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Show THE WATER QUESTION FAIRLY UP. By the action of the City Council on Monday evening, the report of the majority ma-jority of the special water committee was adopted, and the date of special election on the question of Issuing a million dollars In bonds for the purpose of carrying out the scheme so adopted, was set for January 3, 1D05. - This puts the question squarely before be-fore the people, and discussion should now be brisk, so that the plan adopted may be thoroughly comprehended by the people and the merits of it fully presented. That thero are objections to the proposition Is clear from the votes and opinions of five of the fourteen members of the Council participating In the session at which the plan was adopted and the election ordered. These objections were forcibly presented pre-sented by Councilman Wood, a member of the special committee. His address in opposition was largely confined to what he alleccd to be the uncertainty of the proposition. Practically his position po-sition amounted to this: Do wc assuredly assur-edly get the water promised, by adopting adopt-ing this plan? He thought not. And he criticised the plan of the majority as not well considered, In that important changes had been made in It, at almost the last hour. What is this plan? A committee cqmprislng the Mayor, the special water wa-ter committee, and a committee of five business men of tho city will cooperate co-operate in drafting a complete statement state-ment of the whole proposition with the arguments for Its adoption, and presenting pre-senting these to the people. We trust that this may be made so plain, concise, con-cise, and convincing that tho whole people may conscientiously unite In supporting the proposition, provided that this is In fact found to be the best thing to do. In the meantime, a brief restatement of the project may not be out of place. It Is proposed to obtain the additional water, so as to quadruple the city's present supply during the season of greatest scarcity, by exchange. The farmers who own the rights in Big Cottonwood and Mill Creek have given the city options (which fully protect themselves) on sufficient of the flow of those streams, in exchango for water from the big canal. The water for the exchange supply can always be depended de-pended upon, first by pumping from Utah Lake, as now, or after the Government Gov-ernment reclamation work . has been done, through that work. To make this exchange supply absolutely certain, and avoid any possibility of shortage In supply of the exchange water to the farmers, It Is proposed to purchase outright the waters of Spring Creek. A conduit from the mouth of Big Cottonwood Cot-tonwood to Parley's canyon is proposed, to convey the water to the pipe system of the city, and It is reckoned that the present conduit from the Parley's canyon can-yon reservoir will be of ample size to carry all the water that will be needed in the time when water Is scarcest. It Js well known that when tha't conduit Is full, and City creek Is running, even In a time of low water, tho supply Is sufficient. The discharge of the proposed conduit at Parley's end would also, afford af-ford a fine water power. The committee is confident that the options on Big Cottonwood water are valid, and will permit the water to be taken out at the tallrace of the old paper pa-per mill. Some object, however, that Ihis taking may not be fully practicable practica-ble on account of other rights in the 3tream, and that the old paper mill right' may have lapsed through disuse. We presume, however, that all this will bo fully explained by the report of the committee which has been authorized. It is gratifying to note, further, that the Board of Governors of the Commercial Commer-cial Club have appointed a strong committee com-mittee to look Into this whole question from an Impartial standpoint, and make a report according to findings that the committee may make. Between this committee afid the official committee provided for by the Council, the public ought to be well informed, and be able to make up' its mind understanding'. This water proposition is by far the most Important to come before the public pub-lic with the new year, and it Is well to I get all possible light upon It. A number num-ber of Important points are yet to be made clear, and of coui-ec the main ono is that which Is challenged by the minority mi-nority of the Council,, the real addition that the proposed plan will make to tho water supply of the city. |