The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1915-08-20
City Attorney Of Snohomish Gives Experience
Of Neighborlng Town With
Municipal Ownership

Editor of the Labor Journal, Everett,
! Wash:
Dear Sir: In order to give even a
brief history of the municipal water
plant of the city of Snohomish, it will
be necessary to go back to the year
1890 when the water system was own
ed by private parties, and when the
rates were $3.50 per month for each
house and in addition 81 per month
for tub and toilet and 81 per month
for sprinkling purposes, making a
total of $3.50 per month. The water
was a gravity system and taken from
Blackman's Lake just north of town.
During freshets it was so thick with
mud and other ingredients that it
would hardly run through an inch pipe
so that much sickness was caused and
quite a number of the people preferred
to dig wells.
Under these conditions an agitation
was commenced for a municipal water
system. The Farmers Alliance was a
strong organization in Snohomish at
that time and the Populists, though in
their youth, were then quite strong
So, the Populists and the Alliance
combined and made a demand on the
| city council to pass an ordinance pro-
viding for an election, and for the is
suance of bonds for municipal water
plant. Immediately shout was
raised that the agitators were going
to foist socialism upon the people of
Snohomish and that such an innova-
ton would scare away investors of
capital and ruin the city, but the
agitators held a meeting in Jimmie
Burton's hall, at which | was secre-
tary, and passed resolution in the
form of an ultimatum to the council
which meant trouble if not complied
with, and, after much wrangling in
the council, the ordinance was passed
by majority.
The election carried and an issue
of $4,000 in bonds was issued, bear
ing 6 per cent interest, and the NUM-
clpal water system was organized in
1891. Power house, pumping station
and reservoir were built and the
necessary pipes were laid. The water
was procured from the Pilchuck river
and pumped from the Pilchuck into
the reservoir
While this first system was quite
expensive yet from the year 1891 to
the year 1911 the net profits of the
water system exceeded all the expec-
tations of it's warmest supporters.
amounting to about $4,000.
In 1911 an agitation for a better
water system was made in Snohomish
and in June of that year. under Mayor
Wood, who deserves great credit for
urging and furthering the project, an
ordinance was passed providing for
the issuance of $4,000 OF general
coupon bonds and $4,000 of utility or
special water bonds, to be issued in
denominations of $500 each. An cleo
ton was held and carried and a
gravity system was installed from the
proceeds of those bonds
The bonds carry interest at the rate
of six per cent, and the utility bonds
were to be paid as follows: l to s,
inclusive, July l, 1912; to 16, July
l, 1918; II to 25, 1914; 26 to So; 1915;
Sc to As, 1916; 46 to 46, 1917; 81 to
g. 1918; 6S to 70, 1919; 80 to go, 1920;
SO to 106, 1921; 107 to 100; 1922; 121
to 1876, 1923; 127 to 1852, 1924; 1853 to
1863, 1925; 10 to 1877, 1926; 1873 to
100, 1927. The $4,000 of general fund
warrants come due in 1881 The ordi-
nance provides that rs per cent. of
the water receipts be placed in a fund
to redeem the special water bonds as
stated, which has been done. and after
making the first payment July /. 1912,
of $1,000, there was then a surplus in
that fund of $50. After paying the
SD'ANS PiCFiNCd LOl III july 1910,
amounting to $3.50, there was sur
plus in that fund of $1,O96.65. So
the surplus is increasing in the fund.
In 1927 the payment for that year
necessary to take up the final issue,
including all interest, will be but ST.
$4,000.
The $4,000 general coupon bonds
are due in 1881 and as this fund of
Is per cent. of the receipts at the
present time amounts to about &c.,
600 a year, there would be in that
fund approximately $4,000, so that it
would not be necessary to pay any
of the bonds by general taxation. l
might say that there is also $4,000
of bonds which were refunded from