The labor world., 1898-03-05
GENERAL. RECOMMENDATIO
Market. Gas. Water. Telephones and
the Executive Ideas on Them.

! ton that the market house be opened and
urges that an ordinance be passed to pro-
vide for conducting the market. He says
| that this should be done to encourage
| the producing of vegetables and green
| stuff at home, cause the utilizing of many
| acres of now vacant land and provide idle
| men with occupation. The mayor con-
| tinues:
| In my last message to your honorable
! body a year ago, I said, '"The present
| year will be important to Duluth; a great
work hes before u.s." I may repeat these
| very words at this time. While we have
| performed a part of our work it is by
] no means completed. In the first place
we shall have to perfect the present wa
| ter and gas plants and furnish water to
| the people along the hillside. While the
present plant may bring a revenue to the
| city sufficient to pay the running ex-
! penses and the interest on the bonded
| Indebtedness, it must be largely increased
SO that water may be furnished at
less cost. This we have promised to the
people and we must fulfill our promises
in all things
The present cost of manufacturing gas
is exorbitant. The machinery is out of
from 40 to SO cents thousand to manu-
facture gas, while with improved ma
chinery and the new processes Of manu-
featuring gas it can be produced at from
6 to cents a thousand. I have been look
ing into this matter for some time. The
buildings and the reservoir will answer
the purpose, all we have to procure is
the machinery to make the gas. Now
think the great saving of r1Onov5 tO
our people if we were able to manufac-
ture gas at cents. We shall be enabled
to sell fuel gas at 25 cents thousand.
1t would procure for our people fuel at
half the price they are now paying for
enormous benefit to the people that no
coal and wood and give them light at
nominal cost over kerosene OIL This, as
you will perceive, is a question of such
time should be lost in procuring it.
While some of the newly elected mem-
bers of the council are opposed to me po-
litically, am happy to say that there is
no difference of opinion in regard to pub
lie ownership of monopolies. The plat
forms of all parties are agreed on this
proposition. Duluth is rather happily
situated in this respect because all fran
chises granted will expire in the next
will own all monopolies except the street
railway and this franchise does not ex-
pire until 1914, SO that we need not worry
about that as yet.
But what you will be called on to pro-
cure Immediately is the electric light
plant, either by purchase or erection. 1t
costs the city almost a dollar for every
man, woman and child to light our streets,
and besides people complain, and think
they have good reason, of the exorbitants
charges for electric light. This condition
will change when the city owns and oper-
ates it's own electric light and gas plants.
If am correctly informed 1t costs the I
electric company $14 horse power per
annum for their plant, while am in
formed that with the new system of
manufacturing gas equaling horse pow
er can be created at $375 per annum
Therefore I would respectfully suggest
that no time be lost in obtaining the elec-s
trio light plant. If the company is willing
to sell its plant for what it is worth, then
the price should be ascertained. If the
company is not willing to sell at such
price, then think it would be we'll to
bring an expert engineer to Duluth to
prepare plans for an electric light plant.
The present gas and water plant sup
plies Lakeside and Duluth but not West
Duluth, and as we shall not be happy un-
til we own all monopolies we must have
the West Duluth water plant either by
purchase or erection. A couple of years
ago the company offered the plant to the
city at S325,O0O. This is at least $225, 900
more than it is worth, in fact am credit
ably Informed that it cost less than $780,
Q00 to construct. The contract to furnish
water to it which is now furnished by the
Duluth Gas & Water company will not
be binding on us when we come in pos
session of the Duluth gas and water
plant. While would not advise taking
any advantage on account Of this cir.
cumstance, we may use the advantage TO
compel the company to sell it's plant to
the city at a reasonable price. If the
company does not want to sell its plant
at fair price we can then parallel and
also extend the gas mains to West Du-
luth.
There is still another matter we shall
have to deal with inside of the year, and
that is, supplying the people with tele-
phones at more reasonable cost than
they now pay. The franchise Of the pre-
sent company expires in about a year from
now, but before we can handle this ques-
tion it will be necessary to procure some
legislation. The enabling act of the Shee-
han amendment excepts bonds issued for
water and light from the per cent limit
Of Indebtedness, but does not except for
any other purpose, so in order to procure
the money to build a telephone system it
will be necessary to have general bill
passed by the legislature authorizing
cities to build telephone systems and pro-
vide that the cost thereof shall not be
included in the per cent limit Of indebt-
edness. Such a bill will find no opposi-
ton except, maybe, from telephone COM
panies in the state. I have mentioned
this now SO it may receive proper atten-
ton when the legislature meets.
If we complete this work in a satisfac-
tory manner, the people, who will be the
beneficiaries, will assist and encourage
us in our undertaking, and it will be a
benefit to the present and to future gener-
ations. The time has gone when corpora
tions can live on the fat of the land at
the expense of the people. These mon-
opolies which rightfully belong to the
| people should be conducted in the inter-
ests of all the neOnle and should not be