Weekly journal-miner., 1918-05-08
AGAINST CITY CUTTING
 OFF WATER
iFrom Fridays Daily.)


 tract near Jerome Junction, appeared before the Chamber of Commerce yesterday evening to enter a protest against the recent action of the Pres colt city authorities in shutting of the water supply which had hereto fore been furnished them from the municipal water mains between this city and the pumping station at Del Rio. The pipe line passes directly through the tract of land occupied | by the farms company settlers, and for several years, on account of the difficulty in sinking wells in that part of the county, the settlers had been allowed to tap the mains and use what water they needed for domestic purposes, paying therefor at the same rates as those current in the city proper. Several weeks ago the city notified the settlers that on account of the threatened shortage of watch ] it would be necessary to ask the ! farmers to get their water elsewhere, and it was to protest against this ac- tion that the men appealed 10 the C.. of C. last night.
 The spokesman, Mir. Carbinc, told the gathering that the city had taken its action at the very worst time of the year, the time when the farmers were all busy putting out their gar. dens and crops, and that unless the city granted the settlers an extension of time in which to procure another water supply great hardship will be worked on the tillcrs of the soil, and that the production of crops in that section will be materially curtailed. Several well rigs are already at work on the tract boring wells, said Mir. Carbine, but on account of the rather hard formation, they are making but slow progress If the city would be inclined to extend the use of the water for another six months, the residents of the tract would in all probability be able to have their own wells before the supply was again cut off, he said.
 City Clerk Frank Whisman, who was present, made statement in re- ply to Mir Carbinc's talk, and cx- plained the city's attitude in this mat ter. He said that the water was be- ing pumped from the Del Rio plant against pressure of 700 pounds, q, a l-r tnI those familiar with hydraulics that the continual opening and shutting of taps connected directly with the trunk water mains caused a great deal of damage both to the pipes and to the pumps. As matter of fact the city did not have the right tol furnish water to any but those resid- ing within the city limits, Mir. Whis- man said, and any taxpayer could cnjoin the municipality from selling water to the farmers along the line if he so desired. Furthermore, he said, there was an impending watci shortage and since the city had grown so large and the use of water had increased proportionately that i,I was matter of self protection to, cease selling water to the tract set tiers. Another thing mentioned by the speaker was the fact that the city had been compelled to cut off the supply rather suddenly because of the fact that such protection as might be afforded the city by the statute ot limitations would soon be automati-l cally eliminated should the sale ot water to the colonists continue unin'- tcrruptcd very much longer. II the II. X. r. tract continued to enjoy these privileges for d short while longer, the city would be held to have furnished this service for such a long time that it would be obliged to con. tinuc the arrangement indefinitely and would thus deprive itself of the right to shut off the water in case such action ever came to be regarded as an economic necessity for the welfare of the municipality.
 K. x. Frcdericks, who occupied the chair at the meeting, informed Mir. ! Carbne and his party that i'll ah 1 probability some arrangements could be made for the extension of the time in which the water privileges should : remain operative, and that inasmuchl as this was a particularly poor time of the year and poor time in the history of the nation to take any chances of having the local supply of foodStufTs curtailed. some means would undoubtedly be found by the city council to extend the time in which the colonists could use the city water. and time given them tc provide their own wells.