The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-10-10
MR. GOODSELL GIVES
 COUP DE GRACE TO
 SEWER EXTRAYAGANCE
To The Honorable Common Council
 Gentlemen:

Mir J. J. Phelan claims, 'There is no fault with the old system, and thinks it is not adapted to the city's future needs"
 If there is no fault with the old system, why shouldn't it be adapted to the city's future needs?
 NIT. Phelan says 'sWe cannot have a filtration plant in Bridgeport" If so. what benefit is to be derived from changing our present sewer system!
 Mr. Phelan says, ''It does not mean the changing of the present sewers. by the making of 8 start on q new plan for the future"
 How can you analyze the making of a start on a new plan for the future, if it does not mean the changing of the present sewer system?
 Mr. Phelan says, There is no more expense under the Herring plan than ip the continuing of the old system? plans and specifications and figure what Mr. Herring states will be the cost of his system for the next ten years, will find it exceeds the total cost of the sewers of Bridgeport dur ing the last twenty years, five times over.
 MT. A. M. Cooper says that he tele- phoned to Alderman ONeil, chairman of the Sewer committee, Tor informa- tion in regard to what action the com mittee he'd taken as to the following out of Engineer Scofield's original eewer plans. MT. ONeil answered that the Sewer committee were to re- port back to the Common Council their unanimous approval of the Scofield plan. Mr Cooper then asked, MT. OfNeil if he could not stop action on the acceptance of the committees re- port by the council. MT. ONeil an- swered Mir. Cooper that he could. and <hn <<rxyr1 vxaiffoa which had unanimously approved the Scofield plan, changed their views and under Mir. Cooper's leadership, decided to re- port in favor of the Herring plan. . which report was duly presented to. and accepted by the Board of Alder men, despite the fact that this plan had already been~rejected by the Lee administration as a bankrupt propo- eition for the city of Bridgeport to adopt.
 Accept without Investigating?
 Mr.>Cooper as chairmani of the Sewer committee of the, Board of Apportion- ment, recommended that the Board of Apportionment approve of the Herring plan as suggested by hims As the tBoard of ApportiOnment considers that, after the chairman of any. committee makes report to their body. that [ said committee has thoroughly inves- ! tieated the subject, and consequently, makes an intelligent report, these re- ports are accepted by the Board of i. j.Apportionment, as rule, without any further investigation.
 Under these conditions, 1t is natural to suppose that many members of the Board of Apportionment. without per sonally studying or Investigating the Herring plans in detail. accepted MT. CoOper's report.
 This approval of the Board of Ap- portionment of. the Herring system. left strong lever in the hands of MT. i Cooper to use in influencing others to accept his views upon the subject when they had not made personal or systematic study of the Herring sys- tenn.
 After this had been accomplished, the names and standing of these com- mitted parties were then advertised ! broadcast, and used to influence the honorable Sewer committee to rescind their action in regard to the accept ance of the ScoAeld sewer plan, and in place hereof, recommend the Her ing plans. which were then adopted [ by the Board of Aldermen. This was done under MT. Cooper & leadership.
 My attention having been called to the fact, that the trunk sewer lines { established and built by MT. Scofield, were gradually being utilized and their future usefulness destroyed, by tack ing small sewers into the same, for the immediate use of a few people. without regard to what these trunk sewers were originally planned for, I sent my first communication to the Common Council on January 30th, 1911, fin which called attention to what { was being done, also. as near as pos z sible. explained the reasons why these large trunk sewers were built. and what they were intended to accom- plish,i in sewering the outlying dis tricts of Bridgeport, when the neces- eity arose, and this was before any business meeting of the Board of Ap- portionment had taken place.
 Has Given Satisfaction.
 believe that the Scofield system as planned. and built has given excellent satisfaction and that there has been no good reason advanced why this system should not give equally as good results for the next twenty-five years.
 After this. hearings were called on tee, on separate portions of the Her ing system, with a view of acceptance Or rejection of the same, as per evil dence given in favor of or against it.
 It naturally devolved on me to fur nish convincing proof of the adequacy and sufficient arguments, prove to the Sewer mmittee and Board of Alder men, aid the citizens of Bridgeport, not only the deficiencies in the Her. ing system, but, how entirely unneces- sary the adoption of any part of the Herring system is, in a city located like Bridgeport, on the borders of Long Island Sound, with unlimited bodies Of salt water to sewer into by natural gravitatfon
 Not An Obstruction.
 This. proves am in no manner the Ohstructionist I have been continually called I was the first to expose pres- enf conditions, by bringing to the mo- tice of the Sewer committee, the neg lected Scoield sewer plan, and was justified in defending his plan against Mfr. Heripg's plan. MT. Cooper has favored the bonding of our city for large sums of money, large annual ex- penses, and has tried to persuade the Board Of Aldermen to accept the Her ing system. It should be borne in mind that up to the present time, there is no record of the Herring plan hav- ing been established, in any city simi- Ter to Bridgeport in location
 Mr. Cooper says, 'It is very easy to get your money back from trunk sew erS''
 Who Pays the Bill?
 But who pays the bill? The prop erty owners living on the streets where new sewers are to be laid, pay one- half Of the bill by assessment, addi- tional to their regular taxation when ft,ov have already r,ajd for the present