The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-10-24


Net profits ..,... s 100000
GAS WORKS.
Cost of plant ..... F6,9i4400
Revenue derived. s1,sT2, 7I6,42
Expenses Of all
kinds .....,..,. SI,142,G9S.S9
Net profits -. $ 2So.O175s
1t is conceded, both by the citizens, as
well as the former owners of the water
works, that the present service Is equal.
IL not better than under private corpora
ton and that the lates have Oeel greatly
reduced.
on January /, 1900 the city ,; Amster-
dam took possession OF the streer railways
that had formerly been owned by the Am
sterdam Omnibus Company. Horse power
had been in use When was there last
March they were advertising for bids to
change to electric power, the council hav-
ing appropriated the sum Of S2,40o,0O0 for
that purpose. The city had increased the
service by adding about % per cent in cars,
as we'll as employees since taking posses
sion. No report could be obtained for the
time the city had operated 1t, Js late as
June 18th, this year.
Without taking up time to go Into furth-
er details on the subject of MUNICIPAL own
ership in Europe, l cannot help but quote
a few figures from England on gas com
panies There are 4S6 private corporations
with authorized capitalization of S30S,S57,-
06O and a paid up capital Of $3.50, 350,9To.
The total revenue for the
last year reported was. SCI. 2@7 $4,000
Total expense for the same
time ,........... ...,..... 49'Ol4'IlV.OO
Leaving profits or dividends. 1923, $4,000
There was at the same time, 212 owned
by municipalities with an authorized cost
Of 1852, 699,211 and paid up SlS6, $50.
Total revenue for the last year
reported ........ ............S 800, 1888 40
Total expense for the same
time NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 25,293.525
Leaving profit to taxpayers. ....$ S,5O5, $50
The private corporations have j,549,627
consumers and the municipal plInts had
1,475,T49 consumers.
The private gas works manufactured S4,-
O4O, IFS, 9O1 cubic feet of gas and tbe NUM-
cIpaI gas works made 1852, 55s,526 cubic
feet of gas.
The private gas works had 314.451 pub
lie lights and the municipal had 239,352
lights
The private gas works had 1900 miles
Of mains while the municipal had 9,64S
miles Of mains.
1t will be noted that while the private
companies Outnumber the municipal plants
more than two to one, they have only 72,-
SIS more consumers than the municipal
plants, and Of the public or street lights
they only exceed the municipal plants by
So, 0s9. These computations like those be-
fore quoted are based on the English pound
sterling at $500.
will not take up any more of your time
quoting results from European Clties. Ny
only object in doing so was to snow what
has been done, and what the results have
been In other cities and countries.
With your permission l will make few
quotations from American cities and from
wfnuepeg, Manitoba
wINNEPEG.
Is q city of over $4,000 and is one of
the wonders Of Western American life, and
especially of the Northwest. 1t is but a
few years since it was an Indian trading
post, one Of the many established by the
Hudson Bay Company. 1t owns its own
water works and street lighting plant. Un-
der date Of September goth this year Water
and Light Commissioner James Stuart
writes me as follows: The city purchased
the old water works from a private corpor
alton at q cost Of 1921, 900 and alter doing
so constructed a new system Incorporating
the mains Of the old system into 1t. This
new system includes artesian well. new
pumping station and two WorthingtOn
steam pumps Of 5,OOO,O 900 gallons capacity
each and about AS miles Of mains varying
from 20 inches to O inches in diameter, lin
addition to the % miles of old Inains,) at
a cost of S55O,OOO. The water rates charg
ed by the company have been reduced so
per cent since the city commenced to oper-
ate"
The city owns its street lighting plant
but as yet does not do commercial light
ing. Our lncandescent lighting s confined
to the municipal buildings, viz: The City
Hall, City Market, Police Station, Fire
Halls and Public Library. On bright moon
light nights the lights are not on. During
last year the street lights were burning 1926
nights and the result Of the years opera
tion shows the cost per light per night to
be 20 cents including the lighting Of the
municipal buildings. Our last cOatract for
lighting we paid Al cents per night to a
private corporation.
The cost Of the lighting plant for 300
arc lights Of 1000 candle power and in
candescent plant with capacity Of 1000
lights Of 10 candle power is $4,000"
/ am personally familiar with both the
water works and lighting plants Of Win
nepeg, having seen them during their CON
structIon as well as since completion, and
/ can say without hesitation thar no city
is served either with water or light any
better than Winnipeg is.
GRAND RAPIDS. MICHIGAN.
Municipal Water Works, cost not given.
Total length Of mains. .......1 1892 miles
Total number OF hydrants. .. 1,347
Average number gallons pumped
per day ......................llsl2,Os4
Cost of coal per 1.OOOOO gallons, s4.Os
Cost operating plant one year. S27,911.55
Municipal Lighting Plant. Cost, $780,
Oe7.4l.
Depreciation II months. ........$ 4.901.o5
Interest .............. ..'.''..' o'oOO.oo
Taxes ....-... ......'........,'. l,soO.oO
s11.557O5
Operating expenses ............ i9,s55.37
Grand total for one year. 80, .fSl557.O2
From above following cost per lamp Is
taken for one year: