The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-06-24
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP
THE PEOPLES CLUB
Investigation Of Public Electric Light Plants in Several
Cities Shows That They Cost More Than Under Pri-
vate Management But That the People Nevertheless
Get Cheaper Lighting.
ny Jacob waldeck.

STAFF Correspondence to The Press
PITTSBURG, Pa, June 24.--Elec-
trio lighting has in recent years been
the most popular field for municipal
enterprise Plants are being erected.
especially by the villages and smaller
cities, at a surprising rate. This in
crease is pointed to by municipal
ownership advocates as the best of
evidence that the municipalities are
getting good results.
The latest official statistics on this
subject were issued by the census
bureau in the form of a bulletin ill
1908. 1t showed 2S05 private and SIS
municipal stations. The proportion
of new municipal to private stations
established in 1881 was l to :, in
1891 il was a little more than ! to
4, and in 1901 a little over ! to 8.
The cost of constructing and equip
ping the municipal stations in exist
ence at the time of this last report
was $22 ,020.473. They employed 24o7
wage earners and paid sl,422,34l in
wages
The income of the municipal sta
tions is given as s6,965.105. The ex-
penses. including salaries and wages,
supplies, materials. fuel. rents. taxes,
insurance and interest. amount to
s5.245,9S7
A tour Of half a dozen cities hav-
ing municipal electric plants served
to show that the people in none Of
these towns are disposed to count
their enterprise failure. Officials
present what appear to be convincing
reports that the cities are getting
lights at much lower rate than
would be granted by private COM
panies.
Officers of the latter and few
other persons contend that the city
reports do not fairly present the cost
of the lights They say that In the
cost Of operation as given one or
more such items as taxes, interest,
depreciation, insurance or DANA ge
suits are not charged against the
I..a;s The main fact stands out,
tN"ueh, that none of the plants is for
sale.
Chicago. through the efforts OF
Mayor Carter H. Harrison, sr., estab-
lished a municipal electric light plant
in 1887. The capacity was 104 arc
lights Now the are lights produced
by the Chicago plants exceed 51o0.
The operating expenses incidental to
the production o. tnnee lights last
year were s54.36 per light.
Chicago rents about 500 arc lights
for street lighting from private
company. For these the city is oblig'
ed TO pay s102,50 per light. city of
fcials figure that the city plants have
not only paid for themselves, includ-
ing interest and taxes, but have saved
the city over 100000. Wages are
very high and the men have the
eight-hour day.
Politics cut no figure" said City
Electrician Carroll. More than half
our men have been over 10 years in
the service. We do not ask their poll
tics"
Edward B. Ellicott. who was until
recently city electrician, and had
much to do with the development Of
the plants, said: THAT there can be
any question of the desirability of
cities owning and operating their
lighting plants is cause for surprise"
Carroll declares that the time is
coming when all commercial lighting
in Chicago will be done by the city.
1T is inevitable" he said.
Experts who examined the city
books in 1900 added to the cost OF
operation $37.79 per lamp for taxes,
depreciation and interest,". Oflcers of
private companies say that the lights
are now costing Chicago over 500
each.
Walter L. Fisher, head of the Mu.
nicipal league. and a man well posted
in city affairs, said: THE city plants
effected saving over what rented
lights cost when the plants were es-
tablished. The real cost now is be-
tween SIS and so, which is less than
private companies would charge us
for lights. Electric lighting is the
best place for city to begin with
municipal ownership because 1t is a
comparatively simple proposition"
Despite this conflicting evidence II
can be said that the people are going
TO decide by an overwhelming major
fly at the next election in favor Of
the city engaging in commercial