Arizona republican., 1909-11-01
Discussedby Alexander Builder of Present System HE CITY AS COMPETITOR
He Says Would Undoubtedly Ee Within Its Right-The Existing System Could Not Be Made a Part of a Gen. eraI System.

On the eve of expected action by the council on the sewer question, in- terest in that subject has again be- come acute and the tax payers are dis cussing the relative merits of the prop osition to buy the present sewer sys- tenn and the proposition to disregard it and proceed to the construction of a new one which will be adequate to the needs of Phoenix for many years to come and susceptible of extension to meet the growing needs of the city.
 Captain J. L. B. Alexander the pro- moter of the existing system and one of the owners of it until about eight wears ago. was interviewed on the sub ject last night He discussed the two main points: the matter of adapting to the present sewer a plan for serving the whole city. and the right of the city to enter into competition with the private system
 Captain Alexander said that he drew the present franchise which was granted by the council in 1891. IL was desired al the time to have an eXelus- i've franchise but that was forbidden bv tine organic act The council was disposed to be as liberal as it could be for the situation in the business district had become intolerable. The all leys were underlaid with cess pools back of the business houses.
 n. T.. -sa-rnrS act. limiting it's bonded indebtedness to four per cent and also limiting the tax rate could do nothing. so that it was willing to grant such terms as it could to a company which would un- dertake the construction of a sewer.
 Captain Alexander. Frank Baxter and Will Pitcher undertook the work and the sewer was completed the fol- lowing year. Though built to meet an emergency. with the least possible expense. a better sewer of the kind was never constructed. The pipe and the cement work were the best and altogether the latest models were fol- lowed.
 But the company were limited oy the lav of the land Starting with the main sixteen inch sewer near the canal it was carried at a depth varying from eight to eleven feet down Center street Above Adams the depth was eight feet. Between Adams and Jefferson it was eleven feet. but from Jefferson to the foot of Center street the ground. fall ing more rapidly. the sewer was brought nearer to the surface. A grade sufficient tO maintain a fall of two and a half feet a second was maintained until the sewer was brought within 2OOO feet of the discharge where it took an upraise so that the sewage backed 1000 feet from its mouth. This con dition was made necessary.
 The main sewer had a diameter of sixteen inches and the laterals a diam eter of eight inches. They extended as far west as Fourth avenue and as far east as Fourth street. At the up per end. in order to get a grade. they were brought to within two and half feet of the surface.
 The cost Of the sewer. said Captain Alexander. was about s40.000 including the sewer farm of about 120 acres which cost $35O0. Bonds were issued for the amount of construction. Later other bonds to the amount of 5000 we're issued and charged to construc- tions though the proceeds expended for equipment and other expenses in cidental to the conduct of the sewer.
 Most of the business houses con nected with the sewer and compara- lively few of the residences: but there was no way by which connection with a private sewer could be forced. The management. however. cost very lit tie. and though the patronage was not what it should have been. it paid a fair per cent on the investment One item of expense was S30 a month paid the water company for keeping the flushing tanks filled. Other expenses brought the total cost of running the sewer to about S4,0O0 a year
 In 1902 the sewer was taken oyer by J J. O'Hagan. of London. Eng. the holder of the bonds. He did not want the sewer. but he wanted his money back. and said Captain Alexander. if the city had been in position to do it it could have taken the sewer at s3O.0OO.
 The sewer was sold by O'Hagan tO it's present owners for about S5O.OOO Captain Alexander said that he had heard that it was actually bought for S45OOG
 As to the extensions of the original sewer Captain Alexander said that there had been none and in the nature of things there could be none. Some six inch pipe had been added to the