Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1907-08-01
AN EXPERTS ANSWER.
Why Cities Cannot Get Good Men
to Run Their Plants.

The Superintendent of Municipality
Owned Electric Light Works Tells
How He Was Overruied by "the
Board" on Many Points-M. o. "Prae-
ticaIly 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-
waite concerns have In their employ. An
answer is suggested by the following
letter from the superintendent of n
municipal plant, which was printed in
a recent issue of the Engineer:
some time ago bumped into what
call peanut legislation.' took
charge of lighting and pumping
plant owned by Il city. The plant con-
sisted of two Very good water tube
boilers. 125 horsepower each; Il II by is
inch scmi-Corliss engine, Il 100 lSilowatt
generator, two pumps and II by 81
inches with twelve inch stroke, a 6
and 4 by inch feed pump. a GOO gallon
steam fire engine and a board of public
of the entire plant, but not of the
board, but it was necessary to take
charge of ii ut first.
THE plant was less than Il year old
and after the fashion of municipal
plants had already obtained IL good
START Gu the road to rack and ruin.
'll!a oi::..gs.;!e p nn0c;l end had in les;
t..;,l i Years ti,ma i.n,iil,rd tea s:lr"c.
OF oil. L.! #;,i.e Of IN Gil filters efforts
hotter. The boilers were sc;lilt!lorsly
dirty both inside and outside, and Tie
CRATE surface was onc-tliild ni.-er
than was necessary to carry the peak
lead. IN cmcm feed water heater GA
business 10 The tune ol 100 degrees
Fahrenheit. he lislil,s had been dc
ni;,:l proper ll.lii'ic:.ii: and loudly pro
claimed the fact. l5E.ly "na-lith OF
| the clecti;ia service meier; Wore cut oil
business and customers Iayin.; Il
| n.;li;num rate as II result. Water
services Wee MOI metvrcl at al.
| ard customers used water as they
! pleased. ut such times rs they found
li.ost convenient, regardless of sl,sill-
! Killing hours. and in some case; pail
/ what they pleased or net ut all.
After these things hatl Leon several
| ly and collectively attended to the coal
hcavins w;s cut sqrarely in two. the
oil poi,,in:s divided Ivy 10 and Tie re-
caipt.s almost doubled. In fact, IL plant
4 which lla, bcca losing money Oh Il Win
I tilo,l wa, more than running even in
\ ,M.il i'.le next year the rate per Eilo-
I Watt |! ,lr VA, cut FROM 10 cent, to
8 lilo oe.lt;. With tile character of the
scryls'. niliuh Improved. Marx lila INT.
pray yom. for comceit, but rather as
IL narrator of plain. unvarnlshed truth.
During all .hi; time the board was
'skidoo 3D. What happened Just about
that time? Very little, | assure you.
4 II was advised that hereafter oil or,
dcrs for supplies. repairs etc. must
pass through TIE board and be duly
acted upon ln,l forwarded to tho city
clerk or executed needed IL l.:!.f inch
hose nipple very badly Il ny. ami
/ couldn't get 1T for q y ~. ilGn
along comes Il bunch of No I.ouling
signs, big and red enough to make the
which WAS condemned by the inspector
was approved by the board after due
4 deliberations
.llen tho men at the plant We're ad-
viscd that the board expected each of
them to work a twelve hour Shift and
after OF before that do such things as
trim lamps repair lines. connect scrv-
ices, read meters, etc. Other little bits
of advice too numerous to mention
came in regularly.
I'VE managed to keep up OUT work
after Il fashion, but things arc steadily
getting worse. Explain things to
them? Just like butting your head
against Il stone wall. Groccrs and
millcrs and doctors and lawyers make
!, good consulting engineers, but when 4
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 So 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
jority of cases is practically wrong, and
results prove 1T. I'm not looking for
another position, but will take a good
!, job IL can get it. Il. Il. q"
Illogical Municipal Ownership Talk.
Loose thinking and careless writing
1,,t