The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-03-25
All Utilities Improbable.

The city electric lighting plant has
never paid the interest on the bonds
which created it, the water works
plant has been badly managed and
the gas plant up to May II, 1906,
lost money each day.
The present officials have made
radical changes. The city has ceased
to operate the gas plant entirely and
on May II, 1906, began to purchase
gas in the holder from the Hamilton
Gas and Electric company, which is
affiliated with and is part of the
Hamilton Coke company. The
price paid for the gas by the Hamil-
ton officials is 80 cents per 1000 Gu
bic feet. The gas is sold to the pub
lie at the former rate of so cents pei
900 cubic feet.
From May ~, 1906, to Jan. 1
1907, the city gas department showed
a profit Of $4,000, which will near
about 100000 for the year. During
the few months previous to making
this arrangement with the privat,
corporation the Hamilton gas plant
which was in a state of extreme dis
REPAIR. showed, according to the re
port of an expert, an average net los
to the city of $65 per day.
Against Ownership.
Des Moines, Iowa, March 25.-
Municipal ownership of public utl,i
ties has received two severe blows il
Iowa during the last week. Citizens
of Pe,la at a popular election voted
down a proposition to issue bonds foi
$4,000 10 establish a municipal
light plant and to extend the watel
works system.
The city council of Council Bluffs
because of the demand of hundred
of taxpayers and prominent business
men, decided not to submit the ques
ton of purchasing the water work
there to the people. In both place
the result is the climax of campaign
of education and a period Of careful
consideration of the project.
In PeTa for several months TIN
papers have thrown open their col
umns to the discussion of the projec
and the ownership problem has BEEF
literally discussed pro and con. In
terest became SO intense that a mum
Der of women entered into the debat
and availed themselves of the privil
eye of voting on the proposed BON
issue. The fact that the present sys
TEN Of lights is extremely poor an,
the water not Of the best quality nat
urally worked in favor of the munic
ipal ownership proposition.
According to the report of Georg
Pennell, state Inspector of municipa
affairs Just fled with the auditor O
state. the municipal ownership of tn
water works and electric light plan
lat Fairfield has been failure.
The period inspected by Mr.. Pen
mel is from April 1, 1908, to Dec. 81
1906. On the first date there was OF
hand in the water fund 1,95S. Al
the end Of the three and one-hala
years of municipal ownership he find.
the treasury is overdrawn 50. 1856 fol
this fund. thus showing loss of s4.-
313. not taking into account that the
city is still paying interest on $500
outstanding refund water bonds which
must themselves be paid.
Democrats Give Up Theory.
Omaha, Neb., March 25.-The two
experiments in. municipal ownership
that have been made in Omaha have
proved such signal failures that Dem
ocratic councilmen elected to office
last fall on an ownership platform and
the Democratic daily newspaper that
compelled the Democrats to commit
themselves to the ownership fad in
the last municipal campaign are now
openly condemning those expert