The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-10
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.
Some Notable Failures In the System

From the New York Sun.
 A few days ago the Chicago City Rail- way company gave the General Electric company an order for Il, 200 in horse power of motors to equip 300 cars. The defeat of the Dunne municipal ownership folly brought this big order.
 Even in street cleaning, municipal own ership has failed in Indianapolis. The city hired for the season, April to Mo- vember, twenty eight mules, worth $5925, at rental of $432O, or within 1560 of the value of the animals.
 Under municipal ownership of several utilities the debt of the city of London has increased s225,0oo0O and the new council has had to float loan of $35,000, l. 900 to finance deficit.
 At Lakewood, Ohio an expert account ant found that the cost of the city owned arc lamps to operate was double the price asked by a private company.
 Casselton, N. Dalx., has sold It's munich pal electric plant for two-fifths of It's original cost.
 La Grange H., has sold Its municipal plant to a private company.
 Alexandria, Va, has leased it's plant for thirty years.
 The bondholedrs of the municipal plant at Jonesboro, Ind, have taken over the plant to save themselves.
 At Ashtabula, Ohio, the ssS,000 munici- pal plant has depreciated s50,000 in four teen years and Is advertised for sale.
 Linton, Ind, has leased it's plant for five years.
 At Grand Rapids, Mich, street lighting which cost the city s21,186 a year to do for itself, can be done by private com pany for s14964, saving the city $6162 a year. The citys management urges abandonment of the city's plant and ac- ceptance. of the private companys offer The city's plant cost $21o646.
 East Grand Forks. Minn., lost its elec- tric light plant by fire on March 22 last. Citizens voted not to rebuild, as the plant had been creature of deficits and dis appointments" says Public Service. Con- tract for lighting is being made with the local company.
 Girard, Ill.,, finds that it's municipal electric plant has run twenty-two months at a loss of $1917. This deficit is after de- ducting s2904 as the value of the street lighting.
 A special committee at Camden, N. J., reports against municipal ownership of an electric plant. The report brings out fact not generally known, namely, that in the last ten years private lighting companies have reduced their charges one-third.
 Fredonia N. Y, has shut off the street lighting by its own plant. It and the
  Colorado City, Col, voted two to one April 3 not to build an electric plant at a cost of $30,000. Colorado Springs, Col, voted on April ? to build a pole line covering about one sixth of the city without making provi- sion for a generating plant. An official investigation committee of | Winchester, Mass, reported January IA, l 1907. as follows 'The committee are unanimously of opinion that the town at | this time should not undertake to own or 1 control any municipal lighting plant, nor l should 1t. in the opinion of this commit i tee, engage In the manufacture or dis \ tribution either of electricity or gas for | municipal use or for the use of it's inhab- ] itants"
 l Sioux City, Iowa, has a small, wornout i electric lighting plant In the basement of I the new public library building. Its abandonment and contract with private company is proposed,
 The city council of Weston, Canada, hy 1 formal motion requested the press not to | publish certain report showing that the municipal plant which cost ss725 is now only worth $5254.
 Paw Paw, Mich, has a municipal cleo l tric plant which had deficit last year of s11OO.
 i In Baltimore on April 2. at the party i primary elections, municipal ownership | | votes cast
 Failures of American municipal cleo I tric plants are on record for Alexandria, ] Va; Bay City, Mich; Beverly, O.; Blan- 1 chester, O.; Bloomington, Ill.,; Blue Is- land, H.; Carthage. Mo-; Charlotte, Mich; Chicago, Ill.,; Columbus. O.: Eas- ton, Pa; Escanaba, Mich. Fairfield, Iowa; Galena, H.; Harvard Ill.,; Her rington, Kans.; Kirkwood. Mo. Lake wood, O.; Lansing. Mich; Lincoln, Neb l Logansport, Ind; Madison. N. J.; Mason, Mich. Middlesboro, Mass; Middletown 1 Pa. Mohawk. N. Y.; Muncie, Ind Nashville. Ark; Norwich, Conn; Pea body. Mass; Prairie City, Ill.,; Richmond Ind; St. Charles, Mo-; Springfield, III Sleepy Eye, Minn.; Teeumseh, Neb., and l Topeka. Kans.
 Municipal gas failures include Belle 1 fontaine, O.; Escanaba, Mich; Hamilton | O.; Madison, N. J.; Middlesboro. Mass 1 Norwich Conn; Richmond. Va: Santa Clara. Cal, and Wheeling, W. Va.