Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-07-18

the incorporate limits.
In harrisburg we build and main
tain all lines, besides build the line
Ito the town. the town is put to no
lexpense whatever, neither do we
make the town guarantee to use or
fpay for d stated amount OF kilowatt
hours each month.
4 trust this will fully explain the
apparent difference in rates.
Yours very truly,
T.. N. Slocum.
Iowa Falls Electric Co.
The Freeman Tribune doesn't
want to reflect upon the business
methods of the Iowa Falls company.
Possibly harrisburg is getting as
Igood q rate as 1t should. but II any
considerable amount OF electricity Is
used there The Freeman Tribune still
believes that its statement that
"Blairsburg could have secured bet
ter prices than are named in the
franchise by coming to Webster
lefty" Is true. 1t was claimed at the
thine the line was put in from Web
ster City to Duncombe and Wool
stock that it cost approximately $500
per mile to erect the wires, etc. Web
|ster City takes the current to its city
limits and from the city to. Blairs-
burg it is about seven and q half
miles, hence it would cost approx
mately $3.50 to build the line to
THAT place. Possibly $1,000 would
|pay all expenses of carrying the line
Ito Blairsburg and wiring the town..
liz Blairsburg used $4,000 worth of
electricity per year at five cents and
sold 1t at say an average Of IL
cents. the selling price would be So
500, leaving $4,000 for interest and
|other charges. If only $1,000 worth
|of current at FIVE cents were consum-
led and 1t sold at - cents it would
leave margin of $1,4OO to take care
|of interest, depreciation, repairs, loss
|of electricity. etc. Webster City fur
|nishes the electricity at its city lin
its at five cents. If woodstock charges
Is, more or less, that is Woolstock's
affair, and ii harrisburg did likewise
that would be the affair of the people
Eof harrisburg. We do not know what
the consumers in Woodstock pay, but
Webster City gets only cents and
woodstock agrees to take, we believe,
lat least $50 worth per month. Blairs-
burg agrees to pay for ten street
lights, from the Iowa Falls company.
These lights cost, according to the
franchise, for each 80 candle power.
SIS per year. each 40 g. p. SIS, each
leo G. p. $50. and on up to s24 for
Eeaeh, 100 {. rE on a moonlight sGhed-
|ule.@ Each consumer of electricity
must pay SIS cents per month wheth-
Ter that amount of electricity is used
Tor not. Another thing, II harrisburg
had made arrangements with Web
ster City for her electricity many
farmers along the line would take
current. Possibly enough revenue
from this source would be received
Ito nay interest on the investment of
|$5, 900.
The rate the company may charge
individual harrisburg consumers of
light under the franchise is as fol-
Toys: The first ten kilowatt hours
per month Is cents. All In excess of
ten up to twenty. twelve cents. All
in. excess of twenty, eight cents.
However, the offer of the Iowa
Falls company to build a line to the
town taking its electricity and to fur
nish the electricity at five cents, is
better than Webster City has done
in the case of Woodstock and Dun-
|combe and If such proposition was
Submitted to Blairsburg it appears to
the Freeman-Tribune that Blairsburg
lost a great opportunity in not &C.
|cepting 1t.