El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-06-16
MAYOR URGES SETTLEMENT Of WATER
QUESTION BY BUYING PRESENT PLAN
Continued From Page One.)

CONTINUED FIR
taxpayers on next Tuesday will vote
| faVOrably upon the bond issue so as 10
enable this council to purchase the eX-
listing plant in the event that salts
factory solution of the financial diff
cultieS can be presented or in the event
| Of failure so as to put in the hands
Of the council sufficient money with
/, which to secure a water supply for the
| city and the citizens
1 deem it my duty to inform you and
to put it upon record that it is my posi-
tive opinion that it is absolutely es-
sential to the welfare Of FL Paso that
| those bonds should be authorized, for if
we do not purchase the existing plant
| on account Of inability to finance 1t we
will need the money still more urgently
| in order to provide ourselves with other
! means of supply
1t must never be forgotten that even
! though the council be authorized by Il
! election to issue the bonds unless 1t
need not be issued and sold unless it
becomes necessary TO do so to purchase
! the existing plant or provide another.
Respectfully submitted.
W. F. Robinson, mayor.
Letter To Water Co.
FL Paso, Texas. May "a. 1910
international Water CO.
FL PasO, Texas.
Gentlemen:
Your proposal to sell your plant to
the city for the sum OF 1927 900, Of
which $450000 are to be paid you forth
with and the remainder (the amount
due bOndholders) to remain in lien on
the property has in substance been
approved by the people.
Without laying any stress upon my
individual opinion as to the expedience
of this course l assure you that l am
willing to obey the directions of my
constituents if it can be done and the
public supplied with water by your
plant, either in its present condition
OF in the state which the city has a
means TO place ii. The present system
! is confessedly and wholly inadequate
| therefore ii must be enlarged and that
! too at an expenditure of some 100000
or the public will suffer a great and in
creasing deficiency of an essential to
| life.
Matter of Money.
The city can now raise $4,000 and
no more. You demand this in part pay
ment of the $3.50, 900 to become due
you for purchase money and in addi
ton thereto you ask for the further
sum of $4,000 to be taken from the
general fund.
Where could we get the additional
sum of 100000 imperatively required
TO enlarge the plant and enable it TO
perform the functions for which and
for which alone it is to be purchased?
Is the public TO pay you S450.000 TO
enable you to retire without loss from
an unsuccessful enterprise and then
find itself as badly or worse off for
water than 1t was before that great
aVnanditrro0 will
one moment tolerate such a proposition
and / will not sanction any measure
which would in the slightest degree
tend to compel them to do so.
The charter. general laws and the
constitution of this state absolutely for
bid us to raise more than s375, 200. This
is not an empty assertion but a fact
known to none better than yourself
Should we give you all of this, painfully
raise $4,000 more and then still suf-
fer for the necessity you promise TO
supply?
Would Not Defeat Peoples VIII.
L do not desire TO defeat the viii of
the people and % deny their request
for municipal ownership of your plant.
am willing to follow them and DO
not seek to impose my own opinions.
1 have a plan by which your plant can
be bought and a the same time the city
can have the means TO provide its in
habitants with water. That plan in
brief is this:
Instead Of paying you the $3.50
down now be content for the present
with sufficient payment in the way
of earnest money to bind the bargain
and to show that we are acting in good
faith and let the rest of your purchase
money remain a lien bearing interest
on the plant just like the sums due by
you 70 the bondholders until the
growth Of the city enables us TO dis
charge it. If this plan is adopted we
can secure you, obtain municipal own
ership and have money on hand with |
which to make the improvements with |
out which the plant will be of small |
advantage TO the public. This is my
with which to meet the |
many difficulties of this perplexing sit |
uatlon. If II has your approval all can
be soon arranged, if not, what is your |
plan? L am not welded to my own |
ideas and will approve any suggestion /
Of yours which viii solve the problem. |
1t must be solved. You have heard my +
solution and 1 earnestly request you !
either to approve It or to propose an |
alternative A speedy answer is re- /
quested. The bond election is approach !
Ing and the voters have right to de- /
mand the information that will enable /
them to cast their ballots with q full |
hnOWledSe or all the facts
You may suggest that we pay you at
once the$375.000 to be raised by the sale /
IF the proposed bonds and then wait un-
til the expected increase in taxable val
les viii enable US TO call another bond
election and thus raise more money and
improve the plant. Such a course will
necessarily occasion a long delay, dur
ng all of which the people will con-
inue to suffer and will not meet my
approval.
W. F. Robinson, mayor
COldweII Communicates.
Alderman Hewitt asked the mayor if |
lie desired any action taken on this
communication and the mayor said: |
None is possible, we have received no
eply from the water company or its
attorneys. l simply want you to see
What has been done in the premises"
City attorney w. NJ. Coldwen then !
presented the following report on which
10 action was taken.
Ell Paso, Tex. June 16, 1910.
honorable City Council Of the
City of Ell Paso, Texas.
Gentlemen:
The case of the city of EI Paso