The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1922-02-10
aITY MAY OWN SEWERAGE
y BEFORE IT IS ALL OVER
No Hope of Getting Any Satisfaction Ever Out
of Owners of the Elizabeth City Sew
erage Company

Elizabeth City is again torceo
into 4 serious consideration OF
municipal ownership OF water
and sewerage and the matter IS
now being threshed out by the
Aldermen with the help OF the
directors OF the Chamber OF
Commerce and Retail Merch-
ants Association. In meantime
Howard E. Crooke, president OIL o.,
the local sewerage COMPANY VIII
demand raise Of a dollar a
month in sewerage rates. Inc
State Corporation Commission
;s expected to hear Mr.. Crooke 5
netition for an increase in rates
On or about Feb. q. The re-
orested increase will be vigor.
ously opposed by the boaFa 0l
Aldermen. ,
LR. Foreman, member OF the poasu a
.,f Aldermen from the First "aru' N'''
worked out plan of sewerage eA's"
.;o, nv which the city will maze
tanS;ons 70 the present lines Oh Tue
Crooke sewerage concern, on S'reets no'
sorved by the CroOke lines IL S"''slaI
tory arrangements can be maue %,tn nIr
A. Crooka and his company MI
C-aoLo has declared positively that MS
comnapy will not extend It's ilue IN -
Erzabeth City and if extensions az
- somehow made so as 10 P,''
u.0rova for everybody, hundreuS u,
.arty owners must replace grouhu
plOp ,,.itb sanitary vault priyies at
considerable expense.
Tba Aldermen have already nau up
with Mr.. CroOke the matter OF ou' 'us
tho sewerage plant outright, out "a"
aot M satisfaction from him' VI
SnooLo insists that his company mas
lost S125,OOO here in seventeen !.'tS
~ .hot tbe company will not continue
20 do business at loss. Anu
doesn't appear anxious TO name W ~
- ri,.a a reasonable figure lof 'ue
r1aI,n+ - an his hands. He says he
.i,iJ nor recommend to his company
consideration of a price under S-''VVV,
~" tLo axnepse of operating the plant
~. cooke has added the item Oh ue
anooiotion at three per cent. lie places
-, o::iofnal value of the plant at Sfo'-
ooO Allowing q depreciation ol M
or cont for seventeen years
tho nrrsent valuation of the plant "o"N
s1oenO Asked if he would eonsiu-
an Offer of $4,000 for the property
~, CrooLa has said that he would not
Alderman Foreman's plan for mum
Ill, owned sewerage contempia'eS
or~ossrrents against abutting propert!
Snors 70 meet the costs OF lnS'a''a-
+ior os is done in street paving
: believed that sewer lines can DE run
o+ a cost of approximately uoii"' ''
foot which would mean that a proper
80 ovrer with a ffty-foot lot on ons
"a, of a street would be assessed 30
TO get sewerage. Nhetner " ,ot
IcgaI setbacks or whether it would nesS .e
With public approval are questions To
be determined. ;.
But Elizabeth City has got 10 10 10
something with its sewerage anu W ~
nroblems and do it pretty quick Inc
town cot into the dilemma of being en-
sIovad 70 a privately owned sewerage
-, in the days when Mack Sawyer
TIL Wilson were running the
town without opposition. 1t Is UP u .l'
= bpsiness brains of the present
tion TO get the town out OF Tue nj, 49,
No relief can be expected from .ar 80.
owners of the sewerage anu W., 90
Eloperties. They are here to Try ~ ~
bske money and not to serve the peo-
ME