The Marshall republican., 1914-01-16

ials OF n city have more duties than
hey are able to perform, without adj
ling to the burden Of administration
he additional burden of ownership
md operation OF public utilities. I'm
Ter municipal Ownership the capital
Is not used to the best advantage. No
attention whatever Is paid to depre-
or obsolescence.
Nowhere in the newspaper ac-
of MIR. Cables remarks on the
Kansas City. Kansas. waterworks Is
mentioned the question of deprecia-
ton. There is a certain amount of
cbsolescence in every plant. water.
gas or electric, which. with d%eprecia-
tlon must be provided for in some
Kramer. Rarely, II ever, do munich
ral plants. except where expressly re
CURED to do by statute or by order Of
a Public Utilities Commission, pro-
vide a sinking fund to amortizo the
bonds.
Under the laws OF New York and
Wisconsin. and also under the Mis-
souri, law. both municipal and private
giants must take care OF depreciation.
Advocates OF municipal ownership
are frequently under the impression
that they will get some service. such
a. street lights. free. This is erronc.
Gus. a. there Is no such thing as gott-
irg any part Of the service free under
municipal ownership. Under uni.
form methods OF accounting such
Items must be taken into account.
The essential thing to DO consider
ed IL the securing OF adequate ser.
vice at fair and just rates.
Municipal plants are usually per
mitted To run down and no effort
seems to he made to adopt scientific
methods. Ten years ago the city oI
Topeka. Kansas. acquired the wLtol
plant from a private company. A
tie time the city took over the plan
the company offered to reduce III,
rates 90 PER ccnt provided a new fran
chlto wus granted. After ten year
of municipal ownership. we are pay
lLy the same rates In Topeka that Ia
ola company chhrgld. The rates ar
probably the highest charged In an.
city of similar size In this part OF III
country.
understand the rate proposed 70
commercial lighting In Marshall I
9ia cents net per X. W. II. Ord
naTily YOU would expect TO pay
little more IN a small city than do III
people OF n city OF 10000 or 10000
pooylc pay. Our rate In Topeka,
city OF almost $4,000. IL ten cents pc
. X. ". H.. with ten percent dlscouI
= II paid ~ the tenth OF the followin
D month.
In gh advertisement referring
about forty municipal electric lisl
plants In Missouri, | find that q
IoU est rate quoted Is 10 cents per !
W. n. and the rates range as high
,l2ia and - cents per X. ". II.
In order TO make n fair comparisc
= OF The roasonableness OF ~preyailir
/, rates. you should take cities Of abo,
the same relative size us Marshal
aud where the costs. including co
|, OF iuel. are about the same. unlc
, yop know the conditions under viii,
plant In Canada Is operating, y,
!, arc hardly In u position To say whet
ar the rate Is too high or too low.
~ Il is manifestly unfair to compa
y the rates charged for any public 50
vice In large cities with the rates
ic small! cities. II is almost eNiomal
ID that the larger the plant and q
greater tic ulmber of consumers, 4
n, cheaper tho cost per unit, with &
ia possible exception OF the telepho'
m bus where Il Is said that q
10 reverse Is true.
ne Municipal ownership makes q
Is city liable for accidents. You "
N find that n great many municir
~ plants ave damage suits pendln
,e ana some of them have judgmen
outstanding. This is one importa
10 Item OF possible expense which is rs
is ally overlooked or forgotten until I
es Judgment Is enforced.
be Municipal ownership also remoy
ne the property OF the private compaN
as nom the tax rolls, and the taxes 4
no nlerly paid by the utility must be
p, Tred by the general public.
+, Taerc aro usually n great ma
or things In the way OF schools and h,
a. pitfalls nesded in every town Will
Is- will not be financed by any privG
a. company, There arc also n gre
nj many enterprises that d city must 4