The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1911-12-08
STATEMENT OF FACTS
BY WATER BOARD.
CONTRACT IS LET FOR WORK.
Board of Lights and Water Works
Will Buy and Pay for all Ma
terial Used--McCrary & Co.
Constructing Engineers.

The board of lights and water works
have officially announced that they
have taken final action with regard
to erecting an electric light plant for
the city. The board took no action
with reference to building plant
until the money that was received
from the sale of bonds had been put
in the bank to their credit. AS soon
as this was done, the Kennesaw Pa
per company, was approached for the
purpose of ascertaining whether or
not they would sell their pole line TO
the city. BY a resolution of the board
a letter was addressed to the Kenne-
saw Paper company, saying that the
board would make them PROPOSE
ton for buying their entire electric
light plant on the streets of the city,
including everything except machin-
cry in the building, If the Kennesaw
Paper company, would furnish the
board with an itemized inventory of
the entire property, including the
number of poles, amount of wire of
various sizes, lights, fixtures, etc.
After a personal interview between
the representative of the Kennesaw
Paper company, and the members of
the board, this itemized inventory
was furnished them, without any
prices being attached. The board
submitted this inventory to one of
the largest dealers in supplies of
this kind to be found in the country.
This supply company filled in the
prices of all the materials quoted in
the inventory at market prices The
board then took a copy Of this in
ventory and placed it in the hands
OF an electrical engineer who also
checked the inventory and filled in
current prices. These two estimates
from entirely different sources diff
fered only about 100000. The market
price of all the material listed in the
inventory furnished by the Kenne-
saw Paper company, perfectly new,
amounted to little over $4,000 90.
The city's engineers estimated that
it would cost between 100000 and
$2,50000 to erect this material and
build a plant.
The board then got a third engin.
Ger to inspect the pole line and plant
OF the Kennesaw Paper company, and
report to the board on it's physical
condition with a view TO discovering
how much deterioration the plant
had suffered The report of this en-
gineer was that the lighting system
of the Kennesaw Paper company, had
deteriorated so per cent, plus, That
is, that the deterioration was greater
than SO per cent. In other words,
that the physical worth Of the ma
terial inventoried by the Kennesaw
Paper company, was really worth only
a little over 100000. The board was
informed by the engineer that if the
city bought this plant they would
have to begin to rebuild it gradually,
and would perhaps have to recon
struct the entire plant inside of the
next five years. With the labor
added to the appraised cost of the
material inventoried by the Kenne-
saw Paper company, the board found
that the plant was really worth about
$S500.00. Believing, however, that the
paper company should have something
for good will, and to show that the
board wished to do them no inius-
tice, fiat offer of $16.000.06 cash was
made to the paper company Tor their
pole line and fixtures This offer was
made in writing; and handed to the
representative of the paper mill by
Mayor E. II. Clay on November list
with the request that an answer be
given by the 10th of November, the
next regular meeting of the board. No
answer was received at this meeting,
and on the 14th of November at a call
meeting of the hoard, notice was given
to the paper mill in writing that the
offer would be withdrawn at noon OF
the 18th Of November unless accepted
The offer not being accepted by that
date, the board proceeded to make
arrangements to build its own line.
These negotqtions caused a month
or ore delay AS soon as the boart
discovered that the plant of the pa
.'l 9eEy 'ou'G not Re lon-ht 3
leAsCnaOie Agure, they cook imme
date steps to build lighting system
Incidentally, we might say, during this
deal the board made arrangement,
\ With the banks of the city where this
IL bond money was deposited to pay
y them 4 per cent interest on the same
untA lit .twas-nsed, and, the city hae
been getting this interest during IN,