Conservative Water Company Records: Finding Aid

Finding aid prepared by Monica Pelayo, April 30, 2010.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

Manuscripts Department

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, California 91108

Phone: (626) 405-2129

Email: reference@huntington.org

URL: http://www.huntington.org

Overview of the Collection

Title: Conservative Water Company Records

Dates (inclusive): 1900-1967

Collection Number: mssConservative Water records

Creator: Conservative Water Company.

Extent: 310 items in 2 boxes + an oversize folder

Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Manuscripts Department

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, California 91108

Phone: (626) 405-2129

Email: reference@huntington.org

URL: http://www.huntington.org

Abstract: This collection includes correspondence, reports and ephemera of the Conservative Water Company in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, dating from 1900-1967. Many of the letters deal with the company’s public health, financial, and legal issues.

Language: English.

Access

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Administrative Information

Publication Rights

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item]. Conservative Water Company Records, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Provenance

Purchased from Elliot Mittler, November 20, 2009; several maps were a gift of Elliot Mittler, April 26, 2010.

Historical Note

The Conservative Water Company was a water supply company in the neighborhood of Watts, within Los Angeles, California. Originally named Conservative Realty Company, this company was founded by W.C. Elderton and it served the Watts community selling land on the Burkhard home tract. In 1904, the company got into the water supply business; supplying water at a rate of 75 cents with 5000 gallons as the maximum water used. In 1910, the company raised its rate to $1.25 with maximum limit of 8000 gallons of water. By 1913, the company wanted to raise its rate again, but the California State Railroad Commission denied the company the ability to do so. The California Public Utilities Act of 1912 gave the State Railroad Commission the power to regulate all public utilities, including water companies, telephone companies, and railroads. This law basically stunted the company’s desire to continuously raise its rates.

Wilmer W. Pedder became president of the company in the 1920s, and changed the name of the company to the Conservative Water Company. Pedder died of heart disease in 1932 and Otto B. Frank became the new president. In 1933, an earthquake devastated the company’s water supply, and according to the company records, it struggled to stay afloat. Its water supply was constantly monitored by the California Department of Public Health and the California State Board of Public Health. By the 1950s, Elizabeth E. Pedder became president of the company with her brother, Theodore B. Pedder, serving as secretary. The company continued to have problems and in August, 1967, the Department of Water and Power purchased the utilities company.

Scope and Content

The collection includes correspondence, reports and ephemera.

The Correspondence series is primarily related to the Conservative Water Company. Many of the letters deal with the company’s public health, financial and legal issues. Though the letters are to or from the Conservative Water Company, many are addressed to and signed by Elizabeth E. Pedder and Otto B. Frank. The company corresponded with institutions like Bank of America, the California Department of Public Health, Hellman Commercial Trust & Savings Bank, and Pacific-Southwest Trust & Savings Bank. The series is arranged in alphabetical order by author and then by addressee.

The Reports series is arranged in alphabetical order by author and then by addressee. The reports are primarily about the company’s water supply. Moreover, there are some reports about the company’s financial state. Many of the reports contain financial information and correspondence inside. Lastly, the Ephemera series includes newspaper clippings, financial documents, legal documents, maps, pamphlets, empty envelopes and public health documents. There are also several maps. This series is arranged in alphabetical order.

Arrangement

The Conservative Water Company Records are arranged in the following series: 1. Correspondence (Box 1); 2. Reports (Box 2); and 3. Ephemera (Box 2).

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Huntington Library's Online Catalog.

Subjects

Conservative Water Company.

Water utilities -- California -- History -- 20th century -- Sources.

Los Angeles (Calif.)

Watts (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Forms/Genres

Business records -- California -- 20th century.

Letters (correspondence) -- California -- 20th century.

Maps -- California -- 20th century.

Reports -- California -- 20th century.

Additional Contributors

Bank of America.

California. Dept. of Public Health.

California. State Board of Public Health.

Correspondence

Box 1

Correspondence

Folder 1

Bank of America. 21 letters (1942-1950) to Conservative Water Company. Signed by Charles F. Felt, John Boyce-Smith, & C.M. Noyes; Attention Mr. Otto B. Frank, Elizabeth E. Pedder.

