Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-01-07

which should not cost a great deal of
money, although believe that it would
be a wise plan to secure a considerable
area of ground, particularly if it can
be located where there is room to make
heavy fill thereby disposing of the
burned refuse very largely by gravity.
If this cannot be secured, 1 think that
arrangements could probably be made
for the location Of a plant upon a
trackage site and the refuse shipped to
some point outside the city where a
dumping ground could be secured at
very nominal cost and without obiec-
tion being raised by adjacent property
owners. l would recommend that this
matter be Immediately gone into and
put in proper form for submission to
the electorate of the city.
Sewers. The outgoing council has
put under way a few of the most urgent
sanitary lateral sewer drainage matters
and has about used all of the money
available for the present year for this
purpose under the policy laid down in
Section 80 of the charter as passed at
the September, 1910, election but l wish
the council to be keenly alert upon the
question Of drainage and to arrange
with their constituents to have all
sewed drainage matters well in hand
and carefully thought out before the
end of the year in order that we may
know exactly how much money to pro-
vide in the next years budget for this
purpose, and here, again, l wish to i'm.
press upon the council, the necessity to
take care Of the immediate needs of the
city and not to attempt to drain or
provide sanitary sewage for unim-
proved land which is likely to be some
time in coming ON the market.
PARKS and Fairgrounds
While the charter was amended at
the last election in such a way as to
authorize the council to use part of
the general fund for acquiring public
Fairgrounds am not in favor at the
present time of the city spending any
considerable amount Of money in this
work. We are confronted with too
much public improvement indebtedness
to justify, in my opinion, expenditures
along this line Immediately. l am in
favor Of the Fairgrounds but just now
Salem is not suffering materially from
outdoor space for the children to play
in and think with a moderate amount
of assistance to secure a little appa-
ratus and to pay an instructor or two
in connection with the public school
work along this line that We will have
done all that is reasonably necessary.
Water Plant.
At the beginning of my administra-
tion was under the belief that the
problem of owning the water supply of
the city was a matter in which the pub.
lie was deeply interested and accord
ingly | undertook TO carry forward
what | believed to public question.
The experience which / have had in
municipal ownership of our
water supply about has been very un.
and ! am convinced that
The public is not interested and that
-he tmie is not ripe for pushing this
natter to conclusion and unless pub
lie sentiment crystalizes and brings the
natter to an issue ! am of the opinion
hat this council schould take no fur.
her steps to bring municipal owner.
hip about, | am Of the belief that the
ever bond issue which we now have
10 meet is probably in large measure,
esponsible for the cooling of public
entiment toward this project aside
rom the fact Of the bitter opposition
which the project met with when it was
bout to be consummated couple of
ears ago.
Misgivings on City Ownership.
! think the same remarks which
ave made with relation to the water
liant apply equally to the movement
fhich was talked Of, of going into the
lectric light business, at least to the y
xtent of supplying the city's needs
nd unless this matter is brought to
he council by strong public senti. t
rent, ! would advise against under
lking the project upon the council $ /.
Personally am in favor Il
water plant but have serious mis-. =
wings about an electric light plant u
operated,
In this connection ! wish to call your '
ttention to the fact that the contract d
nth the Portland Railway, Light &
ower Co. for lighting the city streets =
Npires December 81 1914, At the
resent time the city is paying approx.
nately SljO0O,O0 a year to the electric
,mpany for service upon the streets
nd in its various public buildings. |
,lipye that sum ig too much monev