The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-06-15

er the act of March 8, 1879.
school district to build a school
house just large enough to house
this years enrolment and then
next year tear down the old
building and build another to
accommodate the increase in
the school population and so on
thru the years. Applied to
school affairs, the comprehen-
sive harbor scheme method
would call for the adoption of
complete plans for one building
large enough to accommodate
the school population for years
to come, and so arranged that
it could be constructed in units
to meet the successive stages of
increase.
Fortunately the trainers of
the port district law anticipated
just such a waste of money as
Mr.. Pratt is now advocating and
they Incorporated a provision
to protect the taxpayer against
the adoption of such methods.
Under the law not one dollar
can be expended on docks and
wharves until a complete plan OF
improvement has been adopted
and every expenditure is made
a part of that complete plan. MIR.
Pratt would have the taxpayers
believe that the term "compre-
hensive plan" is synonymous
with bankruptcy, when it really
means economy and protection.
"But," says Mr.. Pratt, "it will
be years before all the improve
ments provided for in the COM
prehensive scheme will be need
ed and perhaps they will never
be needed, then why adopt plans
that will never be used? ?" When
Mr.. Pratt organized the Empire
Grain company he included in
the articles of Incorporation the
following: "The object for
which this corporation is form
ed is and shall be to buy and sell
! grain, hay, feed of all kinds
also farm produce of every des-
cription and to buy and sell real
estate, farms and land and ac-
quire and hold property of every
kind" Now, the Empire Grain
company has never marketed
any strawberries, butter, eggs,
asparagus or gooseberries, has
never bought and sold any real
estate or dealt in farm lands. II
probably will not engage in any
of these activities for years and
perhaps never. Why, then, die
Mr.. Pratt enumerate these
things in his articles of incor.
poration il he did not intend tc
make use of them? Farm pro
duce of every description" is 9
mighty comprehensive term ant
the buying and selling of it in
. wolves big hazards and under
the present status of the rea
estate market the buying ant
selling of farms and lands is ev
en- more hazardous and Mr.
,, Pratt should have safeguards
,, himself and the other stockhold
ers against the possibilities O.
!, heavy OUTLAWS or expenditures
: by eliminating these object.
!, from the plan of his organiza
ton.
9 Why did Mr.. Pratt enumerat
these objects? Because it wa
= good business. Because he fore
= saw that the time may com
s when it will be decidedly to hi
= y advantage to deal in commodi
Z ties other than hay, grain an
! feed; he foresaw that unde
changed conditions and in fu
= ture years the needs of his busi
= ness may demand that he des
: in farms as well as in farm pre-
- ducts and he wanted to put hi
: company in position to NEE
= those demands. In other words
he considered it good bushes
- to adopt a COMPREHENSIVE
. scheme" for his company and al
- CUES that the same methods be
- come ruinous when applied t
: the business affairs of the POI
, district.
). Mr.. Pratt says the preser
|. dock is about the only "dons
n ton" the people wish to max
4 to any transportation compan
4 and that there is no good re;
3. son why the community shoul
-