The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-05-08
THE CITY AND ITS POWER PLANT.

The city council did one definite
and specific thing last night that
should be of service when it appoint
ed q committee Of engineers to on
duct a test at the municipal power
plant in order to ascertain the pres
ent cost of pumping water, the pres
ent cost of generating electricity, and
the estimated cost Of each service
with the plant repaired as proposed
The Times does not agree at all with
the sentiment expressed several times
during the evening that it is not ma
terial what the present cost is, for it
is admitted that the plant is in bad
condition, and that the cost Of operat-
ing it is much greater than it would
be If the plant were placed in first
class condition. 1t is material what
the plant is doing today. That sub-
ject is one on which every citizen of
this city, and every alderman in the
council especially. is entitled to in
formation. He is entitled TO know
what 1t costs to pump a gallon of wa
ter, and what it costs to maintain a
street light. He does not know. He
has no e OF finding out. There
are no figures on record which can
supply him with this information. The
figures tell what the operation of the
entire joint plant has cost. but he can
divide the cost to suit himself. This
statement is made, not on the author
1ty Of this paper. but on that of the
city engineer who is familiar with the
facts. and who stated them repeatedly
1t the meeting last night.
1t IL the business of the owners of
an Institution to know what its oper-
atinE expenses are, not only in gross
but in detail. The taxpayers of this
city are the owners Of that plant, and
they are entitled to know, not mere
~ what it Is expected to do in the fu-
ture, but what it has one in the past.
If nothing ever comes out Of this agi-
tation more than a system of measur-
ing and accounting which will charge
TO each department the exact sum
which should be charged to it, a great
step in advance will have been gain
ed. for that Information is something
which the city has never yet pos
sessed.
1t will not do to place too great
reliance on statistical information
from other cities. Municipal statistics
are among the easiest thing in the
world to get, and among the least re.
liable. For instance, the government
Of pumping water and generating
electric current in cities of all sizes
Grand Forks among the number.
Doubtless the Grand Forks figures are
being quoted somewhere to illustrate
ZONE mans argument for or against
municipal ownership. And of what
value are the figures from this city?
The city engineer say that he does
not know what is the cost of each Of
these two services, and if he does not
know certainly nobody else does. Fig
ures from other cities are equally UNI
reliable. There is no uniform sys-
tenn Of accounting. In some cities
there is no system al all. One city
charges interest on its plant, but no
depreciation. Another charges de-
probation and no interest. Another
charges both, and still another
charges neither. Under these circum-
stances the published figures as to
what It costs to perform work must
always be taken with a large grain
Of salt. In other words they might
as we'll be ignored altogether as a ba-
sis Of actual information. The COM
mittee named is instructed to do two
things. first, to find out what each
service is costing us now. second, to
find out what it is likely to cost with
the plant properly repaired and eff
GENTLY operated.
When that information is retained
the council and the citizens generally
will have some solid basis to work on.
With the knowledge Of what it will
cost the city to do its work it will
be possible to make comparisons with
any offers which may come from 9TH
err people as to the price which they
will charge for doing it. 1t is SO OBJ
vious as to need no argument that
the very first thing to ascertain with
reference to any matter Of this kind
is the present cost. or the prospective
cost under proposed improved condi-
tions. Then. with that information
as a basis We can tell whether any
offer made by any other person is an
advantageous offer or not. Without
it we can know nothing about it.
Mention Was made several times last
night Of the proposed dismantling of
the city plant, or its abandonment in
some way or other. So far as we
have heard, nothing of the kind has
been proposed or thought of. The
plant is there. It is the property of
the city. Even il not operated it
should be and will be retained. for It
may serve a useful purpose asa sort
OF insurance policy. We have every
to believe that the power COM
pany intends to deal fairly by the city.
But II it should be awarded this con-
tract, and should at any time show a
to be unfair either in the
Of the character OF its service
~ It's rates. 1t will always be possible
for the city to steam up its W plant
md 80 ahead on Its OWN account. 1t
;A+ss. 80 ..M4. ~. -