The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-22
ENGINEERS REPORT ID bE DISCUSSED
 AT CONFERENCE
Question of Enlarging North Birmingham Light Plant
 Will Be Taken Up by City Commission

a, There will be a conference tomorrow son the report of City Engineer Julian Kendrick to the city commissioners that it will take $5Oo,o00 to so enlarge the municipal electric light plant at North Birmingham that it will be a successful competitor of the Birming- ham Railway, Light and Power com pany.
 At this conference the entire subject $ will be thoroughly threshed out so that the commission will be ready to vote on the ordinance submitting the $5O0OOO bond issue to the people when it comes up next Tuesday.
 The report of City Engineer Ken Hon. James Weatherly, Commissioner,
 City Hall.
 Dear Sir-As per your instructions l s beg to submit the following with ref erence to the establishment of city ', owned electric plant.
 There is no water power within reach of the city which is capable of being developed to furnish a hydro electric plant, meeting the present or future requirements of the city at any thing like a reasonable initial cost.
 Therefore, if municipal plant is installed, it should be a steam electric power plant. Owing to the fact that the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company has the district so thoroughly covered at this time with electrical power at it's disposal to sup ply almost any demands that might be f ,c- n1p 0cf if,1rn Si h a to predict in advance what portion of the business could be acquired by a municipal plant. Certainly, however, such a plant must be constructed and equipped along the most modern lines, so as not only to produce the electrical current, at a minimum cost. but also to be able to offer the best of service.
 Undoubtedly such a plant operated under the best modern methods could produce electricity at such cost that it could be sold commercially at much less price than is now being charged to this city. Also the streets and pub lie buildings could be much better lighted and the city power supplied at considerably lower cost than at present.
 1t is impossible to estimate with any degree or accuracy the capacity or plant that should be installed by the city, since aside from the city busi- ness, the output of the plant would depend directly upon the amount of commercial business that could be se- cured in competition with the existing plant It is reasonable to suppose that any reduction in the rate to commer- cial consumers made by the city would be met by the competing plant and it might be possible for this plant to of. fer it's current at a lower rate than ii would be profitable for the city to sell However, if such a condition arose it would have resulted in vast annual saving in cost to the consumers in thia city.
 If bond issue is authorized, I do not believe it should be for less than S500000. In all probability not all Of this will be used at once, but large portion will be held in reserve so that enlargements and extensions may be readily made to the plant and its dis tributing system as the business grows. Of course should the city se- cure large percentage of the busi- ness, larger plant would eventually be required, and as the capacity and output of the plant increases the cost of production decreases. Yours very truly. JULIAN KENDRICK.
 City Engineer