The Aberdeen weekly., 1909-02-26
A Commission to Manage Water
and Light Plant.

The Grenada Sentinel i'm discuss
ing the water and light plant of
that city takes pretty nearly the
position advocated by the Aberdeen
Weekly for management Of those
utilities here. The commission sys-
+ tenn Is commencing itself to muui-
cipalities everywhere as the most
practical, economical and satisfac-
tory. The water and light plants
were installed with the peoples
money and To contribute to the
convenience, sanitation and health
Of the public. It was not inaugur-
ated as a means to pay off the city
debt nor yet to provide funds to in
stitute other municipal improve
ments. Water and lights are among
the necessaries Of life and should
not be supplied with any other view
than to meet the expense of pro-
ducJion and to benefit the consum
ers. The cost of city government,
the improvement of streets, liqui-
dation of the city's debt and all
other expense necessary to the pro
motion Of municipal interests
should be met by some system OF
taxation not exacted by high rates
ON the necessaries Of life, To which
water and lights belong. The Week
ly more than a year ago commend
ed the commission system for the
management Of public utilities. It'll
believed it was right then and is
yet unchanged in opinion. The
Grenada Sentinel speaks sensibly on
this subject when it says:
Our municipal government has
more invested in the light and wa
ter plant than anything else The
plant needs the application of
thoroughly business methods. We /
have no bricks to throw at the pres /
ent city administration nor any of /
it's predecessors, about the business /
methods that obtain and have OBJ /.
tanned there. They have done pos
sibIy as well as any other like body I
of men could have done The city /
administration has its hands full of |
other matters and eve dare say that
the Mayor and all of the Council !
men would be delighted to be reliev- /
ed of the management of the pow /
er plant With the present ar
rangement too many have to do
with the direction Of affairs there
A responsibility shared by too many
is very rarely As well discharged as
when only few are looked to for
the duty to be done. 1t is impos-
sible to apply correct business rules
at the plant, when sundry parties
are called upon for counsel.
Our plan would be to select a
commission of three men, and put
the plant entirely under their
charge. Let these men be elected
first, one for one, one for two and
one for three yeors. and thereafter
for three years each. By this means.
the town would reap the benefit
gained by the experience of the
members of the commission. The
commission would always consist Of
two holdover mem bers.
As to choosing the commission, it
is our judgment that better business
men would be chosen by the city
council, as a rule, than by a popu-
lar election There should be no
politics in the commission and the
taxpayers Of the town could appeal.
perhaps better to the council than
10 the people as a whole.
The members of the com mission
should be paid an annual salary of
fifty or seventy-fve dollars. Few
people can afford to work for noth-
ing and if the town imposes a duty
on any of its citizens, and expects
to use theil talent and experience
i'm operating the city's most i'm
portant enterprise, then they should
be given some reeompense for what
is required of them.
Lets have the commission. What
say cur people2
The sheriffs are beginning to set
tie with the State a1lditar and soon