Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1914-01-09
MAYOR URGES THE
CONDEMNATION Of
CITY WATER works.
Inability to Finance Competing
/ Plant Prompts Recommends
ton to New Council.
SUMMIT LAKE STILL BASIS.
Message Says 1913 Administration
Cost $4,000 Less Than 1912
Other Suggestions.

Cost $23, 900 Less Than 1912
Other Suggestions.
Inability to finance competing mu--
nicipal water works either through the
state board of finance or through pri-
vate investors prompted the mayor to
recommend to the new city council at
Tuesday evenings meeting the passage
Of an ordinance "at an early date au-
thorizing the condemnation OF the
present Olympia Water Works plant
"at its actual cash value"
The recommendation was made in
the mayors message to the council and
was as follows:
II find 1t exceedingly difficult to 20
ahead as fast as / would like to 60
with acquiring public utilities, such a.
water and light. for the common good:
because l am confronted upon all sides
with opposition and difaculties-
stitutional and otherwise.
'The state board of finance would
have gladly bought the $4,000 bonds
II 1t was not for the rules and consti.
tutional limits, 10 per cent. being the
lawful limit and the city cannot d.
rectly guarantee to the state. having Z
debt already Of $250.000. with a con-
stitutional limit Of $4,000 according
to our present assessed valuation. We
could guarantee directly $4,000. but
under q supreme court decision, We
can't split the bond issue, making one
10 direct and another an indirect obli-
cation. The state board OF finance
can't and will not buy any bonds that
are mot . direct obligation. one depend.
ing for payment upon the earnings Of
the plant itself and this being al W
can offer on $4,000 Of the issue, and
the private investors will not invest In
the bonds owing to the competing pri-
vate plant for fear Of LITIGATION ana
being tied up. therefore. there ID moth
ing else to do but to condemn the pres
ent private owned water works plant
and acquiring 1t that way and getting
1t out Of the road.
"The present plant IL not what We
want or ought to have, will have to be
gradually entirely replaced. so per
cent. Of its present supply source aban-
doned altogether and outside Of the
artesian supply which forms 40 per
cent. Of the total the other water II
really not wanted by our people, They
only take it because they can't help
themselves. With q corporation badly
over capitalized. unable to make ex-
tensions and needed improvements. un-
able to give us fire protection for 40
per cent Of our houses and buildings.
public and private, It is up to the
city to go ahead. acquire the present
plant by condemnation at its actual
present cash value and improve the
plant through additions and using the
present distribution system after we
put in the Summit lake gravity line
las a permanent supply.
There will not be the slightest dim
Guilty to finance the project after the
present plant is condemned and ac-
quired by the city. l have the guaran-
tee from different financial houses for
this part of 1t.
Under these conditions and circum-
stances, l urge upon your honorable
body the passage of an ordinance at an
early date authorizing the condemna-
tion of the present private owned wa
ter plant at its actual cash value"
Referring to the various depart
ments of the city government, the
mayor praised their management dur
ing the past year and re-appointed all
incumbents, asserting that the ex-
penses of the city during 1913 were
$4,000 less than during 1912, amount
ing to an actual saving to the taxpay-
ers Of $1O.619.4S after the debts of for
mer administrations had been paid.
He made the following recommenda-
tions: passage Of reasonable" pure
food law; extending of inducements
to the O.-W. r. & N. to build in here:
payment of all warrants with surplus
money to stop interest; abolition Of
public and private cesspools; i'm
provement Of West Bay avenue, main
residence district, and the district
bounded by Jefferson. Cherry, Chest
nut. Union and Lincoln streets.
j. B. Eshom, L. c. Ranberg, G. N.
CONTINUED on page 81