The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1907-07-11
An EXPERTS ANSWER
Why Cities Cannot Get Good k2n
to Run Their Plants.

The Superintendent of a Municipality
Owned Electric Light Works Tells
How He Was overruIsd by "the
Board" on Many Points-M. o. "Prao-
ticaIIy Wrong, and Results Prove IT,"
The question is often asked by de-
tenders of municipal ownership why
cities cannot secure and retain to OPP
crate their plants as good men as pri-
vate concerns have in their employ. An
answer is suggested by the following
letter from the superintendent Of a
municipal plant. which was printed in
a recent issue of the Engineer:
"Some time ago bumped into what
call peanut legislation l took
charge of a lighting and pumping
plant owned by city. The plant con-
sisted of two very good water tube
boilers, l25 horsepower each; IA by 18
inch semi COrliss engine, a 100 kilowatt
generator, two pumps 8 and IL by SA
inches with twelve inch stroke, 6
and I by inch feed pump, GOO gallon
steam fire engine and board of public
works. was supposed to have charge
of the entire plant. but not of the
board. but 1t was necessary to take
charge of it at first.
The plant was less than a year old
and after the fashion of municipal
plants had already obtained u good
start on the road to rack and ruin.
The engine pounded and had In less
than a years fine imbibed ten barrels
of OIL in spite of an oil filters efforts.
Probably the waste oil made fires bit
hotter. The boilers were scandalously
dirty both inside and outside, and the
crate surface was One-third larger
than was necessary to carry the peak
load. An open feed water heater did
business to the tune of 100 degrees
Fahrenheit The pumps had been de-
MED proper fabrication and loudly pro-
claimed the fact. Fully one-ffth OF
the electric service meters were out Of
business and customers paying
minimum rate as q result. Water
services were not metered at all,
and customers used water as they
pleased, at such times as they found
most convenient, regardless Of sprin-
king hours. and in some cases paid
what they pleased or not at all.
After these things had been several
Iy and collectively attended to the coal
heaving was cut squarely in two, the
oil pouring divided by, 10 and the re-
ceipts almost doubled. In fact, plant
which had been losing money on win
ter load was more than running even In
April. The next year the rate per kilo-
8 lilo cents. with the character Of the
service much improved. Mark me not,
pray you, for conceit but rather as
a narrator Of plain, unvarnished truth.
During all this time the board was
'skidoo 49, What happened just about
that time? Very little, assure you.
II was advised that hereafter all or
ders for supplies, repairs, etc, must
pass through the board and be duly
acted upon and forwarded to the city
clerk or executed. needed half inch
hose nipple very badly that day, and
l couldn't get it for week. Then
along comes a bunch of NO Loaf1ng'
signs, big aud red enough to make the
place look like pesthouse. Wiring
which was condemned by the inspector
was approved by the board after due
deliberation.'
Then the men at the plant were ad-
vised that the board expected each of
them to work twelve hour shift and
after or before that do such things as
trim lamps, repair lines, connect serv-
Ices, read meters, etc. Other little bits
Of advice too numerous to mention
came in regularly.
eve managed to keep up our work
after fashion, but things are steadily
getting worse. Explain things to
them? Just like butting your head
against a stone wall. Grocers and
millers and doctors and lawyers make
good consulting engineers, but when
saving of 81 can be made by spending
81 they can't find the 81. In the mean.
time my salary had been raised by the
appalling sum of S. per month. Still
every little bit helps.
Municipal ownership, like the hows
and why's In textbooks, Is theoretically
the correct thing, but in the big ma
iority Of cases is practically wrong, and
results prove it. I'm not looking for
another position, but will take a good
job II can get it. Il. B. G."