The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-05-15
THE POWER PLANT STU ALTON.

The CITY council is making progress,
perhaps slowly, IL still making prog
ress, in it's effort TO bring about q; con-
dition of affairs in connection with the
power plant which will enabl that
body and the general public to know
1ust what is the cost of operating the
plant, not merely as il whole, but in its
various parts. hat information is es-
sential to "A rational decision as to
what course shall be pursued in the
future. 1t has been decided to pro-
coed with the needed repairs ON the
plant, SO that it may be put in first
class condition, and the intent appears
to be that the renovated plant shall
be operated by the city for a sufficient
time to enable an exact accounting to
be made of the cost "f the various
services performed.
Since the last meeting of the our
ell the city engineer has prepared Il
detailed estimate of what the cost of
operation should be when the repairs
are mad According to his estimate,
! and Mr.. Lykkcn feels quite certain
:. Mat his figures will he verified i'm act
1al experience. water can he pumped
I ior three cents per thousand gallons,
REd electric current can be generated
|. for two cents per kilowat an hour. The
. community will be pleased to have
those figures. IT is not expected that
any man can tell to a fraction just
-t.- .I-.. ,,.lt l. ,. - a.. ....
made by the engineer prove To he
practically correct, we will be getting
our service at "A lower cost than has
yet been offered by anyone else. II
city should by all means continue to
operate the plant. ON the other hand,
If, after a fair trial, and an accurate
account of all tho elements; of cost.
computed on the same basis that
would he used if the plant We're a pri-
waite institution. it is shown that the
service is costing the city materially
more than it can be obtained for from
other sources, then it viii! he plain
business sense to buy the service where
: 1t can be bought for the least money.
We have heard numerous protests
against the thought of abandoning
or ~disrlantling the municipal plant.
on the ground that this course would
leave the city with but one source of
electric current. and that in private
, hands. 1t cannot he too strongly in
. sisted tina on that no abandonment or
. dismantlement of the municipal plant
is advocated or has been advocated lay
. anybody. If. after proper invostiga-
4 ton. it should appear wise to purchase
power from a private concern. the
present plant would still be owned
sand maintained by the city. ready for
any emergency. That is one of the
things on which there is no argument.
Boiled down. and put in a nutshell.
the sane program appears to be this:
Put the city plant in good condition
, service from the repaired plant. ana
ascertain it exactly. If that cost com
= pares favorably with the price at
which the service can he purchased
for, keep on running it. If not. buy
: the service and save the difference.
In the latter case. retain and maintain
the city plant as A sort Of insurance
policy against accident or unsatisfac-
tory arrangements with the persons
supplying the power. In that way the
city will be abandoning nothing. sac
rificing no rights. comforting no priv
ileges, yielding no advantage. 1t will
be as Independent as it can be under
any circumstances, and will be read
TO resume business on the shortest
possible notice. In the meantime the
thing to do is to keep in mind the alb
.solute Importance of ascertaining what
our service costs.