The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1909-04-23
Municipal WaterwOrkS


waterworks question under considera-
ton again last Monday evening, and
went so far as to employ an engineer
to make a preliminary estimate OF the
cost of installing such plant. The
cost has been variously estimated at
from SIS, 900 to 5000. The propo-
sition is to bring the water from Snow
or Icicle river by pipe line to the cor
porate limits of the town. Probably
the cost would not be less than $780,
900, for which amount we are told, 1t
is possible for the town to issue bonds.
For The Echo to deny that munich
pal ownership of public utilities is
becoming popular, and in many in
stances is proving eminently satisfac-
tory, would be to weaken any argument
that this paper might make either for
or against such a movement in this
town, for the reason that it would con-
vince some of those who have kept up
with the question for the past ten
years that the editor was woefully be-
hind the times, while some other of its
readers would doubt his sincerity. A
newspaper, whether its sphere is large
or small, has influence with its read
ers in exact proportion to its sincerity.
The readers of this paper have no
doubt had frequent occasion to differ
with its editor in matters Of judgment,
but it is not believed that his sincerity
has ever been questioned.
To limited extent both Seattle and
Tacoma have municipality owned pub
lie utilities. Seattle owns her own
water system, one of the best and
purest water systems in the country.
Tacoma owns both her water and light
ing system. In both cities municipal
ownership has been satisfactory. The
rate is low and the service has been
satisfactory. Still, what might impair
the service in large city, referring
here to careless and expensive mis-
management, or graft, would be ut
terly ruinous in a town the size of
Leavenworth. The matter must be
looked squarely in the face. Munich
pal ownership in towns the size of this
has not by any means proved uniform
ally satisfactory. In just what proper
ton it has proved satisfactory The
Echo is not in position to say just at
this time.
AS this matter is likely to be set be-
fore the tax payers in the form of
proposition to vote bonds to pay for a
municipality owned water system it is
highly proper to direct the attention of
the tax payers to the matter at this
time. With the consent of the tax
payers it is easy enough to issue bonds
and incur debt, but it is quite an
other thing to get adequate and salts
factory returns for the money expend-
ed. When The Echo recalls some of
the things that have been done in the
short life of the Leavenworth corpora
ton it has misgivings. In round
numbers, we have not the exact fig
ures at hand, it has cost the people |
$4,000 per year to run the town gov
eminent of Leaveworth for the past
two and half years. For town of
1900 inhabitants this cannot be said
to have been the most economical
town government that was possible.
From the published reports of the
cost of government in other towns of
about the same population the con-
clusion can not be escaped that ours
has been anything but economical. Of
the twenty-odd thousand dollars that
has been expended we have city
hall and Jail that cost in round num-
bers $4,000. Fire fighting apparatus
that cost 81, 900. For the balance of
the money that was gathered from the
tax payers in various forms we have
very little to show. Unfortunately our
town council has not always worked |
harmoniausly. There have been re-
gretable ruptures in the past. Whether !