The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-04-17
The Palladium :

L have been more than ordinarily in
terested in your editorials apropos the
advisability of installing cluster light
along our Main street and agree with
you that such an innovation would not
| only add TO the general up TO date ap-
pearance of our city but would be a
strong advertising medium for our
merchants and boon to the pedes-
| TRANS and shoppers in general
| Supt. Johnson however is not desti-
tute of some good reasons for opposing
the idea. There is a possible danger of
its being the last straw that broke the
camel's back insofar as the additional
cost would be an increased factor ten
| ding TO reduce future profits to the re-
hottest minimum and would there by
absorb the surplus that should be care
fully guarded and set aside for future
emergencies in the proper upkeep of
| the plant to the perfect physical con-
| dition necessary.
| AS long as the city fails to pay it's
| city light bills, it would be decidedly
| unsafe to add any further burdens to
| the light plant, for it's future success
must depend upon the proper conser-
walton of its physical and financial re
sources of today.
/ believe the city administration is
living under a mistaken conception of
| its obligation to the Municipal light
| plant. The failure to pay the cost of
| Illuminating our city may work advan-
tageously to the general success of
the administration. but mark you well,
there is a great danger of the Munich
pal light plant being put uDon the sac
rificial altar in order to create a
FALSE impression as to the ccono-
mics exercised by the city governme emit
! Mayor Zimmerman would have him
self credited with the marvellous feat
| of having accomplished more public
! Improvements in 1911 than was ever
done in any one single year in the his
| tory of the city, and that too, without
borrowing a dollar for such improve
ments.
| 1t would be we'll if the public would
secure reports of the city controller
for 1911 and turn to page 81 where
you will find this item:
! Amount due from city for lighting
during 1910 $20,243.30."
Amount due from city for lighting
during 1911 S24,24S16. Total s44,491.-
| 46
In the controllers report for 1910,
page II in the summary of the work
completed during the year 1910 We
find the total of public improvements
rendered, S1S,597.31 of which amount
the city paid as her part s3,2551s.
In the report of 1911 page %, Sum
mary of work completed January 1,
| 1911 to January l, 1912, is S120574.71,
of which amount the city paid as her
share $25, 409.13, or for the two years
1910 and 1911, the city's share of the
| improvements was S2S, 66431
! AS stated above the general fund of
the city profted by the failure of the
city to pay it's light bill, to the amount
of S44,491.46 so after paying the city's
share of public improvements, which
was, for the two years, s2S,664.3
there is left a surplus of S15,s27. Is
from the savings of the light bills af-
ter the city's share of public improve
ments have been paid for.
1t can readily be seen therefore that
Mayor Zimmerman and his administra
ton is willing to lay the burden of pub
lie improvements Oh the earnings OF
the light plant, instead of paying for
such Improvements from the general
fund, and thus try to create an impress.
sion that he is doing more than any
other mayor ever did in the way OF
conducting the affairs of the city with