The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-08-21
ST, LOUIS LIGHTING,
Civic League Committee Recon-
mendS Private Service.

'"o'DoSn inVestiSotion SnoWs the
Dangers of Political Management OF
Municipal Plcnts-A Public Utilities
Commission Furnishes the Best
Method of Control.
Somewhat over a year ago the ex-
ecutive board Of the Civic league of
st. Louis appointed a committee "to
investigate and report upon the most
desirable and economical form and
method of lighting the streets and al
leys Of the CITY," The members of the
committee were Professor ]. l.. Van
Ornum, head Of the civil engineering
department, and Professor A. S. Langs-
dorf, head Of the electrical engineering
department, Washington university;
John ]. LIGHTER, mechanical engineer;
Trescott f. Chaplin, attorney; Joseph
d. Bascom, of the firm of Broderick &
Bascom Rope company, and e. L..
Adreon, vice president and general
manager Of the American Brake COM
pany, who for eight years served as
comptroller of the city.
The thoroughness of the investiga-
don is shown by the following quota
ton from the report recently submit
ted by this committees:
During the investigation, begun
more than a year ago. we have con-
suited all of the literature available on
the subject, including the lighting re-
ports from the various cities, govern
ment reports, discussions on the ques-
ton of municipal ownership, magazine
articles and the exhaustive report Of
the National Civic federation on the
Municipal and Private Operation of
Public Utilities which contains the
most recent data on municipal light
ing plants in America and English
cities. We framed list of questions
which were sent to the supervisor Of
lighting in each of the first twenty
cities in the United States, requesting
accurate and detailed information ON
practically every phase of the problem.
We have carefully reviewed the his
tory of street lighting in st. Louis and
as far as possible examined the facts
relative to the rights Of existing cor
porations and the laws, both state and
municipal, controlling them"
In the summary of it's conclusions
the committee gives briefly the reasons
for rejecting competition as perma-
nently satisfactory method of secur-
ing adequate service at reasonable
prices and for believing that these re-
suits may be best attained by "a pub
lie utilities commission composed of
competent and trustworthy business
and technical men,"
The conclusions of the committee in
regard to a municipal plant are:
1.-THE total cost of operating a mu-
nicipal plant, If operated in business
like manner, would be approximately
2la cents per kilowatt hour, or about
ST. per incandescent lamp per year.
'But the danger of partisan politics
In the management and operation Of
the plant, which tends to reduce its
efficiency and increase its cost, indi-
Gates the inadvisability of municipal
ownership except as a last resort.
Municipal ownership in the place
Of public franchise grants merely
transfers the danger Of political mis-
from the legislative body
which grants the franchise to the adj
officials appointed by the
legislative body to operate the plant.
1.-THE economy of municipal operation
and control has not yet been proved in
this country. Only two of the first
ten cities, Chicago and Detroit, have
attempted it. The experience of these
two cities is not such as to warrant
the statement that municipal plant
would be more economical than con-
tract lighting.
Gin the opinion Of the committee the
conditions at the present time are I'M
favorable for the construction and op-
GRAFTON of a municipal electric lighting
plant for the lighting Of the streets Of
the city, and it believes this function
should net be undertaken by the mu-
if reasonable rates and eff
vate companies. However, the city
should reserve the right to construct
Its own plant"
Referring more at length to the Chi
cago and Detroit municipal plants, the
report continues:
Here. again, we are confronted with
the difficulty Of getting at the real
gross cost to these cities for the serv-
Ice. In spite Of the fact that the an
nual reports from the officers in charge
ofB these plants are supposed to state
cold facts and give every detail Of ex-
pense connected with the operation Of
the plants, q careful examination Of
the books and accounts by expert ac-
shows that these officers are
advocates of q cause rather than dis
Interested compilers of statistics. For
tunately, however, we are not COM
PEELED to rely upon the figures as. given
by these officials, but can go directly
to the reports Of the public account
ants"
In order to provide a basis for de-
termining the real cost of lighting by
4 municipal plant the committee sets
forth that
"The chief items which should be in
Guided in any true estimate Of the
gross cost Of supplying lights to a city
ire as follows:
'First.-Opcrating Cost.-This covers
not only the cost of generation. but of