Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-10-30

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stalling Power Plant ofssw.
age System.
Prejudice Against the Light and
Power Company Figures-Co
tract Let
Observation-Disclosures dignified city dads are
| becoming sporty and during a lively
tit at the meeting Monday night Mr..
Fisher pulled his pocketbook on Mayor
| Pierce after the latter offered to bet
S2e that statements made by the alder
man We're .iirorrect--a polite way OF
ealing the councilman liar and an
equally polite way of saying you're.
another. Another quite interesting.
feature Of the meeting was the mani
Test prejudice against the Marshalltown;
Light Power & Railway Company held
/ Dy some of the councilmen by their
open declaration that they would con-
slder no proposition that might be con-
sicereu as engaging In partnership
mater with that company. The Incl.
dents came about thru the consitlera-
ton OF bids for furnishing and install
ing an electric power plant forSthe new
sewage disposal plant Specifications
had been drawn by the engineers and
sent to many firms, asking for sealed
proposals on the entire power plant, in
iciuding dynamos, engines. motors.
poles. wires, etc A dozen or more res
|. plies We're received, but all but two Of
| the first responding refused to bid on
fthe whole. because some portions of the
machinery We're not in their line But
two of the propositions received were
icons dered-one from the General Elec-
| trio Company. WI ich had representa-
tive present, and another from the ST.
Louis Electric Company which was
also represented at the meeting. Mr..
4 Fred Wood. formerly president Of the
State Fremens Association, looking
after the latter concerns interests. The
General Electric submitted dozen or
more propositions ranging from s.. 900
Ito $4,000, while the st. Louis people
submitted a bid of $662S. All these fig
ures We're higher than some Of the
Ecouncilmen believed the power plant
would cost Engineer Persons estimate
| being from $4,000 to $4,000 1T was ex-
/ planned that since that estimate was
made the pumps and several other
Items had been added and that If these
Iwere deducted the engineers figures
would be correct. AT the same time a
communication was received from Sec
lretary S. b. Hovey, OF the Marshall
town Light, Power e Railway Com
pany. saying he had been Informed
| that come of the council members fa-
I,yGred the plan of purchasing the cleo
1tric power from that company and sug-
costing that his company had power to
sell and would enter into contract
4 that would be to the advantage of the
lefty He offered a rate as low az 5
icents per 1000 watt hours, estimated to
equal about $1,000 per year. At this
4 point is where the councilmen antago-
4 nis.ic to the light and power company
1 saw an opportunity to further prove
their opposition. Mr.: Mcguire sub
United motion that the proposition
he rejected. This did not receive a
second and DIR. Harris moved to table
hit Neither did this receive a second.
land Mr.. Fisher. who has opposed the
1 purchase CT an independent electric
plant for the sewage plant from the
first and who believes he has good rea-
lsnns for so doing, moved that the prop
Iosition be received and that commit
Itee be appointed to investigate. This
received Mr.. Renson's approval and
then a prolonged and somewhat acri-
monipus discussion ensued. Mr.. Me-
fGuire said he did not want to go into
/ partnership with the electric company
land DIR. Harris said the offer should
mot be considered because the com
fpany refused to accept an ordinance
ali1at reduced the rates for lights to
CONSUMERS to IA cents and now came
tout with a proposition to make rate
lof scents To the city. Mr.. Fisher in
4 sistedgthat at this rate the power would
cost less than the maintenance of an
/ independent plant. Mr. Benson said
1.-THE proposition ought to receive inves-
litigation at least, no matter what the
lcompnry had or had not done in the
past; that the city only wanted the
best and cheapest service procurable
and II electricity is going to be a fall
lure the best thing to do~is to find ii out
before investing in an expensive plant.
! Mr.. Kreutzer favored accepting the
Hight and power company's offer. say
ling that If the city had to pay out as
much as the other bids called for he did
mot know where in thunder We are
going to land. Mr.. Fisher insisted It
would be extravaganza to spend so
much money, especially in view OF the
fact that the Lennox Machine Com
1 pany had openly offered to install a
gasoline power plant for $l,75O. He
that the cost OF mainte-
nance of a gasoline plant would not be
more than that Of the expensive cleo
Itric apparatus and 1t was this remark
THAT brought forth the intimation from
4 Mayor Pierce that Mr.. Fisher was
away on in his deductions and that ne
Would gamble to the extent Of 1875 that
he was. Tt was then also that Mr..
Fisher fished out a healthy looking
pocketbook and exclaimed:
"I'll Just cover that bet !"
The mayor had his money with him
and showed 1t. but the money was not
placed, both later insisting that the
l'other backed down. The confusion and
laughter caused by the incident made:
| II impossible to gather Just what was
said on both sides. Finally Mr.. Henry
offered an amendment that the propo-
Isition be received for future inyestiga-
linn % nd thf0 ~ q a Oroca I'M, a