The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-03
THE OPPOSITION OBSTRUCTION.

The opposition in the Salt Lake Coun-
| ell holds fast to the old reactionary
influences which procured its election.
On Thursday evening a proposition was
made to get on with the new high pipe
line for the north bench east Of City
creek, so that there would be plenty
Of time to do the work, and do it well,
before the winter sets in The idea of
bettering the water supply, however,
seemed to call up ferocious opposition.
Fernstrom must always play politics, no
matter how disastrous such play is to
the interests of the people, and he
showed his usual ignorance in claiming
waste of water IN Big Cottonwood
and Parley's canyons, but was quickly
informed by Mr.. HOLIDAY, Superlnten'
dent of Waterworks, that the Fern
strom report was wholly untrue. Then
Fernstrom switched to the proposition
that it would be better and cheaper
TO turn the new diversion of the water
into the old pipe now in use which is
a mile and a half lower down the creek
and 270 feet lower in elevation. The
old pipe was twelve-inch pipe when
put in, but it has been in long time,
and is corroded and filed in with lime
so that probably now it is no more
than an eight-inch aperture, and the
friction retards the flow to such an e4-
tent that it would be ridiculous TO turn
an eighteen-nch stream into it. Be
sides. that old pipe delivers the water
at point on n street which is only
twenty feet lower than the intake, af'
fording very low pressure there and no
pressure at all further up the hill
The new eighteeninch pipe, with 27O
feet higher elevation at the intake,
would afford not only n complete and
ample water supply for all the north
bench, but would be a strong rein
forcement to the pressure on the pipes
in the general water system of the city |
To follow the Fernstrom plan would |
simply be the poorest kind of patch |
work, the most unsatisfactory kind of |
thing that could be done. 1T would |
In fact be money wasted in so far as
money was spent upon it, But this sort
Of thing is characteristic of the Fern
strom proposals generally. Curiously
enough Councilman Hall, whose imme
late constituents are to be primarily
benefited by this new high line water
delivery, sustained Fernstrom in his
frivolous and ignorant statements
against putting in the proposed pipe for
he reinforcing of the water system,
His perversity could not resist the
Illurement Of getting in wrong even at
he expense of his own immediate To-
.ality.
1t is unfortunate that the old reac-
ionary spirit crops up effectively like
his every once in while in the Coun
Ill Fortunately, however, that spirit
S in small minority in the Council,
ust as it is in the city at large. And
yet one would suppose that In vital
natter of this kind a person would set
side his reactionary tendencies where
lis immediate constituency is to re- A:
.eive the benefit. At the very least,
lis constituents could fairly ask him
% inform himself upon the matter
80 that he would not, while
howing his reactionary spirit, at the
anne time exhibit his ignorance of the
Whole matter, which led him to urge
wholly imprncticable proposition, one {
hat would afford no relief, but would
waste money if endorsed. and also to {
make glaringly false statements about I
'ater going to waste S
The manifest advantages of the pro-
osed new high line water supply are S
o overwhelming, and the need of it so {
reat, that it is a surprise to see any
have the hardihood to OPP {
ose so beneficial proposition, How i
yer, the traditional reactionary ele c
lent which declared street sprinkling S
0 be ''a dangerous precedent" has {
OF entirely died out in Salt Lake and /
he legitimate expression of 1T was un- i
heard in the Council on
thursday evening We trust, however, v
hat the pipe line may be authorized,
nd that the Council will with sub. t
tantial unanimity proceed with this Il
ork that is so much needed and which i
as part of the programme embraced i
, the plan of the Council when the wa O
er bends we're voted. t