The Daytona gazette=news. (Daytona, Fla.) 1901-1922, 1907-01-05

to the electric light company, and re-
freshed your readers with HE opinions
Oh Florida law and Daytona people and
conditions, and also as to what he didn't
know and wouldn't do, and why he
wouldn't do it.
He says: "No municipality could OPP
crate an ice plant or anything OF that
kind. You say your charter is broad
enough for anything, but it cannot abb
rogate your state constitution, and any
taxpayer could enloin the city from OPP
Grating such.sa business.
As lawyer you would have picked up
the constitution of the state of Florida
and read (article S, section s.:
The legislature shall have power to
establish and to abolish municipalities,
To- provide for their government, to pre-
scribe their jurisdiction, and powers and
to alter or amend the same at any time"
And YOU would know that Daytona
can operate an ice plant.
1t is not necessary to consider the ter
ribln things that are prophesied if the
citizens should fail to heed the warning
purchase ot the electric light plant with
out the ice plant, "a no one to my knoWl-
edge has advocated such u thing. The
fact that he Was able to get his prophecy
printed shows that "a prophet IS not
without honor except i'll his own coun-
try "
Your so-called expert says, Il think
for forty lights 1925 per annum is a fair
price have talked with Mr.. Shantz
and Mr.. Cove, and neither claimed that
1925 was a fair price. That price was
named for one year in order to force us
! 10 make a fve-year contract 1T 800.
Mr. Cove in his recent articles men
tons the following cities having less
lights than Daytona: Apalachicola, %
ares at 800; Arcadia, z arcs at $3.50;
Gainesville, II ares at 500; Pensacola,
81 arcs at 500, As nothing was said to
the contrary, these are presumably on a
full schedule of $3.50 hours per year-50
per cent more than those of DaytOna.
! Mr. Morris says "the difference in cost
to the plant is very little" whether the
lights burn every night or on :, moon
light schedule, as "the plant has the
same expense of labor, carh"ns, gen
Grating capacity etc.
Mr.. Cove says fuel is the main item
Of expense, and, as he is allowed under
the present contract To shut down the
plant at midnight during SIX months III
the year, it would seem that the differ
cncG III hours would make Il material
difference in cost of fuel and labor.
Mr.. Morris says, Il never heard of 4
contract with 4 city for less than FIVE
years" There are others who can say
the same thing, but an "eypert' should
know that st. Augustine solicited bids
for street lighting for one year, and that
the electric light company has made a
contract for arc lights for one year.
Mr.. Morris speaks of the diSadvan-
tages of the Daytona plant in having
"a business which lasts only three
| or four months
In 1905 the Daytona plant received
Sl4 Fac. 40 for electricity, SIG for lily
water, $34l for baths and $40, l67 for
2542 tons of ice at the factory. The
total cost of operating the plant is less
than $4,000 The cost of the ice is less
than 10 cents per 100 pounds.
When we consider that ice is manu-
featured and delivered in Jacksonville
at % cents per hundred, and We are
| now paying 80 cents per hundred for de-
livery alone, in addition to 20 cents for
manufacturing, and that no relief is in
sight except the purchase Of the plant
by the city, it seems as if the citizens
should give the subject more careful
! investigation than your so-called expert
did
1t should also be borne in mind that 4
Holley system of Waterworks for fire
| protection could be added, and the adj
dltlonal expense of operating would
amount to very little.
HOWARD y. STILLMAN.