The Ocala evening star., 1915-01-27
A LETTER AND AN ANSWER
Continued from Fourth Page)

in and every residence built, the cleo
trio ard water plant will have more
business the larger the volume of
business, the greater per cent of it
will re clear gain; the greater the
gain, the more revenue to the city, the
lower the rates and taxes can be. If
we give you this business, our rates
will stay right at the point where
they are made at the date of the con-
tract. You, not the people of Ocala,
will have the benefit of increased bus
mess and increased population. 1t is
perfectly legitimate and good, hon.
est enterprise for you to try to secure
this business. 1t will be very bad bus
mess on the part of the people of
Ocala not to try to keep it for them
selves.
OF course, you and other advocates
of private ownership will say that this
anticipated increase in the city's bus
mess is pipe dream. 1t is no more
than is anticipated by many private
enterprises, and no more than has in
many instances come to pass. There
is no reason why the citizens of Ocala
cannot be successful with their busi-
ness affairs, if they will attend to
them; and they have shown strong
disposition lately to attend to them.
So far as am concerned, am going
to keep a close watch on the business
of the city and am going to stir up
my 223 fellow stockholders-wish you
had sent me list of their names-to
do the same thing.
Another objection l have to taking
current from your plant is that it is
| twenty-five miles away and the power
must come to Ocala thru cables. Many
things are liable to happen. Two or
three times year we have storms
that are likely to sever connection.
Once in awhile cyclone cuts across
the territory traversed by the line and
takes everything with it. Like all
other big manufacturing enterprises,
you might have trouble with strikes
sometimes A few sticks of dynamite
would put your plant out of business
for weeks. - 81
1t is your intention, believe, to
guard against such contingency by
taking charge of the city's present
plant and keeping it in condition to
start up at a moments notice. / am
rather dubious that the moment would
be less than an hour dor two, and
there are few hours, day or night,
when such break would not be very
inconvenient. Also, if you take the
city plant and do not add to it, and
business increases at its present rate,
if connection broke with your main
plant sometime, say year or two
from now, the old plant. would be ut
terly unable to pull the load-hun-
dreds of homes and many streets
would have to be dark, and some
plants would have to shut down or
run on reduced time. have no doubt
that you would keep the city plant in
good shape, but unless added to con-
stantly it soon won't be able to do the
work.
Also, it would be a losing business
for the city to let you take the plant
:, to hold In reserve. If the city builds
a new plant, it can sell the old one
and use the money to meet public ex-
penses. | don't think you are willing
; to buy the plant outright from the
city, or pay the city rental for it
that it would pay the city to accept.
So me and my 223 fellow stockhold-
ers will be losing interest on our pres
; ent investment that will more than
make up for what you can save US on
our electric current bill.
More than all that, Mr.. Florida
Power Company, public ownership is
principle; and like every other prin-
ciple is worth paying for. would
rather pay dollar or two, or several
dollars, more year than give up the
city plant. The people of America
are at the parting of the ways. They
must own or be owned. The time for
= individualism has passed. The people
must cooperate and help each other
or they will soon be beyond help
They must learn TO manage their big
business or their big business will
manage them. If the people Of Ocala
go forward with their public utilities
they will meet many backsets, politics
. will disturb and graft undermine; but
there is no royal road to success, and
the only way the people can learn is
- TLa-o - ,,o1,.1