Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-04
OWNED BY The CITY
WEBSTER CITY PUBLIC PLANTS
ARE ALL IN CORPORATIONS
HANDS.
Started With Erection Of Waterworks
Plant BY the City Several Years Ago
NO Breath Of Scandal Has Been
Connected With Scheme.

|. Webster City, Feb. 3.--Webster City
Is a municipal ownership town, and is
probably the largest city in Iowa
whose public utilities are so nearly
completely owned by the city. The
only public utility not owned, operated
and maintained by the municipality is
the telephone exchange. The heating
plant is the most recent addition to
the list of public utilities. 1t furnishes
steam heat to the largest proportion of
the business section and certain resi-
dence districts. The plant was extend
ed this year and it is the plan to make
an extension every year until it shall
ultimately take in as large portion of
the whole city as practicable.
Started in 1880.
The idea Of municipal ownershi has
been the result of a small beginning
made in 1880, when the water plant
was installed. This showed that the
city could as well furnish Its citizens
with their public utilities as private
corporation, and at a greatly reduced
| cost. The maximum rate on electric
| ity is ten cents per thousand watts
| and the minimum is five cents per
thousand--the rate being OH sliding
scale. The water rate is 20 cents per
thousand gallons for residences and a
scale as low as five cents for CONNER
cial purposes. The single idea with
which the city operates all its plants
is to furnish the output at just as
near the cost price as practicable, plus
a sinking fund sufficient to keep the
plants in repair.
! There have been many attempts by
private parties to get various fran
chises from the city, but thus far, with
| the exception OF the telephone fran
chise, all have failed. Whenever the
council gets little reckless or the
public has the faintest suspicion OF
graft, someone hobs up, asking for a
public franchise. This acts as a
check on the public officials, for at
the various times that private fran
chises have been asked the campaigns
have been hot and the records Of all
public officials held uD for public ex-
animation.
No Trace of Scandal.
In the twenty-four years that this
| city has had municipal ownership, nc
scandal in connection with any of the
| public plants has ever come up or been
seriously charged. The fact that the
city owns its utilities sometimes
causes erroneous reports as To- Its
standing on socialism, 8a
| Says Councilman j. d. Riste, the
father Of the council, who has held his
position for thirteen years: mo sir
we are not socialist city. We simply
believe in holding all franchises which
I belong to the public and permitting
the public to have the free use OF
them"
| A private corporation offered last
| fall to give the city $4,000 for a gas
franchise, which was voted. However
as the mayor was member of the
corporation, Attorney General Mullar
declared the grant illegal SO tue city
/ still owns its gas franchise
Cheap Electric Power.
Of all the plants in the city the cleo
trio light plant is considered the best
proposition as residents get theil
power cheaper than any other city il
tho state, SO far as statistics show
The scale in force here is as follows
Watts per month. Per 1000