The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-04-29

4
tom Sold throughout the world.
All above this amount .......-.
| Subject to the following minimums
monthly: For the first ten horsepoW-
er installed. s1.00 per horsepower:
for the next twenty horsepower In
stalled, rs cents per HORSEPOWER; for
the next fifty horsepower installer.
80 cents per horsepower; for the
next eighty horsepower installed, %
cents per horsepower.
| The company is permitted to bill
illuminating current at Y cent per
kilowatt above the charges fixed and
may charge this amount if bills are
not paid within ten days OF date d.se
Direct power current may be chafss1
for at a rate not exceeding 70 Ter
cent above that for alternating cur
rent.
am giving you the figures. Ifis
same rate will apply to South Omaha,
Benson, Dundee, Florence and Coi'it-
ell Bluffs, Iowa You can draw your
own conclusions II Keokuk intends
| to compete with these live western
towns which are growing commercial
| ", it has got to offer the same or less
| rates to merchants for all purposes
Cheap electricity and gas for shop
keepers speak for themselves. Ii
there is any doubt in your mind. then
iappoint a committee and find out If
these figures are not true. A city
now adays has got to offer good fire.
protection, good police protection.
CHEAP fuel, light, power, water, gas
and other things corresponding. All
without them in this age of commes-
!cialism it is useless to strive for fac
tories. A town may humbug itself,
but not the outside public. The first
thing which appeals to a visitor IL:
Hastings is four cent electricity. In
Lincoln it is six cent electricity, and
500 gas.
! 1t would be foolish after spending
1890. 900 to abandon the commercial
icluh or Industrial association in keo-
ikuk. The thing for Keokuk to do is
Ito be honest with itself and find out
what is the reason we have not got
ten our share What is the trouble?
Is it the people, or are we too high IN
lrrice for what we have to sell in the
way of power and light. There is a
, hitch somewhere There is something
wrong. Are we too cowardly to adj
init it or are we going to continue 10
fool ourselves only. We have fine
!, river, good railroad rates, fine terri
tory surrounding us. an abundance OF
churches and schools, good hotels,
streets. and efficient fire department,
and law abiding people. but we have
not advanced much. What then ails
| US? More than a year ago we went
: after a bridge, but 1t seems to be
asleep again.
One man said tear down all our
| schools and rebuild them at cost OF
: 5000 900. We finally voted 100000 Of
, bonds but this caught no factory.
Someone else said lets get some tIEe
prints and have some fellow tell Us
" about removing garbage and pay him
: sl.5OO.0O for the blue prints (worth
, nothing or at most 100000. We have
the prints, he has our money, and we
cannot carry out his dream OF locat-
) ing public buildings at Twelfth ana
! Main street. costing s2.000,00o. Some
one wanted $4,000 for an incineratia:;
plant and Keokuk was to be the
t"goat" for Iowa and be the expert
mental station ,keokuk seems 10 re
. the easy mark. Another fellow want
ed to establish a tuberculosis hospital
and boom the town, Tor fill grave
, vardD I think the latter. Lately A
fellow came along with a hog cholera
serum for hogs" Now then Will
. some one not offer bubonic plssue
hospital proposition?
a few months ago at meeting OF
Comm ercial club secretaries held in
iCincinnati, expression was given to
the following, copied from the Omaha
Commercial Club Weekly:
In paper read before the Ma
tional Convention of Commercial
executives at Cincinnati, Mr.. Viii
liam George Bruce of Milwaukee
voiced the following sentiment
The American city must find sus-
tenance in trade. commerce and
industry. Out OF the fruits OF
these she must gain that strength
which enables her to reach out
for higher and nobler ends
forest OF blazing factory chimneys.
a row Of thriving business blocks,
of freight cars precede the con-
struction of a theatre. the estail-
lishment of a geological garden.
/ the erection of monument or the
| building of fine boulevard.
There must be enough taxable in
dustrial and commercial property
before there can be any thought
of public improvements. Com
/ Portable homes and their equip