The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-05-08
MAKES ANOTHER JUMP.

The action of the council SATURDAY
evening, as noted in our local col
umns. whereby it voted to break OIL
all negotiations with the Electric
light company, and turn it's attention
to putting in city lighting plant,
will be somewhat of surprise TO our
citizens generally, and is one OF those
sudden turn-abouts for which the pres
emit council has become noted. Inc
only reason given was the inability OF
the committee, having the matter IN
hand, in meeting Mr.. Hubbard, De-
cause of his absence from the clty.
This in general business circles would
be deemed, as it is, very filmsy eX-
cuse, The council does not seem to
have stopped to consider the position
they have left the commercial bodies
of the city in, the merchants and tax
pavers who have requested that the
offer of the light company be accepted,
and that something be done to secure
if possible reduction in the price OF
gas. In fact, So far as the FREE
PRESS has been able to learn, no move
was made on the part of the council
committee to submit a proposition 10
the company regarding the gas mat
ter. Had this been done, it is posi-
BILE that something might have been
learned about the subject.
The action of the council brings up
two interesting questions: First, II
the council intends to go ahead and
put in a city plant, where will it get
the money therefor, except through
the bonds which have been pronounc-
ed illegal, and hence discredited in
the money markets. AS the ten thou
sand dollars will not meet the total
expense of plant such as the city
needs, where will it get the extra
funds needed? Second, in what kind
of shape is such move going to leave
the private consumers of gas and
electricity? Under the propositson
which the city had before it, the COM
pany made reduction upon cleo
tricity for commercial use, OF about
one-half what it has been furnishing
it for. And it is reasonable to sup
pose that had the company been ap-
preached with business like PROPOSE
tion regarding gas, that suitable I'M
derstanding could have been arrived
at in regard to it. But the action OF
the council means that there will be
no reduction in either gas or cleo
tricity to commercial users. There
will be none, because the company
cannot afford to make such reduction,
if deprived of the city lighting, but by
doing both, it can afford the reduc-
ton. and both the city and private
consumers profit thereby. 1t has been
acknowledged on all sides that the
proposition of the company for street
lighting is low one-cheaper than
the CITY could furnish lights with a
plant of it's own. This being the case,
it is little less than the heighth of
folly to deliberately turn away from
the matter until every possible means
had been exhausted to secure a rea-
sonable understanding as to gas. 1t is,
in fact, a duty which the council owes
to it's constituents, and which should
be earnestly labored for. The matter
of commercial lighting, either by
electricity or gas, is question OF as
great, if not greater, Importance to our
people than is that of street lighting,
but the deliberate action Of the cOun-
Gil Saturday night snapped all chances
of arriving at any equitable terms
thereon and leaves the people at the
mercy of the present company, unless
business judgment and sense returns
and the council in the future proceeds
with the city's business as the mem
bers would with matters of their own
in private affairs.