The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1888-03-20
WATER AND LIGHT.
Some Figures For Waco People
to Consider.

to Consider.
1t has become so common a habit in
Missouri and other western states for
and ambitious towns to
contract with nonresident persons
and companies for the establishment
of water works, gas works, and cleo
trio light that littlc Information on
the subject will not be inopportunc.
Prof. Ely of the John Hopkins uni
versity, one of the members OF the
Mary and tax commission, has made
an investigation OF these water works
and lighting contracts in several
northern states and discovered that
they are, almost invariably, costly, an
noying and disapp oint!ng. IIo says:
II have looked into the experience of
a whole group of towns in New FORK,
and they tell one story. | have made
pecial investigation of water supply |
i'll several towns, and | have yet to |
find once instance in which munich |
pal self-help did not work better than |
the benciicent patriotism of private |
corporations The experience OF
/ Randolph, Cattaraugus county, New
\ ork, tells the story for all" Vhc
Gown wanted water works. and the
lowest bid it could get was from
company that offered to put up the
works for T2S,000, with the added
conditions that the town should sub
scribe for stock, and households
should pay $40 for water and extra
for faucets, closets, etc. The PROPOSE
ton was rejected and the town coun-
ell put up its own works Mt u cost of
S2O,300, with charge of only 81 to
households, and the works are yield
ing a profit; GowaudA, in the same
county, and Fredouia and Dunkirk,
in ChnutauquR county followed
J the example of Randoph, and are
equally satisfied, Jamestown, a
> neighborhood town. tried the private
- corporation plan, and the report from
4, there is: CAS- to Jamestowh, | have
heard nothing but complaints" A
still worse report comes from Gales
J, burg, ILL.,, which has private corpora
ton works. "Thcy have been 50 An
9: noyed by failure of the company tc
y fulfill its promises and by pcrpetua
> litigation, that they would gladly
: purchase the works which have beci
~ idle for two years" The experience
"a with electric lights is similar. Bay
n City, Mich, after paying a privat,
company $500 a year for each ligh
ID for several years, put in a plant Of it
own, and now gets its lights at a cos
OF f42 year each. Lewistown, Me
c, for several years paid a private com
f. pany So to 65 cents night for light
&c burning till midnight; but it invested
W. 1914, 800 i'll a plant of its own, and nov
'y, keeps its lights burning all night a
N. a cost of II cents night. 1t uses Wa
ter power for generating electricity.
80 When the private corporation tbs
; puts up the,watcr or the lightniD
works understands its business
He makes large profit. Prof. Ely say
2 "a gentleman who is attorney fC
20 one of the large companies engage
ny in supplying towns with water worl
=. told me that his skill has been take
Sc in assisting them TO pump water
or water their stock. IL had been W
ak tered AGAIN and again, and it w
&c. still necessary to add to it to conce
hia the enormous profits"
)all The conclusion which Prot. +
bod comes to from his careful Observable
Be J is that, when town wants waite
uH works or lighting works, it had bett
- put them up itsef.-Missouri Rcpu
~, lean.