Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-03
URGES BANKS BUY
AQUEOUCT BONDS
T. E. Gibb0n Delivers Address to
City Club at Its MONDAY
Luncheon
TELLS OF POWER SYSTEM
Points Out Advantages Which
Owens River Water viii
Bring Los Angeles

threat of the New York bond syndi-
Gates handling aqueduct bonds to with
hold the bmonthly payment of $S16,-
900, which we claim is payable on July
81" said the Hon. T. e. Gibbon in his
speech on What the Aqueduct Means
to Los Angeles" before the City club
at a luncheon at the Westminster
hotel yesterday at noon, "let the finan-
cial interests and the banks of this
city step forward and say We Will
put these bonds on the market. The
aqueduct will be completed, and with
out delay!
II want you gentlemen here to talk
to your bankers. Show them, that the
bonds are backed by good security so
that If ever the necessity comes the
banks will stand behind us and will
put these bonds on the market
President Finlayson of the City club
introduced the speaker as one of the
few men who saw the wonderful pos
sibiities of Los Angeles and its en-
virons, who years ago had a vision Of
how great this city would eventually
become, and who has worked unceas-
ingly to see his vision realized.
1--WE are indebted to him." continued
the president, lin no small measure
for the wonderful harbor which is
being built at San Pedro, and for one
of the greatest engineering achieve
ments of modern days-the construc-
ton of the owens river aqueduct."
GREAT UNDERTAKING
Judge Gibbon said in part:
I'VE realize how important it is to
communities to have a bountiful sup
ply of pure water. This has been a
potent fact ever since the days that
men first started to live together in
communities. Look at the wonderful
aqueduct system that was built by an
cient Rome, a system that has been
the wonder and admiration of the en-
gineers of modern days.
ut remained for u city on the west
ern coast of North America to plan
and build what viii be the longest
aqueduct the world has known. Fig
ures are dry, l know, even though
they be used in connection with water,
but let me enumerate for. you the
mileage of the various sections of this
great project.
1.-THE aqueduct is divided as follows
Unlined canal in owens river valley,
20.8S miles; uncovered concrete con-
= duit, 39.57 miles, covered concrete con-
Z sduit 100.07 miles; tunnels, 4l.57 miles;
syphons, 11.41 miles, and with the ad-
dition of the fumes, penstocks and
reservoirs, making a grand total of
230 miles.
COMPLETE IN 1912
ut was estimated that the aqueduct
would be completed in May, 1913, but
the work has progressed so much more
rapidly than was first estimated that
we may now look for it's completion on
May /, 1912.
About 60 per cent of the total work
on the aqueduct has been completed.
Upon the portion already built a saw
ing has been made sufficient to cover
the aqueduct at cost of about a mill
lion dollars, the original estimate on
which the bonds iSSnp1 h9Nin g
provided merely for an open ditch.
am told that at the full completion of
the great waterway at least a million
dollars will have been saved upon the
estimated cost and 15 per cent more
work done than was intended in the
original plans.
mot to digress. cannot help at this
time to mention the matter of the con-
solidation of the city and county gov
ernmentS in Los Angeles, and the eff
feet the completion of the aqueduct
will have upon the realization of such
plan. The consummation of our
aqueduct VIII act as magnet that
will bring outlying municipalities to
our doors, begging for admittance.
The solution of the consolidation prob
lem may be seen in the completion of
the aqueduct Consolidation of city
and county governments will then be
an easy matter to effect.
GREAT SUPPLY
THE aqueduct provides a constant
flow every day in the year of 272 900 900
gallons of water. Through a storage
reservoir system it is estimated that
300,000,000 gallons day can be delv-
cred throughout the dry months of the
year. The present consumption of wa
ter in the city is 110 gallons per capita
per day. and at this rate the aqueduct
will furnish water for a city of 2,472, 900
people.
"The aqueduct supply, together with
our present water supply, will furnish
water to a city of 100000 people, so
that when the aqueduct is completed
this city, although it may have a pop
ulation of 100000, will have six times
as much water as its inhabitants can
use. Five-siXths of this water the city
can offer for sale, and this brings us
to a matter of very great Importance
for the city government to look after.
1T is highly necessary that at the
earliest possible moment the city
should realize the largest possible in
come from it's aqueduct in order to pay
interest upon the bonded Indebtedness.
Early provision should be made by the
city government fora the sale of all the
surplus water that the city will own.
To that end rates should be estab-
lished, arrangements made for selling
the water, contracts entered into, so
that those buying 1t can have their
water systems ready to use it the
moment it is turned on and every
thing made ready, to the end that
when the water first comes into the
San Fernando valley reservoirs the
city can begin to secure an income
from outside consumers.
FOR IRRIGATION
Fortunately for the city, the great
ranches that have existed in the San
Fernadno valley since the early set
tlement of the country are being sub
divided and sold in small parcels, so
that by the time the water is ready and
for sale there will be in the San Fer
nando valley thousands of small agri-
cultural holdings prepared to take the
water and use 1t and pay therefor a
large income to the city. Some ar
rangement will, of course, be made by
our city government by which the us
ers who are willing to pay the largest
price for the water will secure it. This
surplus water should be made a large
source of income from the very mo-
ment the water is delivered to the
city.
"The completion of. the Owens river
aqueduct will mean much to the city
of Los Angeles, an abundant supply
of pure water for home use at a cheap
rate. A perfect water supply will be