Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-11

might be raised to the present contract
and they are certainly objections that
should be carefully considered by ev-
| cry citizen.
If Jones and Hovey are willing to sell
their Marshalltown interests. now is
the time for the city to step in and
buy the same. Jones and Hovey would
no doubt be willing to sell their inter-
estS to the city on just as favorable
| terms as they would sell to Mr.
Browne. The statement has been made
that the hope of the municipal owner
ship is too remote, that is to say, that
1t would be impossible for the city to
fuy the plants under the present con-
| ditions. This is not the case.
The 31st general assembly passed a
law providing as follows: Except
that cities and incorporate towns may,
for the purpose of purchasing, erect
ing or maintaining and operating water
works, electric light and power plants
gas works and heating plants, or of
building and constructing sewers, in
| cur an Indebtedness not exceeding in
the aggregate, added to all other in
debtedness, five per centum of the ac-
tual value Of the taxable property
| within such city or incorporate
town" The law further provides that
this Indebtedness cannot be incurred
without the people first having voted
tor the same at a general or special
election. This law has been held to
be constitutional by the supreme court
of the state in the Belle PLANE water
works case and many cities have al
ready taken advantage of the same.
The question would come up whether
or not the street car line would be part
Of the present electric lighting plant,
but at Waverly where they took adj
vantage of this law and the city pur-
chased the local lighting plant. wa
ter power and grist mill were owned
by the lighting company and were TAX
en- over as pant of the lighting sys-
tenn, so that it would seem that the
street car line, being as closely con-
nected as it is with the local electric
| lighting and power plant could easily
be considered as part of the same. Ey-
en- if this were not the case, it would
be simple matter to have the legis
lature amend this law and a move
ment has already been started at Des
| Moines providing for the including of
electric street railways in the law.
Under this law the city could issue
about two hundred and seventy thou
sand dollars worth Of bonds and the
balance of the purchase price could be
borrowed by pledging the special funds
provided by the code for the building
and maintaining of these public utili-
ties. The supreme court of the state in
an unanimous opinion has held that
money borrowed under such levies is
not to be considered debt against the
municipality and is an entirely legal
procedure. This plan was adopted by
Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Clinton and
other cities in buying their water
works plant and the contracts have
been held legal by the courts. Here,
then is a. simple way Of raising the
money for the purchase of these public
utilities if the people desire to pur-
chase them.
The benefits that would accrue to the
city and to the people at large were
the present electric lighting plant, gas
plant and street railway owned by the
city are so many and manifest and
have been presented on different occa-
sions to the people in so able a man
ner by the T.-R., by Mayor Ingledue,
by Mr. Abbott while chairman Of the
water works committee, and many 9TH
er prominent citizens that it is not nee
essary at this time to present them to
the people and the great majority of
our people are unquestionably in favor
of municipal ownership. 1t is sufficient
to say that with our municipality owned
water works and sire It lighting system
this city has made a wonderful record,
and, no doubt, wouls! make just as