Ladysmith news. [volume] (Ladysmith, Wis.) 1906-1907, 1906-07-21
MUNICIPAL LIGHTING.

Municipal Ownership in One-Thifd Of
the Wisconsin Cities Lighted by
EIectrici y-Data by E. 3. Smith,
University of Wisconsin.
With municipal ownership problems
occupying so large share of the pub
lie attention, the statistics on the
municipal ownership of electric light
plants just compiled by Edward Brad
ford Smith of the legislative reference
department of the Wisconsin Free Lii
brary commission are of special inter-
est. Mr.. Smith is graduate of the
University of Wisconsin. in the class
of 1897, and during the past year he
has been research scholar in political
science in the university His study
of the electric light problem was made
in direct response to a flood of letters
which have been received by the leg
islative reference department from
city officials and legislators, asking
"What cities have municipal electric
light plants?" How many exist in
Wisconsin," How many are there in
American" Similar questions are be-
ing asked with regard to gas plants.
and the department will soon be able
to furnish full information on that sub
ject also.
The first municipal electric light
plant in Wisconsin was established at
Bayfield, in 1889, five years after the
beginning of the electric lighting busi-
ness in this state. At that time there
were 80 private plants in operation.
The latest figures, those of last March,
show as municipal and 123 private
in the state indicating growth of
municipal ownership in the past seven
teen years from one-thirtieth to one
third of all the plants in the state. Of
the 123 private plants, 38 are in places
of less than 1000 population, which is
true, also, of 13 Of the As municipal
plants. The cities and villages of the
state having municipal plants are as
follows: Bayfield,, Columbus, Fort At
kinson, Marshfeld, Mazomanie, New
London, Oconomowoc. Plymouth,
Reedsburg, Stoughton, Two Rivers,
Algoma, Arcadia, Maroon, Black River
Falls, Blair, Blanchardville, Boscobel,
Cedarburg, Clintonville, Elroy Colby,
nimore, Florence, Grantsburg, Rice
Lake, Greenwood, independence, Hud-
son, Jefferson, Kilbourn, Monticello,
New Glarus, Princeton, Richland Cen
ter, River Falls, Sank City, Shawano,
Spring Green, Sturgeon Bay, Thorp,
Whitehall, Waupun Of these the first
eleven have the electric light plant
operated in connection with the munic-
ipal water works. Only one plant, that
in Hudson, is leased to a private com
pany.
The strength of the municipal own
ership movement is in the cities of
from 1000 to 10000 inhabitants Wis
consin in one of the twenty-four states
of the Union which have no cities of
over 10000 population with municipal
electric plants. In the past twenty
five years the number of municipality
owned electric light plants has in
creased from to 1850, and the num-
Der of private plants from Z to 1924
that is, in 1881 the municipal plants
were nearly 10 per cent of the whole
number of plants, while in 1905 the
municipal percentage has risen to
over "a. This is materially increased
in the six months of 1906 now elapsed.
During the last twenty-five years, too,
13 plants have changed from municipal
to private ownership, but the balance
wasl more than made good by the
change Of over ITO private plants to
municipal ownership. Among these
latter were the plants of nine Wiscon-
sin cities, Oconomowoc, Bayfield,, Ce-
darburg, Florence, Fort Atkinson, JEFF
ferson, New Richmond, Plymouth and
Two Rivers
Canada has 80 municipal electric
light plants, and in England about two
thirds of the electric light plants are
owned by municipalities. In the entire
United Kingdom there are 481 munich
pal plants, and 297 private ones.-W.