Arizona republican., 1910-06-15
PHOENIX. ARIZONA. JUNE IS, 1910
The Sewer Election Today.

The registered taxpayers are to de- eide today the most important Ques- ton affecting the future of Phoenix that has ever presented itself.
 They are to decide whether the bonds of the city, in the sum of four hundred thousand dollars, shall be issued and sold for a system of sew CTS.
 In voting for or against the bonds the voters will decide
 Whether the city shall enter upon an era of growth without the handi- caps of a country town;
 Whether the excellent progress made during the past five years is to be accelerated, or is to be sue ceeded by stagnatiOn;
 Whether we are to make the city attractive to homeseekers and home builders. or make conditions repellant to them;
 Whether we are to have one of the healthiest cities in the world. or a city of deadly filth diseases.
 A victory for the bonds will be a victory for progress; a victory for rapid growth, and a victory for health.
 Every eligible voter should take a pride today in doing his share for the future Of Phoenix by voting for the bonds
 Aside from the opposition of a sewer company which controls the present little sewer system in the business district and which of course would be glad for financial reasons to have its monopoly continued, and aside from the mossbacks and misers who always object to every public improvement that costs money, the only opposition to the pending propo- sition has been from citizens who would have preferred to have a sewer system constructed on a property as- sessment plan.
 This plan, while it has much merit in the abstract. cannot be considered; we have no legal power to put it into effect We can get a sewer system only by voting for city bonds.
 And were it possible to have a sewer system on the property assess ment plan, it would be gravely doubt ful whether that would be the better plan.
 To construct the sewer from prop erty assessments would require prop erty owners to furnish s4OO.O0O. Most of them would have to borrow the money, and for many of them bor- rowing would be an inconvenience. It is decidedly better to use the credit of the whole city, borrow money at a a low rate of interest, and bring S4OO, ,00O cash into the town, than wait for years for legal authority to try the assessment plan and then force property owners to borrow the money individually at high rates of interest
 Pertinently bearing upon this ques- ton is the following letter to The Republican from a member of the city administration:
 "A number of heavy taxpayers have been mailing objections to bonding the city for the purpose of building a sewer. They claim there is a great ad vantage in the direct assessment plan, while as a matter of fact there is practically no difference in the two plans when good business methods are employed.
 Tt is not the intention of the city council to let contracts for the sewer ing of the whole city at one time. l There are various districts in the city | that are not settled and they do not l require sewerage. They will prob l ably let the contract first for the l main trunk lines and then contract from time to time as necessity re- l quires for the other portions of the | city. They will sell only the num- | Der of bonds as the requirements may need as the sewer is being built. The | rest of the bonds will be in the | hands of the city treasurer and con- sequently the city will be paying no interest on the bonds that have not been sold
 Under such procedure there is prac-