The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-01-30
SHORT
toontlnued nom Iaeo 1,


fore. the franchise should be given.
them. It Is to be presumed that
their property is assessed just as all
other property is assessed and just
proportion OF taxes collected from
them. II would be unjust to permit
them to pay any less. It is said the
city needs the plant. The city needs
plant. but not this particular plant.
The council should work for com
petitiye bids and let the franchise go
where it win 90. on the bsst terms
for the city. Twenty thousand peo-
pie should be quite independent of
any half dozen.
1t was said that the clarksburg
Gas 6 Electric Co. furnished electric
ity as cheap or cheaper than any 9th
er company in the state. This, If
true. only proves that the private
plants of other cities are overcharg-
ing their patrons. ALI of these
plants. like our own, are monopoly
in their sphere and always charge all
that can be collected, only stopping
short of what might be prohihitory
rate. What it costs to produce cleo
tricity is what our council needs to
know in order to deal with this fran
chise question intelligently. II there
was not a municipal plant anywhere
to give US the cost of electricity, the
history of our home plant would sat
isfy any sane man that the profits at
present must be enormous. Twenty
years ago these people asked for and
obtained twenty-year franchise. 1t
is well known that they are as shrewd
thoughtful business men as can be
found, men who weigh every chance.
They at that time thought that. a.
plant to supply three thousand people
paying proposition, now the twenty
years have passed. What has occur
red to bring loss that they could not
have foreseen at the beginning?
There is but one thing, that was the
coming of natural gas and whether
that cut thei- profits or not is
question. They probably gained as
much by cheaper fuel as was lost by
gas displacing the use of electricity.
They did not foresee that the popula-
ton would increase to five times what,
it was twenty years ago, that d
greater proportion would use cleo
tricity; for what was then a luxury
is now necessity.
From what we read and hear
about improvement in electrical APP
pliances. the efficiency of a plant that
keeps up with the times by adopting
the best methods as they come to the
public would atsteast be doubled In
twenty years. df this plant was MAX
ing fair profit twenty years ago.
say ten per cent or even eight per
cent as the market is at least five
times as great. We multiply that by
five and obtain the product of 40 per
cent. Since the. efficiency OF the plant
has doubled we multiply that pro-
duct by two and obtain a new pro-
duct OF so per cent; this calculation
indicates profit of at least so per
cent.
Now. If am wrong in my conclu-
sions, then my premises were wrong:
this is possible. The plant may have
been a loser at the start and continue
ed losing for several years. 1t is al
so possible that the percentage Of
profits is not now unduly large, but
what strong argument this would
be in favor OF the franchise and
how apt they would be to make use
of it. Their books that are now a
locked-up secret would become as
public as an auction sale.
have before me paper publish
ed at Lafayette. Ind; they too, are
wrestling with the problem of cleo
trio lighting and have resolved 10
erect a public plant Experts that
they have employed have placed the
cost Of erection and maintenance the
first year at $4,000, THIS is minus
the poles. Lafayette's population is
25.O09. 1t begins to look like we
have not only been buncoed on the
cost of electicity but the cost Of a
plant as well. Upwards of $3.50, 900
is said to be the cost of a plant to
run clarksburg. Experts employed
by Lafayette say that less than one
third of this sum will built 1t. Lo-
gansport, Ind. according to this pa
per collects for the electricity she
sells enough to pay expenses for run
ming the plant and fuel for water
works andsaves balance OF $4,000
per year; thus giving free street
lights and light for public buildings.
She has 125 lamps in operation and
charges private consumers 6 cents
per kilowathour for lighting and a
cents for power. Nelsonville, o.,
makes profit enough from her cleo
trio plant to have clear her street
lights and lights for public buildings,
thus. 1t is from whatever angle you