The Havre herald. [volume] (Havre, Mont.) 1904-1908, 1907-09-06
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 Overru!ed by tthe
Board on Many Ponts-M. Q. "Prac-
ticaly Wrong, and Results Prove It,"
The question is often asked by de-
tenders of municipal ownership why
cities cannot secure and retain to op-
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 a
municipal plant, which was printed in
recent issue of the Engineer:
"Some time ago / bumped into what
I call peanut legislation. | took
charge Of a lighting and pumping
plant owned by city. The plant CON
sisted of two very good water tube
boilers, 125 horsepower each; a IA by IS
inch semi-Corliss engine, 100 kilowatt
generator, two pumps s and Il by 81
inches with a twelve inch stroke, d 6
and by inch feed pump, GOO gallon
steam fire engine and a board of public
works. was supposed to have charge
Of the entire plant, but not Of the
board, but it was necessary to take
charge of it at first.
'The plant was less than year old
and after the fashion Of municipal
| plants had already obtained a good
start on the road to rack and ruin.
The engine pounded and had in less
than q years time imbibed ten barrels
of oil, in spite of an oil filters efforts.
Probably the waste oil made fires a bit
hotter. The boilers We're 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-fifth Of
the electric service meters were out of
business and customers paying q
minimum rate as a 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
ly and collectively attended to the Goa
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 il
\ April. The next year the rate per kilo
watt hour was cut from 10 cents tx
ITO cents, with the character of thu
service much improved. Mark me not
| pray you, for conceit, but rather a:
narrator Of plain, unvarnished truth
During all this time the board wa:
'skidoo 90 What happened just abou
that time? Very little, l assure you.
| 81 was advised that hereafter all or
ders for supplies, repairs, etc, mus
pass through the board and be dull,
acted upon and forwarded to the cit,
clerk or executed. I needed half incl
hose nipple very badly that day, ant
couldn't get it for a week. Thel
along comes a bunch of No Loafine
\ SlSuS, ul5 dutl leu C4iouSl " HAM l1l
place look like a pesthouse. Wirin
which was condemned by the inspecto
was approved by the board after 'du
deliberation.'
| "Then the men at the plant were ad
= vised that the board expected each O
them to work twelve hour shift an
after or before that do such things a
trim lamps, repair lines, connect sery
ices, read meters, etc. Other little bit
Of advice too numerous to mentio
came In regularly.
1--WE managed to keep up our wor
after fashion, but things are steadil
getting worse. Explain things t
them? Just like butting your hea
against stone wall. Grocers an
millers and doctors and lawyers max
good consulting engineers, but when
saving of 81 can be made by spendin
81 they can't find the 81. In the NEAR
time my salary had been raised by tn
appalling sum of SIS per month, Sti
every little bit helps.
Municipal ownership, like the how
Il and why's in textbooks, is theoretical
49, the correct thing, but in the big ms
jority of cases Is practically wrong, an
results prove it. Pm not looking fe
another position, but win take a goo
job IL can get it. IT. B. G."
lIIouicaI Municipal Ownership Talk,