The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-05-23

spreading abroad the report that tn
water commission has already deoid
ed that it will not build a public elec
trio plant and has so notified tn
council.
That statement is unQualihedly falls
from start TO finish and every mem
Der OF the water commission win sa.
so. The parties who are publishing
and circulating the statement know /
to be false and knew 1t to be false be
fore they gave it utterance.
The deliberate. willful. premeditat
ed falsehOod was ooncocted and is be
ing circulated in an endeavor to tr,
TO discourage the council and swerv
ii from Its duty to the people. Blu
it won't do the work.
The truth is that the water commits
sion has said nothing to anyone, ex
Icept the representatives Of the council
as to what they would or would not d,
in the matter Of erecting public elec
trio plant. To the representatives of tn,
council it is said. upon good authority
the water commission has said practi
cally this; II the water commission
became convinced. after thorough in.
vestigation. that 1t could build. main.
tain and operate a public electric plant
Of sufficient capacity to meet the re,
quirements Of the city charter-that is
TO furnish electric light and power to
the city and its inhabitants-and could
operate such plant at a profit, at
the same time reducing the cost OF
electric light and power to consum-
ers at least one-third to one-half, as
compared with the West Shore Mills
Company's present rates. 1T WOULD
BUILD A PUBLIC PLANT.
There is not the slightest doubt but
what the water commission will be
convinced. upon investigation-and it
is understood that is what II Is now
doing-that not only can public cleo
trio light and power plant be built,
maintained and operated here at a
profit and great saving to consum-
ers in the cost of light and power. but
II viii also be convinced that 1t can
build a plant Of quadruple the capa-
city and efficiency of that now being
operated by the West Shore Mills Com
pany for less money than thas cor
poration has invested.
No better testimony as to the econ
oniy and expediency Of building a pub
lie lighting plant could be asked than
that voluntarily offered by F. w. New
ell, former superintendent Of the street
railway Of Astoria. and an acknowl-
edged electrical expert. In conversa-
ton with a citizen of Astoria. who
was in Portland the other day, Mr.
Newell in speaking OF the public
question, said that a public
light plant could be built and operat-
ed by this city at a profit that would
furnish all the light, for public and
private use, needed by the city and
at one-half the West Shore
Mills Company's charges. He further
said that with the new improved ma
such generators as are now in
use and with the economy practiced
in the distribution Of the electric light
a plant Of far greater capa-
city than that Of the West Shore Mills
Company could be built by Astoria for
the cost of the Trullinger's
plant.
Mr.. Newell is certainly both COM
petent and acknowledged authority on
electrical matters and especially so as
to the cost Of building and operating a
lighting and power plant. He could
have TO object in wilfully misrepresent-
ing this matter and no one who knows
him will for moment believe that he
has done so or that he has spoken
without good reasons sor his state
ments.
Some months ago, long before there |
was any thought Of controversy over
public lights, a representative Of the |
Thomson-Houston Electrical Com
Dany was in this city for a portion Of |
ore day, not for the purpose Of doing
business. as the city was outside his
territory. He visited the West Shore
Mills Company's plant and looked It |
over and expressed himself as follows:
while these people (the West Shore
Mills Company are using our system,
they are away behind. They have a
splendid engine, but as to the rest Of
The machinery it is out Of date Why?
It costs as much in fuel to make the
machines they are Using generate
enough current to give good lights as
I would to run eight Of our new ma
chimes, and they would give about six
zen times as much current as the
machines now in dse here. could
put in a plant here for very little
money that would double the service
n Astoria at one-haIf the present cost
Der light to your people"
Now, the man certainly was not
biased, certainly could hope TO gain
10 personal advantage by making
-uch statements, and was as certainly
TO Judge Of electrical ma
'hinery, its cost and efficiency. His