Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-06-13
CITY IS NOT YET
AROUSED ON ISSUE
OF S|50,000 BONDS
Sentiment in Business Section
Seems to Be Against Mu-
nicipal Project.
MARKET FOR SECURITIES?
Organized Fight May Be Made
Against Plan-Some Would
Verify Estimates.

With the election date a little more
than five weeks away the question of
whether Olympia shall issue $15O,O0O
bonds with which to construct and
maintain municipal water works sys-
TEN, piping Summit lake water to the
city, has aroused but little discussion
among the people of the city.
The probabilities are that this lack
of interest will prevail until close on
to the election and the fear expressed
in some quarters is that the voters of
the city will take such little interest
in the proposition that they will neg
lect to register and hence will be un-
able to vote for or against the issue.
Credit is given the mayor that he will
"get out the VOTE" as he told the
council he would, for the mayor has a
faculty of doing that, but just how rep
resentative of all the electors of the
city that vote will be or how divided
on the question is another matter.
Efforts to obtain the sentiment of
the people since the issue was put be-
fore them ten days ago have been pro-
ductive of but few results, except SO
far as the business section of the city
the outlying portions think about it or
whether they are doing any thinking
is question still unanswered, though
the meager reports SO far received
are not favorable to the issue.
The business section so far as in
quiry could be made, seems to be prac-
tically solid against the bond issue.
Whether the business men of the city
will band themselves together into an
organization to defeat the measure Is
still problematical, but the sentiment
seems to be that an organized fight
should be made against 1t and all that
is necessary is for some one to take
the lead and the others will rapidly
fall in line.
"The city is not ready for it." is the
most frequent comment heard on the
measure. I'VE can't afford It," Is an
other, while the assertion that the
Summit lake water is not fit to drink,
in spite of the mayors statement he
had it analyzed and that it is, is also
generally made. There is sentiment
| in some quarters, too, that some or
ganization or group OF men should em.
ploy an expert to 60 over the esti-
mates submitted by the mayor to the
council, on the probable cost and prob
able receipts of the plant, to verify
those figures and determine their cor
rectness.
Doubt has also been expressed as to
the probability Of disposing of the
bonds is they are authorized, due not
only to the fact that they are merely
a lien against the gross revenues Of
the plant and not against the plant It,
self or the city and also to the present
unsettled condition of the money mar
ket. An inquiry made in local bank
ing circles this week on this point re-
ceived the reply that the probabilities
are no market could be found for the
issue, though it is said the situation
might be different if the city were to
have monopoly of the business of
furnishing water.
| Question has also been raised as to
the extent of the watershed around
Summit lake the city would be re-
quired to purchase to protect it's wa
ter supply and further information on
that point is desired by those who are
already beginning to stud ythe situa-
tion. Inasmuch as this watershed is
all timbered and logging camps are
working that way, the opinion is held
by some that the city should purchase
the biggest portion if not all of it,
which, they say, could not be done for
$150,000.