The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1901-03-28
A MELANGE OF
LIVE TOPICS
Penned for Journal Readers
by a Local Scribe.


| WE MLSI HAVE THEM.
| Tn view of The fact that our munich
/ pal election takes place this year, it
| would be well to bear in mind that there
is one subject of vital importance to the
welfare of the place; and one upon
which action cannot be much longer
delayed with safety to the health of the
town. | refer to sewers. These essen
tial agencies of health and comfort are
clearly out of the question so far as the
poorer people are concerned, until wa
ter can be obtained at a cheaper rate
than is now demanded. Lower rates
will not be obtained until the town
owns its own plant.
The present owners of the electric
light and water plants doubtless charge
as little for their services as they are
warranted to do by the expenses incum-
bent upon them in conducting these
enterprises. Under municipal owner
shipthe cost of maintaining these insti-
tutions could be very greatly reduced.
By being located together on MONDAY
creek with a siding thereto from the A.
K & n. railway so that coal could be
delivered thereat without the expense
of drayage, the same laborers, engines
and boilers serving for both purposes,
the cost of supplying light and water
to consumers would he so little that
the town could afford to supply private
individuals at rate within the means
OF poor people. Both in this column
and in the columns of the late Critic
have called attention to this fact with
the hope that the people would have
an election to settle this important
question, but as yet no steps have been
taken in that direction. Let US think
of this until the time of our next mu-
nicipal election, and without mixing
the question with any factional diff
ference, let each voter endorse upon
his ballot whether or no he is in favor
of this issuance of bonds to the amount
of sixty-five thousand dollars with
which to construct by the town gov
eminent water and light plants and
sewers, the plants to be equipped with
relays of appliances SO that there shall
never be failure of lights and water,
and the water to be filtered so that it
can be used for drinking purposes, in
stead OF. the impure well water we now
have.
The town can easily borrow money at
four per cent. interest, which on 500, 900,
amounts to $1,000 per annum. The sale
of water and lights to private consum-
ers would amount perhaps to three
times that amount. This would vastly
more than pay the interest on the
bonds and running expenses of the
plants and the town governmentlwould,
at the same time, secure its water and
lights free. At present we pay about
$4,000 per annum for public water and
lights. II we continue this plan we
shall have at the end of say twenty
years a batch of worthless receipts,
whereas, with municipal ownership, we
should have two splendid plants paid
for and magnificent system of sewers
and during all that we shall have
enjoyed better service at much
smaller cost than is now possible.
If the town council renew their con-
tracts with the water and light COM
panies it is to be hoped that a proviso
will be made in favor of the town should
it decide to own its own plants. l pre-
sumo the electric light company would
sell such of their fixtures and appli-
ances as ore in good condition, suchi as
poles, wires, lamps, boilers, engines,
dynamos, ETC., and that the water
plant would sell all of its mains except
the one leading from the plant to the
paper mill.
Municipal ownership of public utili-
ties is no experiment. Wherever tried
it has been found to be eminently sat
isfactory. Marietta would not proba-
bly, prove an exception to the rule.
ID