The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1915-10-28
LARGELY ATTEDED MEETING OF
BUSINESS MEN DISCUSS
LIGHT PROBLEM
MR.. WHITNEY SPEAKS
INSISTS PEOPLE WILL BE SAT-
ISFIED IF HIS SERVICE is
INSTALLED HERE

Sank Centre will not leap before it
knows where it will land in the mat
ter of granting the Minnesota Light
& Power Company of St. Cloud a
franchise to install and maintain an
electric lighting, heating and power
system in this city.
This was the decision reached last
Friday night at mass meeting of
Commercial Club members and other
citizens, held in the club rooms and
attended by nearly 100 representative
business men. 1t was the unanimous
opinion of the gathering, after repre-
sentatives of the company had been
heard and the subject specifically
discussed for nearly two hours, that
the city did not care to take snap
judgment.
There was no display of antagonism
to the project as outlined by the St.
Cloud men; the Sank Centreites lis
tened with interest and attention to
the unfolding of the proposed scheme
but in the end they wanted to be
''shown."
Three angles of the lighting prob
lem protruded hemselves-retention
of the present system, the creation Of
a municipal plant, and the St. Cloud
project. Each proposition had cham
pions. The question of rates was the
paramount one. The atmosphere was
finally cleared when j. w. Ward
moved and was seconded by A. M.
Wallace, that Chairman j. A. Caugh-
rem appoint a committee of seven to
probe eXnaustively into all phrases
of the electric problem as it effects
Sank Centre and report back to the
Club at its next meeting.
This committee was to confer with
the officials of the St. Cloud company
and also, to study lighting systems,
service and rates of other citieS.s9 The
plan met with instant approval and
was unanimously endorsed. p
Chairman Caughren named on the
committee, Geo. O'Gara, John Brown
and Alex Jameson of the city council,
and w. o. P. Hilsdale, ]. A. Dubois,
V. G. Wedge and V. l.. Burgess of the
Commercial Club. Mr.. Hilsdale was
named as chairman.
The committee has already started
work, beginning with securing data
from other cities, both as to municipal
and privately owned plants.
A. G. Whitney, active head of the
st. Cloud company, expounded the
concerns plans, assisted by E. G.
Noble, electrical engineer, and man
ager of the Public Service Company
of St. Cloud, who treated technical
questions asked.
Mr.. Whitney had his subject at the
tips of his fingers and presented it
clearly and concisely. He explained
that the company which he heads was
formed three years ago; that it has
developed power far in excess of the
needs of st. Cloud and that the power
available has only been touched.
To utilize the surplus energy it is
the plan of the company to furnish it
to towns in central Minnesota, sup
plying it through transmission lines.
In this scheme of things such line
would be run to Sank Centre through
the towns of the county between this
city and st. Cloud.
In addition, the scheme includes a
proposition to erect in Sank Centre a
STANDBY" plant to cost approximately
$4,000, from which feeder lines will
be run to neighboring cities towns
and which will bolster up the trans
mission line from st. Cloud.
Mr.. Whitney explained there would
be no friction with the Central Mime
sofa Power & Milling Co., which now
furnishes Sank Centre with electric
ity, inasmuch as the st. Cloud COM
pany had secured an option to buy the
local plant and the Merryman inter
ests were willing to SELL Sidney I.
Merryman was present at the meeting
and corroborated this.
The extension of the company lines
has commenced and already entend to
Paynesville, Richmond and st. Joseph.
During the past year more than 100
miles of transmission lines were con-
structed and fourteen villages sup
piled with electricity.
However, Mr.. Whitney explained
that the franchise under which the
Merryman interests were supplying
electricity to Sank Centre was not
entirely satisfactory to his concern
and asked that the franchise ordi-
nance prepared by his attorneys be
substituted. He pointed out that the
present franchise, which expires next
May 1, is what is known as perpet-
ual franchise. It is difficult to borrow
money on this kind of privilege. Mr..
Whitney admitted his concern would
be compelled to borrow as they made
improvements and that bonds backed
by definite franchises-such as 35 or
80 years-were more alluring to bond
buyers.
In answer to questions he explained
that the city could buy the proposed
system at the end of any five years,
this provision being made by state
law. Also that the ordinance as pre-
pared gave Whitney an exclusive