Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1911-09-18

The past year has been the most
successful in the history of the gas
ana electrlc department, since it be-
came part of the city government,
say the officials of that department.
superintendent Bogue and a member
OF the gas and electric commission
stated on Sunday evening that the
department will show the largest profit
II ever has in its seven years. This
appi1es both to gas and electricity
The officials stated that the amount
OF profit could not be- told just vet,
and no figures would be mentioned by
tnem, but the fact that it exceeds all
others should place the profit for one
year at $4,000 or better.
1t mas been a year of extensive i'm
proVement at the plant and also PLAN
ming for the future. The electric out
put has increased nearly 25 per cent.
over last year and is increasing at the
present time at that rate monthly
me city of Waterbury is consider
ing the municipal ownership of a
lighting plant and a representative of
the Waterbury American was here last
week to interview Norwich citizens
ant business men on the success of
the local municipality operated plant.
The Waterbury voters will decide the
matter at the polls this fall and The
american of Saturday gave a history
of the local plant, the litigation and
its accomplishments and comparing
the rates in the two cities, which
showed Norwich to be very much low
er for electricity. but Is cents higher
a thousand for gas
The following are the interviews
secured by The American representa-
tive:
Mayor Thayer's View.
Mayor Charles F. Thayer, a demo-
crat the admitted father of municipal
ownership OF light in Norwich, is as
enthusiastic as ever about it.
ant h h., i
few days ago, has been an unmiti-
gated success, a howling' success The
facts prove that for themselves. Why
if We had just barely pulled through
the first five years, reducing prices
little and paying our expenses, we
should have been proud of ourselves.
But as the reports of the city treasur-
er show, we have not only done that
but we have paid into the treasury
a clear profit of almost a hundred
thousand dollars. At first the project
had many enemies. 1t became at once,
unfortunately, political issue, the
bitterness of which is just dying out
Many people opposed the scheme for
a few years merely for political rea-
sons. In general the democrats IA
vored it and the republicans opposed,
though the ) to 1 vote on the question
showed how many republicans favored
it,
"Of course we did have to pay
great deal more than the plant was
worth, after being involved in a legal
tangle. But we saved about 100000
by ltigating it and even with the
handicap we had, we have made
success of the scheme. Our plant
which we purchased for s59o.0o0 is
worth at least $1,000, 600 today.
"One objection to municipal owner
ship, of course, is that changing adj
ministrations keep the management
of the plant in new and inexperienced
hands and that political wire pulling
is difficult to keep out. This has
bothered US but little. Politics did in
terfere a couple of years ago. to be
sure, but We are gradually Riding
ourselves of that evil The present
gas commissioners are all republic
cans, two of them being men who have
kept in touch with the situation since
its inception. We have perfect con-
fidence in our commission"
The Opposition Gives 1t Up.
For years the leader of the opposi-
ton was A. Walton Pearson, editor of
the Norwich Bulletin. Mr.. Pearson
opposed Mayor Thayer in this, as he
did in the big Norwich water contro-
versy.
The gas commissioners say that
they have balance of $4,000 every
year, clear profit said Mr.. Pearson
THAT may be true. The great trouble
is you can't get at the city's business
any more than you can that of a cor
poration. We opposed the scheme at
first because we didn't think it would
profitable. but there has never been
an inquiry strict one-about the
city's management of the business,
and the citizens are all perfectly sat
isf1ed. I do not want to cast any re-
Elections upon decent men.
Il don't see that the city's plant
differs from a private corporation very
much. It has all the faults of a pri-
vate corporation-and all the virtues.
One objection to the plan is that a
great many people living in the sub
urbs of the city who use neither cleo
tricity nor gas have to help pay for
the costs of a plan of this kind, but do
not share in it's benefits. That's the
bad feature of speculative lighting.
! Another point is that of bonds, which
should be particularly interesting to
you people in Waterbury. If you take
over your lighting plants, steps should
be taken to refund the bonds-if there
are any-at a lower rate of interest.
We failed to do that, and it's going
to cost the city a lot of money.
$50 far as the figures show, the eX-
pertinent has been a success. / per-
sonally don't know much about s the
inside facts of the case. | wouldn't
care to say, really, whether it has
been a success or not. 1 do know,
J though. that public opinion here con-
siders it a great success.
Politics Out of 1t.
Frederick w. Cary, vice president of
| the state board of trade and promi
nent in Norwichs business and politi
cal life, said
The growth of our lighting plants
since the city adopted them has been
wonderful. The experiment has been
the greatest success imaginable. If
any persons are discontinued, it is
chiefly for political reasons. People
who are in business and buying cleo
| tricity and gas from the city would
never vote to sell the municipal plant.
OF course we paid too much for the
plant but not as much as we should
have had to pay If we had waited ten
years.
Politics? No. I don't think politics
has entered into the matter of run
ming the plant at all. Our gas com
missioner holds Office for three years,
whereas the elections come every two
or four years, so that there is usually
no changes in the board unless for an
urgent reason Waterbury would do
well to follow our example.
Mr.. Story, Too.
Gas and Electric Commissioner Ar
thur e. Story was made a member of
| the commission by Mayor Costello
| Lippitt, the leader of the. opposition
| party. ~
| When I was put on this commits
sion, said Mr.. Story, Il was very
| much opposed to the experiment, for
l hAr cIaf Sinpa