to a fair
and impartial investigation by compe-
tent men, to which end we ask you to
act with US in appointing committee.
Would Save People Vast Sum
"The city Of Los Angeles is now pay
ing for extensive improvements in its
system, such as you suggest would be
needed here, out of the profits of the
sale of water, besides paying over
100000 interest on the Owens river
bonds and reducing the former rate for
water over 30 per cent to its citizens,
and there is no reason why Pasadena
should not do relatively we'll. The
water companies have over 200 miners
inches Of gravity at the lowest stage
in the summer and over twice that
amount of gravity water for most of
the year, and about 600 miners inches
of pumped water. Their income is over
100000 per year, and with the growth
of the city will undoubtedly soon ex-
ceed 100000. We could have saved
thousands of dollars if the city had
bought the water plants even five years
ago, and the longer we delay the more
we will lose. Pasadena should own all
it's water supply and should have no
ooy,or,afifion I'm fiIrpfqbino uafar m ifq