Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1932-06-16


First, regarding statements that the
King County taxpaycrs arc paying
practically all the upsecp on tho ia
docks used exclusively" by the Ander-
son boats ma ferries
This statement is doubly erroneous.
Instead OF IL docks. the Anderson In
terests use only six Of the county
properties, including one on vashon
Island, namely, the vashon IIeights
dock. All six were built by the county
for It's own vessels and services before
the said vessels and services were
leased by the Anderson interests. The
second and serious error lies In the
statement that the taxpayers are pay
ing for practically oil the upkeep on
the county docks In question. Under
the contract by which they leased the
countys ferry boats and routes, the
Anderson interests are required to
stand all the expense Of maintaining
the outer portions OF the docks, in
GLIDING ferry approaches and slips.
This is the expensive part Of such dock
upkeep. On the other hand, the
county keeps up the inner or land
ward portion Of the docks, a Job that
requires comparatively small expcndi-
ture. In this case the Anderson In
terests are carrying the great bulk a
the burden, In the ten years that It's
lease has been in effect. the Kitsap
County transportation Company has
spent more than $4,000 Of its own
money on the upkeep alone of the
Vashon Heights dock. That dock by
the way, Is one Of the most expensive
docks to maintain on Puget Sound
In my opinion, the company is the
one that Is getting "socked," while the
county is getting off very easily.
On the county's Lake Washington
docks, the Anderson interests in the
last ten years have expended more
than $4,000 on upkeep
Instead Of using the county docks
without cost, the Anderson interests
are paying heavily for that privilege.
In this connection, permit me to call
attention to the fact that the King
County taxpayers have other docks or
vashon Island that are In daily use
by other steamboat interests. on the
west side Of the Island, the West Pass
Transportation Company uses several
county docks. In the Tacoma Burton
route, the Vashon Transportation
Company also uses several county
docks, including the one at Burton
If the Kitsap County Company is to
be criticised for using one county
dock, then I wonder what such critic
ism will have to say of the use Of
several county docks by each of the
other companies. Personally, can
see no ground for criticism as regards
any Of the three services named. The
docks were necessary to the Island and
the county built them. 1t built then
for use, and the only way to get any
benefit from them, is to use them
The whole lineup. in my opinion, is
commendable from the viewpoint Of
the public interest.
have not mentioned the Table
quah dock as I am not informed a.
to its exact status. 1t is used by .
Pierce county service. Who built it.
King county or Pierce county2 AND
who maintains fixing county OF
Pierce countyp
So much for the docks. Now fol
another inaccuracy. This is the state.
meIt that King County pays two
thirds Of the insurance on the Kitsar
County Company's vashon Island
fleet, viz. the ferry boats vashon
Kitsap, West Seattle and Washington
The West Seattle and the Washing.
ton are owned by the county and
leased by the transportation company
On these two vessels, the county pay.
two-thirds Of the insurance, and the
company pays the other third. Botl
vessels are good, seaworthy and safe
boats, but they are out of date ano
are used by the company only as re.
lief boats. The diesel-powered ferry
boats Kitsap and Vashon are owned
by the company, and the county has
no interest in them The Kitsal
County Company pays the entire in.
surance on both boats. The county
pays nothing. 1t will be recalled that
the Kitsap County Company built
both the Kitsap and the Vashor
especially for the Vashon Island run
at total cost of S4lS00O. AS to the
West Seattle and the Washington, the
company in the last ten years has hat
to spend large sums Of Its own money
on their maintenance, including $lO,-
900 on the Washington this year.
1 Ill