Folder 2

Bennett, James S. 1 letter (1926, Feb. 1) to Banks-Huntley & Company.

Folder 3

Bennett, James S. 6 letters (1923-1924) to Conservative Water Company.

Folder 4

Bennett, James S. 3 letters (1923) to Hellman Commercial Trust & Savings Bank.

Folder 5

Bennett, James S. 2 letters (1923-1924) to W.W. Pedder.

Folder 6

Blight & Wheeler. 1 letter (1950, May 12) to Bank of America. Attention: John Boyce- Smith.

Folder 7

California. Dept. of Public Health. 17 letters (1953-1966) to Conservative Water Company. Signed by Roy C. Hampson, W.J. MacPherson, Gunter A. Redlin, & Malcolm H. Merrill.

Folder 8

California. Dept. of Public Health. 3 memos (1958-1966) to Water Purveyors, Health Officers, and other Interested Parties.

Folder 9

California. Dept. of Public Health. 1 memo (1962, May 16) to unknown addressee.

Folder 10

California. Dept. of Water Resources. 1 letter (1960, Oct. 14) to Conservative Water Company. Signed by Lucian J. Meyers; Addressed to Elizabeth E. Pedder.

Folder 11

Clark, Everett L. 1 letter (1948, Dec. 1) to Otto B. Frank. Also signed by Ralph U. Fitting.

Folder 12

Conservative Realty Company. 1 letter (1910, Jan. 4) to S.J. Lord. Signed by W.C. Elderton.

Folder 13

Conservative Realty Company. 1 letter [undated] to unknown addressee.

Folder 14

Conservative Water Company. 14 letters (1941-1950) to Bank of America. Signed by Otto B. Frank, Elizabeth E. Pedder; Addressed to John Boyce-Smith.

Folder 15

Conservative Water Company. 1 letter (1928, Dec. 3) to James S. Bennett.

Folder 16

Conservative Water Company. 5 letters (1953-1962) to California. Dept. of Public Health.

Folder 17

Conservative Water Company. 2 memos (1964, Oct. 5) to California. Dept. of Public Health. Includes Chemical and Water Analysis.

Folder 18

Conservative Water Company. 4 letters (1924-1925) to Pacific-Southwest Trust & Savings Bank.

Folder 19

Conservative Water Company. 1 letter (1928, June 25) to Railroad Commission of the State of California.

Folder 20

Conservative Water Company. 1 letter (1940, Sep. 16) to Mary Schroer.

Folder 21

Conservative Water Company. 1 letter (1953, Aug. 10) to Southland Escrow Corporation. Signed by Elizabeth E. Pedder.

Folder 22

Hellman Commercial Trust & Savings Bank. 1 letter (1923, Sep. 7) to James S. Bennett.

Folder 23

Levin, Bernard. 1 letter (1953, May 25) to Conservative Water Company.

Folder 24

Minds, James E. 1 letter (1962, Jan. 17) to Conservative Water Company.

Folder 25

Moody’s Investors Service. 1 letter (1950, Jan. 18) to Conservative Water Company. Signed by William L. Baker; Attention: Elizabeth E. Pedder.

Folder 26

Morrow & Trippet. 4 letters (1949) to Bank of America. Signed by Clarence M. Heublein

Folder 27

Morrow & Trippet. 2 letters (1949) to Elizabeth E. Pedder. By-laws enclosed; Signed by Clarence M. Heublein & James M. Bennett.

Folder 28

Murphy, William J. 1 letter (1940, May 27) to Conservative Water Company.

Folder 29

Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company. 1 letter (1953, Aug. 18) to Conservative Water Company. Signed by R.W. Houston.

Folder 30

Pacific-Southwest Trust & Savings Bank. 5 letters (1924-1925) to Conservative Water Company.

Folder 31

Pedder, Elizabeth E. 1 letter (1964, July 8) to A.C.L. Meats. Addressed to Miss Kravig.

Folder 32

Pedder, Elizabeth E. 1 letter (1952, May 27) to W.F. McCay.

Folder 33

Pedder, Elizabeth E. 1 letter (1950, Jan. 26) to Moody’s Investors Service. Addressed to William L. Baker.

