Admitting frankly that the Cedar river power project is still an experiment that, with no certainty that the sealing process will be successful, Mayor Hanson recommends to the city council in his annual message, completed late Saturday afternoon, that in the event the sealing operations prove a failure, the cost excessive, or a better method of securing additional electrical energy is developed, the city abaondon the project as a bad venture. He expresses the hope, however, that the sealing may be accomplished at a cost not disproportionate to the benefits to be derived. Concerning the Skagit project, the mayor advised that the city proceed with caution, spending no money for construction work until thorough investigation has been made.
"As far as I am concerned, I feel it my duty to continue our investigations until we are absolutely sure that the money paid for construction wil not be wasted," Mayor Hanson says.
[Substantial portions of this article not concerning the Cedar river project are not included here.]
Concerning the water department the report says:
"Of vital importance to the people is the safeguarding of our water supply. You have authorized the issuance of $3,700,000 in water bonds for what is popularly known as the Swan lake addition, which will consist in making Swan lake an impounding reservoir, with conduit and pipe line into the city, and the construction of an additional reservoir in Volunteer park and new distributing mains. ....
[Text concerning the light department not included here.]
Stating conditions at Cedar river and pointing out the uncertainties of the sealing operations, the mayor says:
"The facts in relation to the Cedar river dam appear to me to be plain. A splendid dam has been constructed on a good foundation. The old wooden dam has seen its best days. When the water is turned in back of the new dam it seeps away through the banks of the reservoir. In my first message to you I advocated a thorough investigation and sealing of this reservoir, if possible. Already you had provided and installed machinery for this purpose of attempting this sealing. During the past summer the city has attempted to seal a portion of the bed of this river. Apparently, this sealing has been partially successfful, as water has risen to a greater height than at any period heretofore and the leakage is less. You do not belive, nor do I, that this sealing has been anything but an experiment in carrying out, in a measure, the plans laid down by the board of engineers engaged by the city some years ago.
"When, next summer, the water recedes until it reaches the level of that part of the bed where sealing opeartions have been carried on, we will then be able to judge whether that portion has been sealed or not. If so, we can calculate as to just what it will cost to seal the balance of the reservoir. We know exactly how much electrical energy we can secure by the complete sealing, and we will know by next August what it will cost to do the work. If the work that has been done proves to be successful, and the cost is not greater than the result in electrical power gained, we should then go ahead in a business-like manner and in a big way and seal the balance of said reservoir. If, on the other hand, our sealing operations prove to be a failure, and no better plan offers, or this cost of continuing same is found excessive, taking into consideration the amount of extra energy that will be produced, we should, as prudent and careful conservators of the city light department's revenues, abandon the Cedar river dam as a bad venture, and have the courage to say so. It is my earnest belief and hope, however, that we will be able to seal the reservoir at a cost not disproportionate with the benefits we will receive therefrom.
"It does seem to me, however, that in view of the necessary time needed to develop the Skagit project, and the doubtful remedying of the Cedar river reservior, we must now proceed, at once, to install another steam unit in our municipal lighting system. We have in the past used oil, and as time goes on it may still continue to be the best fuel for such installatons, but the more I think of sending money to California for oil, when we have at our gates abundant quantities of coal which could be used for generating power, the more I believe we should investigate carefully the use of coal, powdered or otherwise, in lieu of oil.
"If electricity can be manufactured from coal at an equivalent or less cost than fuel oil, the money expended would remain in our own locality in the form of wages, etc., and I most strongly advocate that the thoughts of your honorable body be directed toward the investigation of such an undertaking. It may even be feasible and proper for the city of Seattle to secure its own coal mine for such a purpose, using it as well to regulate in a measure the price of coal to the consumer."
[Additonal unrelated material not included here.]
[There is a mention of:]
[...] "$300,000 set aside for sealing of the Cedar river basin, which may well wait until we have secured more definite and certain information as to the success of our present sealing operation."