Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-20
PASADENANS URGED To
AID MUNICIPAL PLANT
Circular Attacks Edison Company
in Campaign for Patronage
Solicitors Are Active

PASADENA, June 2O.-Over a hun
dred volunteer solicitors under the dl-
rection of thirty-two captains will be-
gin active work today in a thorough
canvas of the city to gain new GUS
tomers for the municipal light plant.
Following are extracts from a circular
which is being prepared for dlStrlpu-
tion among the residents of Pasadena:
Before Pasadena had municipal
lighting plant the Edison company
lighted the streets, ana Tor a periou oL
two wears furnished the street lights
with less than half strength current.
The city held up the lighting bills, but
ultimately offered to pay for all of the
electricity actually supplied and ut
tie more. The company spurned the
offer and sued the city. The suits were
thrown out of court on 1t being shown
that the contracts sued on were illegal
and void.
1.-THE arrogance shown the munich
palitv was only on a par with the
treatment accorded private consumers,
who then had to pay 10 cents a klio-
watt, and in case of complaint OF poor
service or overcharges were told that
they could pay the bill or have their
lights cut off.
ut was this situation which drove
the CITY into the lighting business.
After the city's bonds were voted the
Edison company and its officials IN
three different suits sought to prevent
the building OF the Guys piaht' pu'
were defeated.
"Thev deferred bidders for the city's
rbonds and for some time prevented the
sale of the bonds When the city
came to buy it's electrical machinery
the company used all its powerful IN
If1uence with manufacturers to prevent
l., n TINS
tcausing the plant to cost more thah IL
tordinarily would have cost.
'"The CITY has not attempted to wage
a war of determination against the
tEdison company, as its otf1cers now
EcIaim. On the contrary the Edlson
tofficials have from the first poaste9
ltbey would exterminate the munlclpal
spIant. 1t is the Edison company which
soffered the low fiat rates and which has
in every case cut rates below the CITY,
and TO take customers away from the
!citv has Disseminated and given re-
fbafes and offered benefits and accom-
.modations never before accorQeu-eVeh
when the people were cIlaISeU ID |0iAs'
a kilowatt.
"In the face of all this are the tenn
1orarv inducements offered by the Edl-
son company and the pleas made py II
entitled to the slightest Consideration
AFTER the success Of the city plant
was assured the Edlson company
eought to buy out the city plant at It's
actual cost. The city, however, offered
to negotiate to purchase the Edlsoh
company's distributing system, but It's
officials spurned the idea of this.
''The statement by Edison othclals
now that the city has not oHered TO
purchase the Edison plant is mislead-
ing and untrue, and INTENDED only "
excite unmerited sympathy.
"ITntil Los Angeles sought to reduce
+he Edison rates from cents TO
cents the company claimed that win
Its great hydro-electric plant 1t coulu
iundersell the city and sun nitoa7 nlahe
:monev. Mr.. Ballard, official spokes-
imam of the Edison company, says 1t
is war to the knife
"Tf If is war to the knife the ques-
,tion with the people of TINS city ls'
ron which side will they beF inns
fight is not local, it is part of the great
fight which is going on all over this
country for freedom of municipal al
fairs from corporation domination.
Pasadena cannot afford to surrender
lin this fight"
The circular goes on to show that the
municipal plant is a paying PROPOSE
ftion, and continuing it says:
THE Edison company CLAIMS III can
yassing for business that shou4u
consumer change from It's plant TO the
CITY plant it would be necessary 10
have the wiring in the house inspected
and that the house would have TO Dc
.rewired at great expense. This Is un-
true, as the company knows LOT no
such inspection is required. m
"Bonds were voted by Pasadena cltl-
gems nv over tWo-thirds majority IN
each of the two first issues and by
ratio of seven to one III the last IN
stance. in which $150,0O0 was voted Ior
the commercial service 1t Is eVI9enC ~
that the plant should be patronlzed IN
order to insure the dement's perm permanent
lv and to protect the investment.
."The establishment of municipal
water department in Los Angeles re
suited in lowering the rates 10 one-ndlI
OF what they were before, ana lne
plant is paying all extensions out VI
the earnings. Pasadena's nShllnS plalIC
more than cut the rate in two, ana II
patronized bv 1000 customers Will De
ON a financial basis similar TO the Los
Angeles water department. Inns -
certainly worth while
The circular continues at length on
the political activities of the EdlsoIl
COMPANY With varying success III
Riverside, Santa Ana and san BerhaF-
dino, and in conclusion says:
1--WE must remember that in our own
5itv il is now being openly stated that
the Southern California Edlson com
many is to go into politics at the next
election TO an extent never before at
"At the present time the Edison com
pany has not only its Pasadena 1orGe'
but part Of its Los Angeles force work
ing in Pasadena, misrepresentlhg IaGts ls
10 natrons Of the city plant for the
n,rnose of taking them from the city
heretofore many innocent con-
suners have been deceived by misrep-
RESERVATIONS of the Edison company.
Enumeration of the facts shown hereln