The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-16
WEATHERLY ISSUES REINSTATEMENT IN
 REPLY ID MITCHELL.
Takes Gadsden Man to Task for His Opposition of Mu- nicipal WaterwOrks
 Grows Personal

City Commissioner Weatherly yesterday took Col. R. A. Mitchell to task for his opposition to municipal waterworks. Col onel Mitchell comes in for ridicule at the hands of Commissioner James Weath- erly for his interview in The Age-Herald opposing municipal waterworks, in for maj statement issued yesterday by MT. Weatherly as follows:
 ''Col R. A. Mitchell of Gadsden, in an interview in Fridays Age-Herald, pro- nounces the waterworks system of Gads- den a humbug, and says that after many years study of the waterworks problem he has invariably found that municipal ownership of waterworks has proven unsatisfactory. He says further that as a city he would not dare touch a municipal waterworks proposition l do not know the history or status of the Gadsden waterworks but understand that Gadsden built it's own waterworks plant after Colonel Mitchell had failed under contract to build one for that city
 In order to understand Colonel Mitch ells point of view, the public should know. as l am advised, that Colonel Mitchell is connected with the Alabama
 
 became connected with this power com pany after having acquired and sold to it large number of power sites in Alabama. As an official of the Alabama Power company, one of our great monop- plies, it is natural that he should cast discredit on municipal ownership in any form. If the city of Birmingham. for in stance, should acquire it's own water plant, that might lead to municipal own ership of gas and electricity, in which Colonel Mitchells company is very deep- ly interested. Therefore, it would seem that it is a part of Colonel Mitchell S duty to the Alabama Power company to decry municipal ownership.
 Tt is well to bear these matters in mind in estimating the value of Colonel Mitch- els opinion.
 Statement Somewhat Startling
 When the history of municipally owned waterworks is considered, Colonel Mitch elrs statement that in every case he has found it unsatisfactory is somewhat start ling. The first publicly owned waterworks system in the United States was that of Winchester, Va, built before the year 1S00-- some years before Colonel Mitchell was DOTH. Tn lS5D, 4z 3-lO per cent or all waterworks in the United States were un- der municipal ownership; in 1902 5l per cent were under municipal ownership: the larger cities of over 30.000 inhabitants. SS out of 135 plants were owned by the city l have not the latest statistics inn mediately at hand, but the proportion of municipally owned plants since the years above mentioned has steadily Increased. It Is singular that municipal ownership of water should have so persistently grown on the people of the United States in the last century If in every instance as Colonel Mitchell recites. municipal ownership has been unsatisfactory.
 Tn the census reports of 1912 if is re- ported that the amount of money invested by cities of this country in municipal waterworks systems amounts to over s9O0, 000,OoO Yet Coloned Mitchell asserts that as city he would not dare touch mu- nicipal waterworl<s operation According to Colonel Mitchell's opinion the people for the last 100 years have been fools to 1ntrust their money to their city gov ernments to be invested in water stlpplies of their own rather than to permit them to be governed by private monopolies.
 7''The department of water supply gas and electricity of the city of New York. l am informed, represents an estimated in vestment by the city of New York of over s3o0.00O Oo00. and is one of the most immportant divisions of municipal govern ment It supplies the city with more than 6O0 GOO gallons of water daily and bears the responsibility of maintaining a con- stant and abundant supply. It safe
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