Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-05-21
STRAW VOTE IS
TAKEN ON WATER
SUPPLY QUESTION
Twenty Of Audience at Council.
Meeting Favor Municipality.
Owned Plant Others mi
Minority,

| A straw vote was taken at the coun-
ell meeting last night on the question
of municipal ownership Of the water
works just for the fun Of the thing,
as Mayor iioatright expressed II.
There WIS bigger crowd present
than there has been at any time since
the stormy sessions of the early days
Of the present administration. a
standing vote was taken. The chair
announced that twenty were In favor
OF municipal ownership, a smaller
number stood up on the negative vote.
but the number was not announced
Louis a. Mclsae who arose with
the negatives, said he wanted to ex-
plain his vote. lie was not in favor
Of municipal ownership If satisfac-
tory franchise could be prepared.
Clyde Tingley, who did not stand,
said those were his sentiments. too.
Aside from talks given by c. f.
Reeves. Senator Isaac Barth. Judge u.
s. Rodey and Frank Woy the meeting
resembled an answer to-our- corre-
spondents" department. A. 3 McMH-
len, president Of the Water supply
company, WAS present. but had moth
ing 10 say except when addressed by
Someone.
municipal Ownership Curc.''
Mr.. Reeves said the council would
find that by meeting night after night
1t would be 10 nearer solution than
II was then. by meeting weekly for
several years IL would find only q
number of different opinions. Every
body could not be gotten TO agree in
that way. He said municipal owner
ship was the only cure.
Mr.. Reeves has had charge of two
municipality owned plants and he said
both were operated successfully They
not only maintained themselves but
made enough money to provide for
extension, he stated. They were ope-
rated differently than a privately
owned plant. One instance of this
was tho charge made against prop
erty owners for sprinkling streets in
front Of their places. One plant
charged fifteen cents per 1000 ga-
Ions; the other had a flat rate and a
meter rate. The consumer bought the
He said conditions here we've favor
able 10 municipal ownership. The
nealiess Of the plant to the city and
the Fact that the source was not as
far below the surface as 1t was In the
two cities In which he had charge of
f
Some items Of expense In the opera
tlon Of q private corporation might be
in city ownership accord
Ing to Mr.. Reeves. The offices, for
Instance. he said, might be placed in
the city clerks
senator Barth Speaks
Senator Barth said he agreed that
~ off Low .fstF4
do, speaking III humorous vein.
Mr.. Barth thought the trouble with |
opinions expressed 1T a meeting of |
the kind held by the council was that
the personal element entered into |
them. There we're times, he said, |
v hen he received his bin that he |
thought the faIrest thing to do was
10 dynamite the water company.
He suggested that the city get ex-
pert knowledge In framing fran !
rhise to give the company. All of |
those al the Meeting could not write |
4 franchise with the understanding |
OF the subject that Mr.. McMillen |
could, he said. II he wanted a fran I
'llise for any sort of public corpora
tton he didn't know of man he'd |
rather have write his franchise than /
Mr.. McMillen.
Keeping politics OUT OF municipal. /
" owned plant, Mr.. Barth character
zed as a Utopian dream. II breedse
POLITICAL germs like unsanitary con.
litlons breed typhoid germs he said !
Look Into Future. Barth CAUTIONS.
AS far as MIR. McNIillen personally |
was concerned Mr.. BaFth was willing |
70 trust him with his last cent as far
~ he would ANY lawyer" This sally
VAS greeted with laughter. However.
Mf. Barth said he would not permit
him to draw the papers fer a case that
le was trying II Mr. McMillen were
attorney on the other side.
Mr.. Barth urged the councilmen to
'emember that IL was granting q fran
MISE not only for themselves but for
Albuquerque when it probably would
le city of $4,000 population.
Make up YOUR minds right now
'ou don't know thing about 1t and
,ay some one who does to draw up a
ranchise he said closing. lie was
Ipplauded
d. A, Porterficld said Tone of the
worst things" real estate men had to
contend with was the fact that mains
were not extended TO additions Mfr
1eMilien said it would be very nice
or the company to make extensions /
osting $4,000 for a $4,000 improve
nent 20 real estate
AIR Porterfield came back, If the /,
ompanys profits We're as large as re- |
'orted he believed the company Nigh. {
AXE a chance with the real estate |
men. Mr. MeMillen said the profits +,
we're larger on paper than they were {
ctnally. h
Some one in the audience asked II I
were proper to ask about the COM {
any's profits, Mr.. McMillen said II II
'as proper. No further question was
sked upon this matter. II
Thomas Passmore believed services /
fould cost more under municipal 4
wnership than they do now. Ii
Emil Mann wanted to know who /
ave the franchise. 1.
Some claimed il had to go to vote !
I the people. said the chair. In fact
did have to go to the people for
pproNal, he was quite sure. Mr. Mann
.anted to know. then, why the people
Mould not draw up the franchise. lie
,as not In favor of giving fran
hise TO anybody. he said. When asked
nat he would do for water. he stated
G favored municipal ownership. A
:,
EWS Tn cEI ERRhTE Iii