East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-01-30
MUNICIPAL PLANT
EUGENE OPERATES SUCCESSFUL
SYSTEM OF LIGHT AND WATER
Effort to Secure Plant for City was
Beset by Much Opposition But Fin
ally Was Adopted-DemOnstrates
How City Can Handle Public Util-
tiles System With Profit.

Eugene, Ore, jan 30.--One of the
most striking examples of successful
municipal control of public utilities is
the electric plant and water works at
Eugene
The establishment, operation and
maintenance of the electric light and
power plant of this city was attended
with much opposition, not only from
the corporation whose field the city
was invading, but from many citizens
who firmly believed and sincerely felt
that that city could not successfully
manage a business so large and i'm
portant, but the plant is now paying
interest on the bonds, its running ex-
penses and providing for sinking
fund, and it has not been operating
in the commercial line much more
than a year.
The business Is constantly growing,
and the report of the board for No
vember 1912, shows a total of 1901
customers. The plant started doing a
commercial business in December,
1911, and in that month there were
81 customers. The number has grad
rally increased till at the present time
! it is estimated that there are more
than 1900, there being a considerable
| increase over the business of Decem-
Der, when the last report was made.
The idea of municipal ownership
came when there was universal dis
satisfaction with the water furnished
the city by the corporation owning
the franchise to sell the city drinking
water There had been two epidemics
of typhoid fever that were traceable
to the imprities in the water pumped
from the Willamette river.
Farmers Far r-Sighted.
On April IS, 1908, the question OF
whether or not the city would buy
and operate the water works was sub
mitted to the people at a special cleo
tion, asking them for the authority tC
issue bonds in the sum of 100000
for the purchase of the water works
and for their Improvement and exten-
sion. At the same time the amend
ment authorizing the bond issue ere
ated board to serve without remun'
Grafton and to control. to operate ant
Isupervise the water plant. The board
is known as the water board.
After the purchase of the watel
works from the Willamette Vale!
company for $4,000 there was a sur
plus of 100000, with. which the cit!
council decided to construct powel
plant to generate power with which
to operate the pumps at the waite
plant This was the ostensible purpos
OF the erection of the electric plant
but the farsighted city fathers hat
in mind all the time the plan of light
ing the city and entering into the com
mercial lighting business in opposition
to the corporation.
Mayor Had Hard Fight
The work of financing, buying, con
structing the city power plant was at
tended to by ] ID. Matlock, who wa
then mayor. In this work the mayo
was harrassed and discredited on al
sides by the opponents of the plan
but he fought hard and won splen
did victory. Mayor Matlock filed 70
the city on a power site at Walter
vile, on the Mckenzie river, Is mile
east of Eugene. The location. accord
ing to engineers, was ideal. A powe
ditch had to be build and right of wa
through the adjoining lands had to b
secured