The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1914-10-24

in its course: They have found that.
the city's plants Tor tho best inter
estss of the city so8 Duluth. . I feel GER;
tain that II. you, wtlI exaIaiuA the re-
port three out Of four 81 you who are
here tonight will say that the COM
mission is right and that the appraisal
Of the engineers IL q proper valua-
ton to be used In the fixing Of rates."
. The Unit Plan. ?.
Taking M The unit plan, recona-
raended by Ihes SnRtneerx' he stated
that if tho West Duluth unit were
constructed to serve the 2,s12 custom
ers Of the Edison company in that
district. 1t would cost $117,7OO. But
the city has assumed that it would get
one-fourths Of the business in making
its. estimates for a unit costing $685.
500, which it could operate at total
expense of $30,675 per year, using
current purchased from the Great
Northern Power company. On the
basis of handling all the customers
he said that at that: cost the city could
furnish electricity at Scent rate and
that If 1t got but one-fourth of the
business that would be at the rate Of
3.75 cents per kilowatt hour.
:. Carmichael Talks: ...>:*~.
Attorney Carmichael, in opening
for the company, declared that it has
not been shown that any privately
owned plant is selling current for less
than Scents and that it has not been
proven that a municipal owned plant
can successfully cell. current for less
than a maximum rate of cents per
Ill h
company Is now offering to the citi-
zens Of Duluth. On the company's
earnings for last year he stated that
this would be a saving of 100000 per
year to private consumers and $1,000
a year to the city for public lighting.
A Stale Gag.
II tried in vain for several weeks
to learn what reason, if any, the rnu-
nictpal ownership men had for oppos-
ing a contract with the company" he
said. FINALLY at West Duluth, DR..
Day asserted that it was that to enter
into. contract with the company
would result in stopping the agitation
for a municipal plant. 1t is very
strange that the municipal ownership
proposal has always come. up on the
eve of an election It looks to me as
though it were being used as the hob
by which political agitators attempt to
use to ride into Office
Referring to the Winnipeg plant, he
said that that city is producing its
power. at a cost Of one-eighth Of a
cent per kilowatt, While the company
must pay over i cent per kilowatt for
current bought from the Great North
ern Power company. In other word s,
he said that the local company pays
eight times as much for its power as
it costs Winnepeg.E He gave figures
showing that the cost Of the distribu-
ing systems off, Winnipeg and Seattle
had averaged about 500 per: GUS
TONER: At that figure he pointed out
that a distributing system to serve
ASIA customers in. West Duluth would
cost $281,2oo, while the city's engi-
needs had estimated that the whole
unit could be installed for $117,700.
He declared that seattle's distributing
system has cost ten times more than
the estimated cost figured by the en-
gineers. =. He said that Seattle has is
sued $4,000 :of bonds for It's elec-
trio plant, not to mention the money
which has been raised eby direct taxa
tion. He cited that Pie city now owes
the general fund lsses4,00o because
Of It's electric plant, the money having
been used :t6 pay interest on bonds,
while $49,5oo had been paid from the
lighting plant fund for interest and
that the .;city~:is,. paying more for its
current than it would If it were being
furnished by a private company, as
it is actually costing ia cents per kilo-
watt, or IA cents more than the rate
offered by the Edison company He
said that Cleveland is paying 7.6 cents
and has q heavy bonded debt. -,
Burgess Speaks.
Mr.. Burgess mentioned that about a
year ago the, Rotary club had asked
the city utility division to extend gas
and water mains to the steel plant and
had been informed that the utility
fund had no money for water and gas
extensions. 'But now Commissioner
Merritt and the council come for
ward with the declaration that the
fund has a surplus Of $4,000 for
which It has no immediate use and
AIO1I1 .-WHiCH Cucy pTOpOSe " pay Lu0
| cost of the first unit of lighting
plant, and that they have had it for
year and a. hail." said Mr.. Burgess.
There's something wrong in Den
mark somewhere. There has been
something concealed somewhere.
when we voted on the 100000
bond issue we were told that we would
have another opportunity to vote on
the proposition whether it was to pur-
chase the Edison plant or build a
competing system. That is all we ask
now. We want the municipal own
ership advocates to fulfill their
pledges and give the people an OPP
portunity to vote on the question.
But they say that when we elected
the commissioners we elected the
whole thing, light plant and every
thing.
Bill Cracks Joke:
1.-THE remark has been frequently
heard that municipal ownership is a
religion. Heavens. it's getting to be a
disease"
Mr. P,,peeea than 11rrnd that tho