The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-06-15
Facts About Anderson.

Facts About Anderson.
Anderson has enjoyed q municipal
monopoly in electric lighting and pow
er production and distribution since
1892.
Plant valued at date of purchase,
$4,000, now has book value of $780,
900, which is being augmented by an
additional unit to cost $4,000.
Current is produced at cost to the
city, estimated by Superintendent
Burke, OF nine-tenths of one cent per
kilowatt.
Rates for power are frequently as
low as N cents per kilowatt, and
have been as low as / cent per kilo.
watt.
Domestic rates range from cents
to 3 cents per kilowatt, with mini
mum service charge of 25 cents per
month. which minimum is one-half
that effective in Richmond.
Anderson's plan produces annually
$500, 900 kilowatts, which is IS per
cent more than produced by the Rich
mond plant during the fiscal year end
ing June 80 1914, and slightly more
than the present output.
Anderson has practically no city
debt, the light plant has more than
paid for itself, has relieved the city
treasury in time of stress, and made
It possible for the city to municipalize
the water works, which also is operat-
ed at splendid profit.
Tax Rate e5 Cents.
Anderson has a tax rate OF sixty
tive (65) cents on each $100 of prop
Arty valuation, due wholly to the fact
that the municipal treasury has been
profiting through the public control
and operation of its utilities.
Wholesale condemnation Of the pol
icy of the city council, characterized
by threats of impeachment from many
leading business men," marked the
municipal situation in Anderson. Ind.
twenty-three years ago when it was
proposed to municipalize the privately
owned commercial lighting plant.
Municipal ownership was then in its
earliest experimental stage, and was
looked upon as wild bit OF Socialism
fraught with all sorts of pitfalls and
endangering the public treasury
But the Anderson city council was
game And in the face Of open
charges OF crookedness and idiocy. it
borrowed the money and paid Charles
l.. Henry $4,000 for what some of
ion chose to call a Junk pile"
Henry had a franchise to operate an
electric lighting and power plant in
, connection with the street railway sys-
TEN. Service was inadequate and the
rates were high Mr.. Henry virtually
charged the city for eliminating pos
sible competitor in the electrical field.
Anderson then was lighting her own
streets and spending about $75 per
arc per annum to do so. The city plant
made no special effort to secure COM
mercial business. such as might have
been handled at big profit until Mr..
Henry's plant had been salvaged.
Then Anderson woke up.
From the first year Of municipal
monopoly, the possibilities Of the plant
became apparent. And although it
has never approached the limit of its
opportunities. the municipal electric
lighting and power plant has contrib
uted more to the comfort and pros
pert of Anderson than any other one
institution.
Shows No Setback.
During all the twenty-three years of
municipal ownership the electric light
ing and power plant has been lin pol
itics." And yet, in truth, it has yet
to be demonstrated where it has suf-
fered from the experience.
There has grown up around the An.
derson publicly owned utilities a sort
Of tradition that these must be saved
from the spokesman. Without being
necessarily part of the declared plat
forms of candidates for the council or
mayoralty, the people have come to &C
cept as matter OF course. policy OF
abiding loyalty to a strictly non.parti-
san, business administration of the