The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-07-10

Withreference to cost at which we
a purchase electricity from private
parties delivered at the switchboard
of the city's plant, we beg to advise
that We first advertised asking pros
pective bidders to signify their inten-
tions of bidding. We received two re-
plies to this advertisement, one from
the Ocala Manufacturing Company,
one from the Florida Power Company,
both s%ignifying their intention of bid
ding. Your committee then prepared
specifications for this prospective bid
and this brought forth three replies.
One proposition from Mr.. J. M. Mef-
fert, one proposition from the Ocala
Manufacturing Company, and a letter
from the Florida Power Company
which you will find attached to this
report. None of these parties bid in
accordance with the specifications
prepared by your committee, conse-
quently we could not consider any OF
IN p1OpooItAOho do a IN
The propositions of Messrs. j. II.
Taylor, J. M. Meffert and r. c. Camp
in regard to furnishing the city with
electric current have already appear
ed In these columns, and are referred
to by the committee as follows:
With reference to the proposition
of Nh. j. M. Meffert, we do not think
that your honorable body would care
to consider this proposition, because
it would be necessary to give Mr.. Mef-
fert a franchise to distribute cleo
tricity over all the streets of the city
and would entirely eliminate the city
in the distribution of electricity for
light and power. Besides, if the city
can purchase electricity from private
parties at &c. per K. w. FL. delivered
at the switchboard and distribute
same at the present rates, we believe
this would result in a profit to the city
over and above Mr.. Meffert's PROPOSE
ton of not less than $4,000 per year.
With reference to the proposition
of the Ocala Manufacturing Company.
you will note, providing the specifi-
cations are made satisfactory to the
Ocala Manufacturing Company, that
they intimate they will furnish cleo
tricity to the city at &c. per K. w. H.
up to $4,000 X. w. HIS. per calendar
month, and, for / 3-4c. per K. w. H.
for all current used in excess of 35.-
900 X. w. HIS. per month.
The Florida Power Company init
mate, providing the specifications
are made satisfactory, they will make
a price for &c. per K. w. H. for cur
rent delivered at the city's switch
board.
Judging from these two PROPOSE
lions, therefore, we believe the city
could count on purchasing power at
from 1 SAC. to &c. per X. w. HI. de-
livered at the switchboard.
AS a result of our Investigations we
have come to the following conclu-
sion:
First. That electric current is
costing the city about 8 1-5c. per K.
w. H., delivered at the switchboard.
Second. That with an oil engine
the city could probably produce cleo
tricity at a cost, including interest
and depreciation of INC. to 21hc. per
K. w. H., depending on the average
load factor.
Third. That on a steam plant the
city could probably hope to produce
electricity at a cost of from 1hc. to
2 3-4c., also depending on the load
factor.
Fourth. That if the city builds a
plant it ought not to have a capacity
of less than 500 K. w. HIS. and that
whether such a plant was a steam
plant or one operated by an oil en-
CINE, the cost of producing same dur
ing the first three years, or until
such time that the city could sell
more than 100000 X. w. HIS per year
and the load factor went up to about
20 per cent. would be from &c. to 2hc.
per X. w. Fl.
Fifth. That the city can probably
arrange to buy power from private
parties delivered at the switchboard
for at from 1 SAC. to &c. per K. w. H.
Your resolution did not request this
committee to make any specific rec
ommendation; but, simply to investi-
gate cost and to report, which we
have done. We beg to take this op-
portunity, however, to impress upon
you the fact that both the electric
light plant and the water plant are
not only loaded to their full capacity,
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