Folder 34

Pedder, Elizabeth E. 1 letter (1949, Oct. 13) to Morrow & Trippet. Addressed to James S. Bennett.

Folder 35

Redlin, G.A. 1 memo (1964, Sep. 21) to W.J. MacPherson.

Folder 36

Rorke, Frederick J. 1 letter (1907, Dec. 29) to Conservative Realty Company.

Folder 37

Schroer, Mary. 2 letters (1940) to Conservative Water Company.

Folder 38

Smith, John C. 1 letter (1910, Jan. 21) to S.J. Lord.

Folder 39

Stanford, J.O. 7 memos (1910) to Conservative Water Company.

Folder 40

Southland Escrow Corporation. 2 letters (1953) to Conservative Water Company. Signed by Marjorie Burke.

Folder 41

Stotsenberg, Edward G. 1 letter (1952, June 13) to Elizabeth E. Pedder.

Folder 42

Williamson Company (The). 2 letters (1923) to Conservative Water Company.

Reports and Ephemera

Box 2

Reports and Ephemera

Folder 1

Blight & Wheeler Certified Public Accountants. Audit Reports (1949-1951). 5 items.

Folder 2

California. Dept. of Public Health. Report of Chemical Analysis (1964-1965). 1 item.

Folder 3

California. Dept. of Public Health. Report of Sanitary Engineering Survey (1952-1961). 2 items.

Folder 4

California. Dept. of Public Health. Summary of Bacteriological Analyses of Water Samples (1956-1964). 9 items. Map included.

Folder 5

California. Dept. of Public Health. Well Data (1966, Jan. 18). 3 items.

Folder 6

Clark, Everett L. Conservative Water Company: Fair Value Determinations (1948, Dec. 1). 2 items.

Folder 7

Clark, Everett L. Report to Accompany Application for Water Supply Permit By Conservative Water Company (1952, Mar. 24). 3 items.

Folder 8

Conservative Water Company. Annual Report to the Bureau of Sanitary Engineering California Department of Public Health (1966-1967). 2 items.

Folder 9

Stotsenberg & Legerton Certified Public Accountant. Audit Reports (1952-1954). 3 items.

Folder 10

United States. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare. Municipal Water Treatment Plant Data (1957, Dec. 31). 1 item.

Folder 11

-----. Water System Hazard Report (1965, Dec. 10). 1 item.

Folder 12

Ephemera: Agreement Contract (1907-1922). 7 items.

Folder 13

Ephemera: California. State Board of Public Heath Documents (1961-1962). 2 items.

Folder 14

Ephemera: Deeds of Trust/Indentures (1925-1948). 3 items.

Folder 15

Ephemera: Empty Envelopes [undated]. 5 items.

Folder 16

Ephemera: Financial Applications (1940-1949). 2 items.

Folder 17

Ephemera: Financial Documents (1924-1953). 20 items.

Folder 18

Ephemera: Financial Documents: Certificates (1923-1953). 11 items.

Folder 19

Ephemera: Legal Documents (1909-1953). 5 items.

Folder 20

Ephemera: Maps [undated]. 7 items. Distribution mains of Conservative Water Company and Tracts.

Folder 21

Ephemera: Maps (1950-1952). 2 items. Maps showing the waterlines of the Conservative Water Company in Imperial-Compton. In oversize folder.

Folder 22

Ephemera: Minutes (1924, Aug. 11). 1 item.

Folder 23

Ephemera: Miscellaneous [undated]. 10 items.

Folder 24

Ephemera: Newspaper Clippings (1913-1948). 12 items.

Folder 25

Ephemera: Notes (1949-1956). 8 items.

Folder 26

Ephemera: Notices (1924-1952). 7 items.

Folder 27

Ephemera: Pamphlets (1943-1962). 4 items.

Folder 28

Ephemera: Property Documents [undated]. 3 items.

Folder 29

Ephemera: Public Health License Application (1964, July 30). 3 items.

Folder 30

Ephemera: Receipts (1912-1950). 14 items.

Folder 31

Ephemera: Stock (1905-1906). 15 items.

Folder 32

Ephemera: Water Consumption Documents (1916-1920). 13 items.

Oversize folder