The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-02-26
GIBSON DISCUSSES
MUNICIPAL PLANT
Hnod River. one. Feb. Is. 1el4.

Hood River, Ore, Feb. IS, 1914.
To the Public: Should Hood River
valley construct a community light
plant? No. Why not? Some CON-
munity light plants are failures.
Wreckage of such plants is far flung.
Faetional strife. faulty financiering
and selfish management have made
ruins of some community electrical
plants. Hood River valley already has
one and-one light plants. They are
able to supply sufficient emery for all
purposes. If the rates are unjust let
the citizen tell his woes to the Public
Utilities Commission, and this commits
sion will put the excessive tolls
through process of shrinkage.
The local electrical accompanies are in
a position to embarrass and antaGsnize
the community move. Corporations
have men skilled in combating opposi-
tion. They have strong men able to
WELD injunctions, mandami, and other
legal clubs. There is an element of
our people who would sincerely oppose
community plant. Among the friends
of community lighting are few wob-
bly, brothers who would topple over to
an offer of temporary lower rates
from a corporation even though such
surrender endangered the success of
community plant. Cooperative light
ing is not all cream and toast.
Should Hood River valley have CO.
operative light plant? Emphatically
YESl Capital is readily attracted to
private electric plants for profit. The
rapidity with which water power is be-
ing absorbed, the ease with which
money is secured for electrical devel-
opments, the fact that the Hood River
Gas & Electric and the Hydro Electric
were able to float such large bonds
while they were supplying small field
and fighting each other-as they once
did these things indicate that the
profits in selling electric energy are
large. Palo Alto, community with
population of 4500 people, sells current
from a municipal steam plant at a
maximum of seven cents per XII.
Five years ago private corporation
was supplying energy in Eugene at a
maximum of Is cents per XII; three
years ago Eugene began the construc-
tion of a municipal plant; today the
municipal plant and the corporation
are both selling energy at maximum
of nine cents per XII. What must
have been the profits of the private
company under the Is cent rate? Ex-
tortion is the word that fits. For the
six months ending December 81, the
municipal plant after paying all inter-
est and operating expenses, had net
profit of SIT,
Hood River valley has many advan-
tages over most other communities in
attempting cooperative lighting. This
community has densely populated
rural section. a citizenship many of
whom are wide awake, a people in
whom the get-together spirit is strong
ly developed by cooperative marketing.
Through our valley river flows with
rapid fall, narrow channel and high
banks. making the building of dam
comparatively easy. The water tum-
bling down over the rocks in Hood
river shouts to the people on the banks
to wake up. Now is the time for the
people in Hood River valley to get
control of power at point in the river
which will admit of large development
-2000 horsepower or more. Then, as
soon as possible, should follow one
large plant designed to ultimately sup
ply both country and city. The city
and country love each other; the
course of true love never did run quite
Marry the city and the
country In the holy bonds of electric
Why not2
Sincerely,
L. Braden Gibson.