Tacoma’s 'Pig in a Poke' Water Deal
Taxpayers revolt against a dubious multi-million dollar municipal purchase of water and electric assets.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Taxpayers in Tacoma are resenting the city council’s proposition to purchase the light and water plant for $1,750,000. At this price, the gas plant is not included, and citizens are calling the deal a 'pig in a poke.' The current Clover Creek water supply has been condemned for drinking purposes, leading the city to look for a gravity supply. W. H. Fife, the city’s heaviest individual taxpayer, has declared that nothing should be done until a new administration is in place. Critics argue the deal is based on a vague report by engineer Rudolph Hering, which seems to benefit the seller rather than the city. Furthermore, there are questions regarding the city's legal right to operate water power businesses and whether they are paying for old, abandoned pipes rather than functional infrastructure. The situation serves as a stark reminder of the maxim 'caveat emptor' (let the buyer beware).
“The proposition is large and indefinite, like the old Mexican grants of land which were bounded by mountain ranges and without specific limits or descriptions.”
Municipalization of utilities has long been a flashpoint in Pacific Northwest politics. This 1893 battle over 'opaque' valuations and infrastructure quality mirrors contemporary debates about public versus private control of essential services in a rapidly growing city.
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