The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1915-10-28
COMMERCIAL CLUB COM
MTTEE LSINVESTIGATING

L i y
| instead of the full 25 years of it's life.
1t was when Mr.. Whitney came to
the question of rates that the open
discussion commenced. Mr.. Whitney
had admitted that if his company Sc
cured the coveted franchise, lighting
rates would be increased over present
rates and that the local rates would
be ten per cent higher than the rates
charged the city of St. Cloud. Power
rates would be lower than at the pres
ent time but these rates also would be
higher than in St. Cloud. Discussion
revealed that the burden of the in
crease would fall on the small con-
sumner but Mr.. Whitney stated:
owe are satisfied you will salts
fed with our rate scale once we are
established. Ii we did not believe we
could give you satisfactory service
and rates we would not care to come
here and we are sure you would not
want to buy our goods.
Frank E. Minette led the argument
in favor of Sank Centre establishing
a municipal lighting plant and cited
surface figures and records from sew
eral villages and towns in the neigh
borhood which own their own plants.
To this argument Mr.. Whitney and
Engineer Noble replied that there is
not a municipal lighting plant in the
United States today which is making
money and that they could prove their
assertions. They admitted that books
of many municipalities showed profits
but that the bookkeeping was imper-
feet and honest audit of the books
would show deficits in every instance.
Mr. Whitney stated than any cor
poration must make it's rates equit-
able or it could not subsist. People
would not stand for an overcharge.
V. L. Burgess pointed out to Mr.
Whitney that St. Cloud was given a
decided advantage over Sank Centre
by giving the county seat lower rates
and thereby a big inducement to
manufacturers to locate there, where
as they might otherwise desire to To-
cate in Sank Centre.
Mr.. Whitney admitted the conten-
ton but argued the ten per cent adj
ditional charge was necessary because
of loss of power in transmission. He
also stated that if any manufacturer
decided to locate here or any other
town to which the company supplied
electricity that it would be business
suicide to attempt to divert, the cen
Germ to any other town. He pledged
himself that the company would not
play favorites.
He pointed out on the other hand
that with plenty of power available
instead of with limited plant as at
present, that manufacturers would be
attracted here and that unlimited
power was an asset to the city. He
cited the building up of the granite
industry in st. Cloud since electric
power became available.
Besides building the transmission
line and the standby" station here
the company would rebuild quite a
percentage of the city lines, bringing
all lines to their highest efficiency.
Asa M. Wallace asked if the city
| elected to purchase the Whitney plant
at the end Of five years if it would be
necessary for the city also to pur-
chase the standby plant which Mr..
Whitney said would be constructed
almost exclusively to supply feed lines
to surrounding towns and to protect
the st. Cloud plant in case of break
down.
Mr.. Wallace asked further if the
machinery in that, plant would not be
far beyond the needs of Sank Centre.
In reply Mr.. Whitney stated his COM
pany would enter into an agreement
to remove any surplus machinery in
case Sank Centre decided to buy. He
expressed the belief that the city
would never care to purchase. He
admitted freely that the company was
not coming to Sank Centre for the
benefit of this city alone but expected
to develope this entire field in time.
Mr.. Minette asked if he believed
the towns between here and st. Cloud
would abandon their municipal plants,
to which Mr.. Whitney answered, that
he firmly believed they would or his
company would not be engaging in
their present venture. He pointed out
that the consumers here would not be
required to pay meter rental as in
other cities, that water rates would
remain the same and that heating
rates would be equitable.
Mr.. Wallace brought up the "White
Way" question. The Whitney COM
pany is providing st. Cloud with one
at the rate of $42 per pole per year.
He said that if the company installed
white Way" here the cost would
be $46.20 per pole per year. He SAID
his company did not care to install
the system, as they were losing money
in st. Cloud. Neither did his COM
pany expect to make any moneJ on
wiring; they would rather outside
contractors would do that work.
AT this juncture Chairman Caugh-
rem, addressing himself to Mr.. Whit
ney, stated that the proposition as
outlined by the st. Cloud man was a
bitter disappointmen to the people of
Sank Centre, who wanted better ser
vice but had expected cheaper, instead
of higher rates. Mr.. Whitney replied:
'sWe do not want to come here unless
you feel that you are getting a good
thing. We do not want to force our
selves on you. We want you to take
your time and consider our PROPOSE
ton. | would suggest the appoint
ment of a committee to thresh the
matter out with US and bring the or
dinance to where it will be satisfac-
tory to all"