The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-12-01
ALDERMAN JONES REPLIES TO
Mr.. CAMPS LETTER ~.

Ocala, Fla, November 81, 1911.
Mr.. R. G.. Camp, Pres. of the Florida
Power Co.,.
Ocala, Florida.
Dear Sir:
In your letter published in the
Ocala Banner OF the 26th inst, ad-
dressed to me, you say you would
like to know of me in a public state
ment if l favored the city, naming
Ssuch power rates as will enable en-
terprising citizens to establish a new
ice factory and other industries in
Ocala. 1 will say most positively
that am. In your letter of the 10Th
inst, you have misstated your origin
al proposition. You there state you
named the city a rate of cents per
XIV. with a reduction of 2 cents
Your original proposition was as <ol-
lows: For the first $4,000 XIV. hours
3 cents per XIV. hour; for the next 49,
$50 XIV. hours 21a cents per XIV
hours, use over and above the afore-
said number of hours. For all cur
rent used in any calender month over
and above 54,750 XIV. hours, the rate
of cents per XIV. hour"
Based on the amount used the past
year by the city, we would have to
pay you the full rate of cents per
XIV. hour. We are now making it for
cents, and only running two en-
gines very few hours of the day at
peak load.
If you or other enterprising citizens
| can utilize our surplus power for ice
plant or other industries, l will adj
vocate naming you rate of 3 cents
per XIV. hour for $4,000 XIV. hours
used per calender month, and 2R
cents per XIV hours for 54,750 XIV.
hours used per calender month, or a
| fat rate of 2 cents per XIV. hour for
all used over this amount per calen-
der month which is a much lower
rate than you made the city. We
would be able to make you this low
rate by running full blast all the time,
and the city would suffer no loss.
We are advised by the represen-
tatives Of people making turbine en-
gines, that we can install low pres
sure turbine to utilize our exhaust
steam from our engines now running,
that will produce $50 XIV. per hour ab-
solutely free of fuel and labor cost,
and thereby enable us to make a fur
Fther reduction in charges for power
and for city lighting.
l am informed that water power is
being sold in the Carolinas and Geor-
gia as low as one half cent per XIV.
hour. Jacksonville in its municipal
plant is making it for less than one
cent per XIV. hour. If your power
cost you so much that you cannot
compete with steam, you have a very
poor investment in your water plant
Many citizens infer from your propo-
sition that if you would furnish the
city with current that they would
only have to pay three cents per XIV.
hour for lighting, as against the pres
ent price of eight cents. Now if you
will furnish consumers of electricity
for lighting at three cents per XIV
hOI oo1r
one half cents per XIV. hOur to the
city, | feel sure that the proposition
you'd be accepted. You know that
you could do either and make money
on account of your facilities for max
ing current. The city council was
practically UNANIMOUS in rejecting your
proposition and the mayor must have
conceded also, as a member stated
that he had said that he would veto
your proposition if accepted by The
council. l am in favor of doing every
thing IN reason to get factories and
enterprises and population here, and
advocate that the city should make
any concession that is conservative
and right, but l do not believe that
the city should be tied up with priv
ately owned electric proposition for
long term of years, unless it is very
greatly to the city's advantage, and
such would not be the case in your
proposition; for instance We have
had contract with the Ocala Water
Company for term of twenty five
years, and this contract in the past
ten or fifteen years became very I'M
satisfactory, not because the water
company has not fulfilled its part of
the agreement, for l believe it mas,
but because we have seen it demon
strated many times that municipal
ownership of public utilities is far
better than public utilities privately
owned.
The city council is trying to act in
everything for the best interests of