Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-04-17
FARGO SCORES AGAIN

fght.,'' is the heading in a dis
 patch from Fargo, N. D. The peo-
 pie voting for pure water and the
 municipal ownership of the lighting
 plant, won 1,714 to 249. The cleo
 tric power will come from Fergus
 Falls, and mechanical filtration
 plant will be installed. Fargo is
 now in the procession. Municipal
 ownership will win and must win
 wherever the citizens have studied
 the problem of the public ownership
 vs. the private monopoly of pub
 lie utility.-Phoenix Gazette.
 Fargo has been ''in the procession . for number of years. She has had a taste of municipal ownership and is very favorably and incidentally, profit ably impressed with the diet. Fargo is one of the cities citd by the Silver Belt during the water campaign just closed. A number of years ago Fargo enjoyed a revenue of something like $50,00O from her saloons. Along came prohibi- tion and deprived the city of this in- come, which went long ways toward defraytng the expenses of the municipal government. The city was in a predic- sment and didn't know how to extri- cate itself. Charles Mitchell, an old time saloon man, who had been put out of business by prohibition, suggested to the city that inasmuch as whisky had been knocked out the people might try water as savior. The plant was owned by private company. A little investi- gation revealed the fact that 1t was a good money maker, and like Globe, Far. go secured an option, issued bonds, and started in the water business. The price was something like S2oO,0O0. The plant has been taking care of the interest and providing sinking fund, loaning money to other funds, and the other day when bonds were voted for fl- tration plant theer was a surplus of S50,000 in the waterworks fund. Mind you, this was after the interest had been paid on the $20O,oO0 bond issue and the sinking fund provided for. But this is not all Fargo's water plant has done during the five years it has been in the hands of the city. It has built an entirely new pumping plant, extend ed the mains to new fields, added 100 or moro fire hydrants, paid for a new steamer and maintained a paid fire de- partment.
 Is 1t any wonder that when the ques- ton of acquiring public utility like the electric lighting plant came up the taxpayers of Fargo said yes by a vote of 1714 to 249? Is 1t any wonder that the taxpayers, with treasury running over with waterworks funds, voted the people the purest water obtainable? To be sure Fargo Is in the procession. The returns show thers were only 249 moss backs in the entire city and they were probably voters employed by the light company or men with axes to grind. Fargo owns her sewerage system. The Silver Belt will tell you in few weeks the equitable manner in which this util- fly is conducted 1t is an example for Globe to emulate. We know the gen eral plan, but the Silver Belt is going to present 1t in detail from official sources. This sewer question is a live one. There will be no let up until Globe enjoys the benefit of drainage. There are other publcities that will come up for consideration at an early date. The day for big premium paying is passing. The many will not be taxed for the profit of the few. The peopls should own water, lights and sewers The ice has been broken in Globe.