The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1906-03-24
70 The Edition Of The Eureka srsrrsrL :

struggle with the corporation which
supplies this city aud Sparks with light
aud water. The entire State is watch
ing the outcome with considerable in
terest. That the water which is sup
Piled the people of these W cities is
unfit for anything but irrigation has
become O well known fact throughout
the State, aud that the charges for
lights are exorbitant seems to be the
general impression. and this view is
shared in by at least some of the men,
bers of the present City Council, which
now has under consideration an ordin-
ance regulating charges for electricity.
It is this ordinance that has called
forth all of the efforts of the corpora
ton to prevent its passage. At ire
cent meeting Of the City Council the
officers of the Reno Power, Light and
Water Company were examined under
oath touching some OF the features OF
the subject, and it has developed an in-
teresiing fight.
Forum and Journal Lined Up.
The Nevada Forum, the Sparks
paper, in a lengthy article has arrayed
itself on the side of the corporation and
in a strained effort has tried to show
that the service aud charges of the cor.
poration are both good and reasonable.
The Journal in its issue following the
meeting of the Council also gave the
same coloring to its report of the pro-
ceedings. but evidently the Journal got
hold of the pulse Of the people for the
very next issue gave the examination
of the witnesses in full and invited the
people to determine for themselves as
to the relevancy of the testimony to
the present service and charges made
by the corporation controlling these
two essentinal public utilities in this
community.
This is interesting reading, and
while City Attorney Stoddard brought
out many important facts. the un-
touched ones are what would settle
this question for the people at once.
The corporation submitted charges for
electricity from various cities and towns
of California, and it is upon this list
that the Forum pins its faith in the
business of the corporation. What a
farce.
Principle of Facilities Applied.
Every mining man in Nevada knows
that in Alaska the great Treadwell
mines and mills its ores which only
average 1915 per ton. and yet pays
quarterly dividends. Would any sane
man arg III that because this was so as
to the Treadwell, situated as it is on
the seaboard, surrounded by immense
forests of timber and fuel. water in
abundance and every facility that
goes to make mining there cheap. that
the same kind of rock a be mined
aud milled in Nevada at a profit. where
everything hat tends to make mining
easy aud cheap is lacking. Apply this
principle to the various corporations
supplying the cities and towns listed
by the corporation before the Reno
Council.
Investigate General Expenses.
Remember that flowing through the
heart of this city 10 as magnificent a
water power as can be found anywhere.
Every element that gees toward the
cheap production Of the product sold to
the citizens is here. Then investigate
the surroundings Of the companies fur.
uishing San Francisco and other Cali
fornia towns, and if all conditions are
similar then is a comparison fair,
Otherwise about as fair as to compare
cost of mining gold in the Treadwell
with the same business on the Com
stock. Again. What are some of the
elements of cost of operating as testi.
fed to by the officers of the corpora
ton? The City Council seemed satis-
fed with general to the effect
that the operating expenses were now
in the neighborhood of $1,000 per month
but of what they consisted seemed of
little consequence. Have we SO oon
forgotten that the very recent invest
CATION in the big insurance scandal
found among the items of expense of
those concerns $780, 600 per annum for
presidents aud other luxurious positions
of honor. idleness and unnecessary ex.