Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-12-22
OUR CANDIDATE IN 1900.
Municipal Enterprise.

Municipal Enterprise.
Edinburgh has been trying for
many months the experiment Of max
ing it's own electric light instead of
buying it ready made from the pri-
vate corporations. No one who has
observed with any care the results of
the many similar experiments in
other British cities will be at all sur
prised to learn that this particular
plunge into what few years ago
would have been called socialism of
the most dangerous sort, has like al
most all of its predecessors, ended in
q success at once brilliant and COM
plete.
Already the demand for the city's
electric service has grown far beyond
the capacity of it's original plant. and
additions to cost 100000 are now in
course of erection. Edinburgh not
only Eliminates it's own streets, but
supplies electricity for the lamps
and motors of its citizens. The cost
of the service is less to startling ex-
tent than it was under the old sys-
tenn and it is constantly decreasing
as the municipal electricians gain ex-
perience and confidence. The in
creased demand is the direct conse-
sequence of this reduction in price,
and, although the limit of cheapness
must be reached sooner or later, it is
not by any means yet in sight.
In December of last year Edin-
burgL's dynomos were forced to
work up to their full capacity and
any breakdown would have had seri-
GUS consequences, as there were no
spare machines on which to fall back.
Therefore it was determined to pre-
vent repetition of this risk by build
ing a new and improved power house
sufficiently large to supply from 5000
to 5000 horse power. This is now
nearly completed, and before the
season of greatest consu mption ar
rives the city expects to be able to
meet every requisition that may be
made upon its plant.
At present the city, besides lighting
Its own highways, supplies electricity
for the equivalent of 10000 eight
candle power lamps used by private
individuals, and it is fully expected
the number will be over $4,000 before
the end of the year. The prospects
are therefore extremely promising,
especially when one remembers, that
the undertaking is still in its second
year. Recently the price to consumers
was reduced from Cd to sd per unit.
or 16 per cent, and yet there is every
reason to believe that next year the
financial result to the city will be
even better than it has been.
The cities of Great Britain are far
inadvance of those in this country as
regards this municipalization of the
public franchises. Dozens of them
now make their own gas and run
their own street cars, and in every
case the innovation has justified
every reasonable hope.-Dubuque
Telegraph.
We commend the statements in this
article to our city rulers who are con-
stantly besieged by persons who ar-
ply for the donation for quarter of
century, of the exclusive privilege
OF supplying the supposed needs of
our city in light and electricity. At
present we are getting along very
well without electric lights and with
out street cars, and our telephone
service answers very good purpose,
80 that we can wait little longer,
and build and own DIR plant and
utilize its powers to build up the
city and its people rather than hand
them over to the tender care
and mercy ofispeculators. The city of
Glasgow one of the best governed in
the world and one of the least ex-
pense to the public of any, and it's
methods for conducting all these en-
terprises in the interest of its people
is well worth the study of those to
whom the affairs of the public are
entrusted. In this country our cities
are made the football of spectators
and boodlers in politics by the trans
fer of valuable franchises without
any equivalent therefor.