Crittenden record=press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1907-1909, 1908-03-12
MAYORS SAY FAILS"
Chief Executives Write of Their
Experiences.
They Do Not Consider Public Owner
ship Successful In Their Cities-Two
Plants For Sals-One Lasted Only
Six Months.

One would expect mayor to be the
last man In city to say that munich
pal ownership could not succeed, yet
two mayors In next TO the most popu-
lous state and one In the largest state
In the Union have emphatically ex-
pressed their views In letters.
Guy A. Bryant, mayor OF Princeton.
Ill. tells about the experience of his
city. MS follows:
our city has advertised for bids for
Its electric light plant. our plant vas
an old one when II was taken over by
the city and considerable money had
10 be spent to get II into fair running
shape. This was eight years ago.
Since then we have not been able to
make II a paying investment. as we
found the cost Of running the plant
has exceeded what the cost OF lighting
our city would be II the light was pur
chased from n private plant, and II
has been deemed advisable To- sell II II
n satisfactory bid can be had. This Is
our main reason for dsposing OF It.
Municipal ownership OF a lighting
plant. In my opinion. cannot be made
a success I'm cities Of this size"
The mayor OF Marengo. Ill, j. III
Patterson, is more brief In summing
up the case 81 that city. but nobody
Is left In doubt as TO where he stands
on the question of public ownership
when he wrote Marengo had not yet
succeeded In making suitable arrange
- h.s - h.
mayors letter. however. does not indi-
cate that there IL any reluctance on the
part OF the city 10 get rid Of Its expen-
siye luxury The only question seems
10 be one OF terms Mayor Patterson
says:
I'VE are contemplating a deal where
by the management Of said plant will
go out Of our city's control our rea-
son for doing this Is that we consider
municipal management complete fail
ure and the less there Is OF II the
better for all parties concerned"
when G. G. Weaver was mayor OF
Itasca. Tex. he expressed his opinion
Of a city trying 10 work and gave the
brief but trying experience OF his own
city ms an example. In n letter OH the
subject he said
"Our city bored an artesian well and
was fortunate In securing flow OF
water OF very fine quality and In a
quantity about 800 gallons per minute.
In connection with this IL was decided
90 build an electric plant investi-
gated the cost and probable income OF
an electric plant and found II n doubt
ful proposition and recommended that
We avoid II. but the aldermen believed
IL would pay I'm connection with the
watcrworks. and the work was begun.
The pump was installed FIRST and
was operated about one month before
the electric plant was ready; hence we
know how much II cost TO operate the
pump. When the electric machinery
was put In operation our losses began
We operated II little more than four
months and found that II was taking
all our income from both the watsr
works and electric plant TO pay run
ming expenses OF the plant We did
not want TO shut down. as We knew II
would be dead loss, but we were
forced 10 do something hence we hit
upon the idea Of selling the electric
part Of the plant. IL was turned over
90 me 90 sell without any reservations
rs 10 what | should get. ] sold the
electric part, but not any part OF the
watcrworks We lost money In trying
90 operate the plant and did not get
all our money back In the sale. We
operated ia, plant three days less than
six months and lost about 800 per
month.
"lf YOU stop TO think about IL. a city
cannot work. but must hire all her
help. The hired man does not have the
coal bin 10 pay, nor does he care
whether houses are wired or not. He
Is not much interested I'm the receipts
and does not hustle business: hence
the expenses run up while the receipts
are neglected. Public money does not
hold out Ike private money. | know
II ought to- but | am now serving In
my eleventh year as mayor and
know whereof speak
when we come to figure these
things. 1t is not safe to figure on what
ought 10 bc done. hut we should face
facts and recognize the facts rs they
really are and not as they should be-
but are not.
AN electric plant has TO have close
persona attention, aud the man who
supcrintends IL ought To have a very
serious interest in the expense account
and in the receipts. and this interest
should be such as would affect his own
pocket.
you ask II would advise middle
size cities TO build electric plants
Now. In answer 10 this particular
question must say | would not"
Will Be Sworn to IL Necessary.