The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1888-03-14
w WATER AND LIGHT.
some Figures For Waco People
to Consider.

some Figures For Waco People
to Consider.
II has become so common habit III
Missouri and otaer western states Tor
llouri,hng and ambitious towns t.
contract with nonresident persons
and cOmpanies for the establishment
of water works, gas works, and elec-
trio hght that "a lijtlo information on
the subject will not be inopportunc.
Prof lly OF the John Hopkins uni
vcrsity. ono of the members OF the
Mary and tax commission, has made
an invest cation OF these water works
and lighting contracts in several
northern states and discovered that
they are, almost invariably, cosby, All
moving and disapp ointlng. He says;
81 have looked into the exp rlence OF
awholc group of towns in New ork,
and they tell one story. have made
pecial investigation OF water supply
in several towns, bnd have Yet to
tiud once instance in which municl-
pal sclt-help did not work better than
thc bructiccut patriot sm of private
corporations The experience OF
Raudolph, Cattatnugus county, New
York, tells the story tor all. 'thc
Town wanted water works, and the
lowest bid il could get was from u
company that offered to put up the
works for SgS,O0O, with the added
conditions that the town should sub
scribe for stock, and households
should pay $40 tor water and extra
for faucets, closets, etc. The PROPOSE
ton was rejected and tho town Coun-
ell put up Its own WORKS Ut cost OF
S2O, 800. W IN charge of only 81 to
households, and tho works are yield
ing n profit; Gowauda, in the same
county, and Fredouia and Du kirk,
in Chautauqua county followed
the example of Rand dlph, and are
equally satisfied. Jamestown, a
neigb borhood town. tried the private
corporation plan, and the report from
there is: "As to JamestowL, | have
heard nothing but complaints" A
still worse report comes from Gales
burg, ILL.,, which has private corpora
ION works, "They have been SO al
noyed by fsilure Of the company to
fulfill its promises and by perpetual
ltigetion, that they would gladly
purchase the works which have been
idle for two years The experience
with electric lights is similar. Bay
Ciy, Mich alt-r paying Il private
company $500 n Year for each light
for several years put IN plant Of its
own. aud now gets lis lights at Il cost
oi 81 year each. LcWlstown, Me,
for several years paid a private com
pan, 80 to 65 cents a night for lights
burning Il midnight; but ii inyested
S4. 800 III plant of its own, and row
keeps It's lights burning all night at
cDstot ] 3 cents night. II uses wa
teG power for generating electricity.
When the private corporation thst
puts up the,water or the lightning
works understands Its business i.
makes large profit, Prot Ely say:
"a gentleman who is attorney for
one of the arge conn anies engaged
in supplying towns with water works
told me thai his skill has been taxed
in assisting them TO pump water TO
water their stock. 1t had been wa
tered sgam aud again, and it was
sGllnecesssry to add to ii TO conceal
the enormous profits
The conclusion which Prot. Ely
com : TO from his careful observation,
is that, when q lown wants water
works or lighting works, il had better
put them up itself.-Missouri Repub-
lean.