The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-20
WEATHERLY CLAIMS T GOOD BUSINESS ID ENLARGE PLANT Claims City Can Furnish Current Cheaper Than Public Service Companies KENDRICK TO GIVE
 FIGURES TOMORROW Companies Contend Larger Area of Birmingham Has Decided Effect
 on Rates That Must Be
 Charged

Can the Alabama POWer coiHpdHy Aui' nish electric current cheaper to the tax payers of Birmingham than the municipal ly owned plant at North Birmingham when enlarged .as proposed by Commits sioner James Weatherly?
 MT. Weatherly contends 1t is sound eco homie policy to build the plant.
 On the other hand some of the officials of the public service corporation contend that the move of Commissioner Weatherly to urge the passing of large bond issue to enlarge the North Birmingham power tation is a political maneuver, as none of the city commissioners have any hope of offering electric light rates at lower cost than those submitted to the citizens by the Birmingham Railway. Light and Power company.
 It is pointed out by the officials of the Alabama Power company and of the Br- mingham Railway, Light and Power com pany that it is manifestly unfair to con- trast the electric light rates of Birmng- ham with those of other cities. The city of Birmingham. these officials state. is 16 miles long and four miles wide. It also has population of approximately 225,000 in that 54 square miles of territory and the cost of copper transformers and other equipment to furnish adequate lighting in this city is twice as much as in a city of about 20 square miles and the same population. The rates that are offered in Birmingham are as low as can actually be furnished to the public with out actual loss to the companies, accord inp tO theSa officials
 CAN REDUCE RATES
 But Commissioner Weatherly is firm fin the belief that he can enlarge the mr- nicipally owned electric plant at North Birmingham and furnish power to the cit izens at greatly reduced rates from those offered by the Birmingham Rail- way, Light and Power company or of the Alabama Power company. MT. Weatherly says that coal is cheap in this district and that he is certain of furnish ing more than active competition to the power companies doing business in Bir- mingham.
 The city engineer and Ryself have looked thoroughly into the possibility of using the current of the Alabama Power company in the city, said Commis- sioner Weatherly, but after this inves- tigation we are more firm in the opinion that the enlarging of the city-owned cleo tric plant at North Birmingham through the means of bond issue is the wisest and cheapest plan for the citizens.
 We can do better by submitting a bond issue of about s250, 900 to the voters and completing the North Birmingham electric station into unit that will com pete with the existing companies. We have cheaper coal in this district than in other cities. and we can manufacture power cheaper. We also desire a plant absolutely independent of outsiders as to the source of supply
 BOND ISSUE GOOD BUSINESS
 'ln my opinion and in the opinion of my colleagues on the board of commits sioners the belief prevails that it is more economical and more business-like prop osition to submit a bond issue to the voters to enlarge the North Birmingham electric station than to enter into ne- gotiations with the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company or the Ala bama Power company for the use or their current.
 However, the impression need not get
 
 of enlarging the North Birmingham sta- tion without a thorough investigation, as City Engineer Julian Kendrck has been conducting correspondence of several months standing with the Alabama Power company on the question of supplying current to the city, and incidentally on the question of lowering the present rates.
 We have received no satisfaction in these negotiations. as the report of City Engineer Kendrick will show. This re- port will be read to the clry commssion at Tuesdays meeting and immediately following the report I will introduce a resolution for bond issue to enlarge the North Birmingham station.''
 When Commissioner Weatherly was appraised of the fact that his activity in behalf of a municipally owned electric light station had been characterized as a political move he replied:
 Let the men who believe that come out publicly and say so. or course there is opposition to municipal ownership. There always has been-and the same old war cry from the same old gang is about tc come out. On with the dance."