The border vidette., 1911-12-16
TO NOGALEs TAXPAYERS.
Statement of MT. SeIirn M. Franklin in Regard to Water Que in
 NOQaIes

Negotiation were pending for
 the purchase by the town of Mo-
 gales of the water plant of the
 Nogales Water Company It is
 conceded that the town of No
 gales Is too small to support two
 water plants. Therefore it will
 be to the interest of the people
 of NOgaleS, if the town is to go
 into the water business, to have
 no other competitor or company
 that has the right also to supply
 water to the town.
 Water Co.,, has cost about
 &8 100000. The company has
 offered to sell to the town this
 plant for S6O, O,OOO.G GO; preferring
 to suffer a considerable loss
 rather than engage in litigation
 on the one hand, or ruinOus
 competition on the other.
 This offer was refused by the
 Mayor and Common Council,
 who explained that out of the
 S12O, OOO.OO of bonds they were
 authorized to issue, they were
 obliged, by the vote of the people
 as they understood it to spend
 sufficient thereof to establish
 pipe line from the Santa Cruz River to the point where the
 Water Company now has it's pumping plant, about two miles north of NOgales, and for the construction of wells and a pump ing plant at the river.
 The Council estimates the cost | of hi cox NNn OO | leave only $25. .OOOOO available for the remainder of the project, plus the S5, ,OOO.CO premium which the sale of the bonds is expected | to bring or total of 1000. .OO; and the Council explained that S3O, ,OOO.OO was all the money the town had for the purpose either of purchasing the plant of the Water Company, or completing it's own plant.
 The M ayor and Common Council were willing to pay the Water Company this sum of S3O, ,OOO.OO cash and pay the balance of the purchase price, viz, S3O,OOO.OO in the future: but under the Act of Congress known as the Harrison Act. the own has no power to incur an indebtedness in excess of 4% on he assessed valuation of it's property. And as the assessed | valuation of the property in the . own is about S1 800, ,OOO.OO, and Us 4&o of this sum is S60, ,0OO.OO lnd as the town has already in ] ;urred an indebtedness of '17O, 100000 by it's bond issue it las no power to incur any furth- t 1T indebtedness.
 The Water Go. refuses to ac- ept $50, ,OOO.CO, a sum less than ; the cost and actual value if it's property, and therefore is V breed to fight as a matter of U -ecessity and self preservation. T
 It is my Opininn, that if the v Common Council did not consid- U r themselves bound by the vote, Il r rather by the wishes of the U ax payers generally, because here was no specific vote on the r natter, to expend the money aised by the bonds on pump Il 1g plant and pipe line from the ;, anta Cruz River, they would u purchase the plant d the NOgaleS Water Co.,, as we !i l Tucson purchased the plant It the old Water Go. when we III ln ent into the municipal water asiness. It is the only logical al 1d businesslil1e thing to do. In the first place the plant and UE pc line from the Santa Cruz L1I Ri iver to the present pumping W ant of the Water Company is w timated to cost S95, ,OOO. co. qt hese figures are simply an es- t1I, 1L nate. There is every reason to IT lieve that the cost will be pc O,OOO or S3O,OOO,OO more than It's is sum and in all proba bility will I[' quire the expenditure of the p1 tire bond issue and then eX e town will only have brought ir' tier to point about two miles ne om NOgales. to But the distance from the sta int on the Santa Cruz where WI 3 pumping plant is to be es- th' to the present pump Ch' 7 plant of the Water Company ne as I am informed, six miles, no l the lift is 600 feet. The tlo VII intends to install a pipe are e only 10 inches in diameter 1 C pump water this distance and gal $ l6iOhtl to SuOn1V the town coS