The Harrison times., 1915-01-09
MUNICIPAL DANGERS
A Former Citizen Cautions us As
To Mistakes Possible in
Water investments


interest the efforts to secure a water
supply for Harrison, and have also
noted with pleasure the well directed
efforts of the TIMES to prevent q
wild rush for something SO in
tangible as the proposition that
was to have been put up to your
voters. The final action to secure
positive data and full information
as to cost as well as returns is a
move in the right direction, proving
that the TINES was right and some
possibly interested parties were
wrong.
would like to give your readers
a little OF the experience we of San
Diego have been having. A few
years ago we were receiving water
from a private water company for
4 cents a thousand gallons As this
was in turn sold to consumers at the
rate of 10 cents q thousand gallons
the city water department seemed
to be doing pretty well. But the
cry was raised that the city should
own and control the water supply;
it was not long before a proposition
was submitted 10 the voters Tor the
purchase of the system.
One Of the arguments made was
that instead Of the little 10000, 900
gallons daily that the contract called
for, to induce affirmative votes we
would have enough water, to supply
city OF 100000 inhabitants, and
we had barely 10000 souls in the
municipality,
This sounded good, especially as
engineers confirmed the statement,
but no figures were ever eSented
to confirm the claim. The result
was that we voted Sl,5O0,O00 for
the purchase Of the system, when
everybody seemed happy-the late
owners and the new owners,
1t was not long, however, until
there began to be rumOrs Of short
supply, necessitating more bonds TO
make connection between dams for
the conservation of water, and still
there seemed to be possibility of a
water famine.
Now there is a proposition pre-
sented to the city administration
having in view the purchase oI
another and incomplete system at a
valuation of S2,000,00O which
promises 20,0O0,00O gallons o!
water daily, all verified by the
engineers of the parties desiring to
sell, which, you know, must be cor,
rect or the parties desiring tounload
would never havcpresented It for our
consideration. ! might add that
should we buy this system we would
at the same time purchase several
delightful lawsuits,
And still we do not know how
much water we have or may have,
how many million dollars We must
in future spend TO conserve all the
water in the mountains, nor Just the
size Of the pig in the poke we are
burdencd with
OF course Harrison needs q water
supply as well Us q sewerage system,
both going together, The demand
made by the TIMES to know the
approximate cost, as well MS the
maximum cost, is the one sensible
thing in connection with the recent
controversy, and the only business
view 60 take Of the entire matter,
Had we done this san Diego would
have been several million dollars
better off, and more than that We
would have known the amount OF
water we could use as well as waste,
Because Harrison should have
ample water, good distributing
system, sewerage plant, the lungs
of all good cities, there is no especial
reason why possible contractors
should lead the property owners ur
TO their trough blindlolded
The TIMES has invariably stood
for all that was good for the city
and country and II is to be com,
mended for its course in demanding
the most for the money, and thc
exact amount OF money required lor
necessary work, a, G, STACY
San Diego, Cal Dee 80 lOlt,