Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-03-16
Local Comment

The school election came and went
| and there will be no saloon petition
circulated upon its poll list. There
might not have been anyway. For
| the present our local saloon attorneys
will have to content themselves adver-
Using Marshalltowns depressed realty
values to other towns. in the mean
| time lots on North Seventh street
which nave been bought for $500 with
| in three wears are selling for 5000 and
| 81 900.
! Nessrs. Jones and Hovay We're in the
CITY this week talking to the council.
ahn,,- a settlement Of rhe lawsuit as
to rates for gas and electricity and
! incidentally dropping remarks about
new franchise Their attitude is ex-
ira ordinarily mellow compared to
! former visits and the impression left
with the council is that there will be
a franchise proposition up this sum-
mar sure Those bonds come due next
yesr and there must be new fran
chise before the bonds can be re-
! funded.
The serious need Of relief to the
! nresent situation il evidenced in the
shock which has come TO Leinbach
Pros who recently entered the res
! -aurant business in this city at the
| Nccord stand. Their electric light bill
for one month fairly staggered them al
$40 ss when they had used fully as
mich electric light at Sterling. Ill. in
the same sized restaurant at never to
exceed SIS. And their gas bill was
s4so7 figured at net rate Of S115.
when the Sterling rate would have
heen 81 net or 81 less for the month.
! The pity is that Jones and Hovey
have not in the past been willing to con-
cede reasonable rates and improved
| service instead of denying to our peo-
ME everything that has been asked
~ them. If they seem to grow kind
now upon the eve Of a franchise neces-
sity our people viii! remember that it
has cost them $4,000 in excess gas rates
.1one since the Hull ordinance has
been enioined to say nothing OF the
ercess rates on electricity. The same
,tt1e iuraper cars are in service as
have always been complained about
and they are kept running only some
of the time. This winter on stormy
dav when people needed them most
the MANAGEMENT allowed its cars to be
showed up to standstill until some
citizen kindly showed them with his
own team and scraper how to clear the
track
II 1t were proposed to grant new
franchise to Messrs. Jones and Hovey
there should be abundant guarantees
safely guarded which would compe
them to give in service and enlarge
ment what the normal new ownership
gives everywhere utility properties are
acquired and access to their books
should be guaranteed at all times.
Mr.. Lennox has an idea that the wa.
to boost for the town would be t.
have some large factory BUILDING
equipped with a power plant and rem
ito small factories and machine shop,
room in the building with heat AMI
} power furnished. This would reliev'
1.-THE new venture Of the inyestmen
which is often prohibitive and wouk
encourage little factories to start AM
. grow. II we had the proper kind Of :
public utility in this town the powe
would always be OH tap at reasonable
. rates and thes mall factories could 10.
cate wherever they please about tn.
city. VIVA. We need Is relief from ou
present situation as to public utilities
Municipal ownership OF the gas an
4 80 ~ = -