Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1913-11-13
|"Filtered Water First
Is Labor's Battle Cry
FILTERED water first!"

Filtered water first!'
This is the battle cry of the hosts
of Labor in the present bond issue
agitation.
VIII the record of the politicians
broken promises of the past thirty
years, with filtered water promise
fastened to the end of every other
imaginable thing, only to see every
other imaginable thing come to pass,
still without filtered water, has at last
made the common people of Wheeling
waaG. Now they want FILTERED Water
First" They are determined to lister
to no pleas for paved auto speed ways
until their drinking water supply has
been purified.
And that the politicians at last re-
cognize that the people are in earnest
and cannot longer be fooled is eVidenc-
ed by the sudden activity of the hold
ers OF office and the drawers of sal
aries. Almost every day or so the
mayor issues call or a meeting or
two to discuss the matter Of water
filtration. The paved treets BOND, is
sue has been postponed again, ostensi-
bly, for the purpoe of carrying a filter
ed water attachm ent, and various com
mittees are instructed to report on
various phases.
Many Meetings.
During the past week meeting was
held at the City building Wednesday
night, called by thalsMayor. This was
sort OF a mass meeting The bust
ness interests were well represented,
and the Trades Assembly was repre-
scented by President LaFlam and Chair
man A. V. Fisher, of the Legislative
Committee. They gave the others to
understand that the hosts of Labor in
Wheeling wanted pure water, first of
all.
AS a result of the meeting another
committee was appointed to consider
the ACCESSIBILITY of employing another
engineer to mack another investiga-
ton and present another report upon
another system.
During the morning of the same day
a meetiHS was held with the Board Of
Control, and the water question was
considered.
At noon the Ways and Means Com
mfttee of the Board of Trade had
meeting in the form of luncheon at
the White Front and considered the
water Aaestion.
At $3.50 in the afternoon another
meeting of the Water Commission was
held, which considered the water ques-
ton.
People are beginning to believe that
something may be done after all.
The Systems.
Among all the systems suggested
the only one thae seems to have no
show ae all is the system advocated by
Or. Haskins-the chemical system. 1t
appear that this would cost for main
tenance about $4,000 or more per
year, which would b& paid out to drug
companies and to saAaried employees.
This plan seems % suit the politicians
much better than it Suits the common
people.
The Smith Sytem is apparently gain
ing popularity. This is the costliest,
but thep atentee, Lloyd E. Smith,
claims that it costs practically nothing
to maintain. Pipes are laid four feet
under the bed of the river, and water
is pumped through the sand and gravel
Thep romoters recommend investiga-
tors to Parkersburg, where this sys-
TEN is in use after 100000 was spent
by the city in trying out the other
schemes
c. C. Smith, at the beRest of the
Board of Trade, has presented a re-
port which takes up the various meth
DDS and does not declare definitely for
or against any, but leans toward the
well system. 1t is suggested that
wells be driven in Sisters Island, or
below there, and that the pumping be
done from them.
All this has supposedly been gone
over many times before by the authori-
ties, but they seem to want to go all
through it again.
Must Be Filtration.
In the meantime the impression is
gaining ground that the people will not
vote for any bond issue that includes
paved streets. In the first place. the
idea Of, Big Business was to have a
bond issue for paved streets only, but
now since it is apparent that this
could not get by, they are willing to
task on little for filtration, provided,
the system selected will not cost
enough to interfere with paving the
streets for the use of autoists. But
the people have apparently advanced
beyond the point where they wanted
filtered water TOO ,apd are now de-
elaring that thy want It ONLY.
More meetings are various kinds are
planned or the next two weeks In
the meantime the representatives Of
several systems are in the city explain
ing the points of advantage of their
own plans.
Trades Assembly for Filtration.
The meeting of the Trades Assem-
bly, last Sunday was considerably de-
voted to discuion Of the water ques-
ton. The sentiment of the delegates
was unanimously in favor of filtered
water beore single other improve
ment was effected in the city.
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