The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1915-11-16
POINTS
TO BAD
10 ER
BY A. V. FAWCETT
Mayor of Tacoma.

ASdin the otOHe- w custer lower
trust is seeking a stranglehold
on Tacoma.
And as usual the subsidized
press is busy with half truths and
misstatements trying to trick the
people for the company's benefit.
When the subject of restoring
the cancelled franchise to Stone
Webster was preached ! was told
it was neighborly deal by which
they would furnish current at 4
satisfactory price to the city in
case of break down.
was favorable to that, but !
was amazed when the proposition
was brought into the council and
Commissioner Mills said he and
Atkins had been working with The
company on it six months, to find
that there was nothing neignbcr-
ly about It.
IL was cleyerly concoctcd
deal to grab a franchise
worth probably half nit
lion to the company, and
then hog-tie the municipality
for Is years for StOne-Web-
ster benefit.
This noise about protecting
the city power plant" is dus. to
blind the people SO they will not
see the dark gent In the woodpile.
The Tacoma plant ran about three
years with one break of 40 min
utes and we had but one trans
mission line then. We have two
now.
There is hardly onechance in a
thousand of our plants breaking,
and to guard this slim chance the
four councilmen would give Stone
Webster franchise worth half
a million, grant other valuable
concessions besides, and then
make an agreement that would
put this city at the mercy of tho
corporation and enable IL to
gouge $4,000 year from the
city.
The proposition is to furn.
ish current to the city i'm case
of reakdown at 81 cent a
kilOwatt, IL the break is re-
paired in 2 1-2 hours. IL it
takes more than 2 1-2 hours
to fix the break, then the
city must pay the company
$3.50 a kilovatt for the en-
tire month. With 10000
kilowatts needed this means
$4,000 the first month.
This Is the joker in the scheme.
l do not say it would happen,
but 1t presents fine chance and
tremendous incentive for corpora
tion tampering with city power
plant employees to see that sonip-
thing does go wrong with the city
plant. And the people should
recognize that Stone-Webster are
determine to control and domin-
ate the power situation in the
Northwest, and the Tacoma ms-
nicipal plant is in their way.
The sinister motive is shown
in this joker when 1t is realised
that 1t is improbable that any
serious break 20 miles from town
could be fixed in Q 1-2 hours. "
the company can furnish the city
juice for 2 1-2 hours for "a cent
a kilowatt why should 1t esk
$3.50 a kilowatt II the city takes
the Juice for two hours and thir-
ty-one minutes? Any legitimate
proposition would incline 20 re-
duce the price with the increase
of the business.
The whole deal is simply an en-
tering wedge of Stone-Webster to
get grip on the Tacoma plant
The company by control OF the
legislature last winter prevented
any, expansion of the city power
business. II is preparing NOW
to marshal an army. of lobbyists
and attorneys at Washington this
winter to control congress and
get concessions that will euable
it to grab all power sites. When
this is accomplished the city will
be hedged in. Then II will know
how to use this agreement to but
the city plant out of commission
and finally grab It IL possible.
Tacoma rejected the ad.,
vice and refused to be trick
ed and deceived by the sub.
sidized organs when they