Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-08
WATER ISSUE AROUSES
DEBATE OVER METHODS
Residents of Pasadena Discuss
Possible Advantages of Con-
Soidating Companies


board of trade directors have started
by a wrong method in their efforts
to solve the water question which has
been an issue in this city for over 20
years, is the opinion of many citizens
who have given the question much
time and attention in the past.
G.. w. Woodhouse, a member of the
board of labor while he does not as
sumo to speak officially for organized
| labor, believes the board of trade di-
reCtOrs made a mistake in not ap-
pointing representative of the work.
ing people on the committee of Is.
Will b. Smith says the scheme as
outlined by the directors to have the
committee invoice the existing water
plants and ask the council to call a
bond election to purchase the same,
seems to be little different from pre-
ViOus plans which have been voted
down on three occasions.
George F. Kernaghan, who declined
to serve on the board of trade water
committee and who gave no reason
in his letter of refusal, stated last
evening:
Il did not see my way clear to serve
on their committee while I am still
a member of the committee appointed
by Mayor Farley some time ago, and
continued by the city council on July
IL to work for consolidation of the
principal water companies"
CONSOLIDATION Is FAVORED
Mr.. Kernaghan interprets the action
of the council in adopting unanimous.
ly the committee report submitted by
himself, and Judge II. w. Magee ad-
vising consolidation of the plants, and
subsequent Endorsement of the plan by
the press and individual citizens, as
binding upon him to work to that end
rather than support the. proposition
of buying the existing plants at pres
ent. The Kernaghan-M -Magee report
adopted by the council was in part as
follows:
There are two parties here-one
will do nothing until the present water
plants are sold to the city, and the
other is strong enough to prevent 1t.
In this deadlock we believe that some
other way must be found upon which
our people can unite in order that we
may get out of this unfortunate posi-
ton, and we recommend that all good
citizens should join in seeing that the
three water companies be consolidated
into one strong company"
Among the reasons advanced in the
report are that the consolidation of the
local companies would determine
whether sufficient water can be de-
veloped for Pasadena without buying
Owens river water; that if the con-
solidation shows a shortage, which
many believe it will, the matter of
procuring Owens river water must be
attended to at once; that the CONSOLE
dation of the local water companies
should be forced, if necessary, by
public opinion, and that mass meet
ing should be called at once to take
up the question.
WATER COMPANIES WORKING
Directors of the various water COM
panies have been quietly working on
the question of consolidation of the
plants, and it is said that a majority
will favor the proposition when it is
brought to an ISSUE 1t is thought
that a majority of the stockholders OF
the companies will also favor the plan
on the ground that with one large
company all parts of the city could be
furnished with water, and that being a
public service corporation it could be
easier regulated by the city. 1t is
claimed further that much water now
going to waste and large quantities
remaining undeveloped through con-
ficting water rights of the large COM
panies could be utilized if all COM
pauies wslC under one head.
one of the stumblinE blocks in the
way of consolidation at present is the
suit Of the Citizens league of the dry
tract against the Cottonwood Canyon
company and the North Pasadena
Land and Water company to determ-
inc whether they are mutual compan-
les or public service corporations A
decision in this case is expected soon.
Willis Eason, president, and A. j.
Toolen, vice president of the North
Pasadena Land and Water company,
are absent from tn city, but it is un-
derstood that they favor consolida-
tion.
c. c. Brown, director of the Pasa-
dena Lake Vineyard Land and Water
company, would make no statement
for publication regarding consolidation,
but declared that the company has
800 miners inches of water going to
waste through lack of pumping facil-
tiles and that with the recently dis
covered spring near Colby's ranch, the
new Los Flores we'll and other unde-
veloped water sources enough could
be developed to supply Pasadena for
fifty years.
W. S. McQuillan, secretary of the
Pasadena Land and Water company,
stated last evening that he believes
his company would favor consolidation,
that the matter had been discussed by
the directors informally, but that he
believes nothing can be done until the
North Pasadena suit is settled.
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