Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1917-10-17
KEEN interest IN
Light PROBLEM

COURT ROOM is PACKED AT MEET
ING MONDAY NIGHT TO HEAR
ELECTRICAL EXPERTS.
STATUTE PROVIDES A REMEDY
Citizens Vote Unanimously to Have
| City Council Investigate Light
and Power Question.
A mass meeting of citizens was held
in the court house Tuesday evening
to hear a thorough discussion of the
electric light question. The meeting
was the result of the general dissatis-
faction which had arisen over the ser
vice the Iowa Electric Company had
been giving in Manchester. This
meeting was called for the purpose
of hearing reports as to what other
cities are doing and the kind of service
the people are getting. The first
speaker was G.. J. Long, city manager
of Webster City, Iowa. Mr.. Long gave
facts and figures as to the municipal
ly owned light plant of Webster City.
According to Mr. Longs figures the
Webster City plant is making money
at &c per kilowatt hour rate, and that
the city is not taxed for street light
ing. He said that their plant had
physical valuation of approximately
s15o,OOO. ~
The next speaker was G. O. Morse
of Maquoketa. Mr.. Morse is city en-
gineer of Maquoketa, and stated that
that city had a situation to face SINH
lar to the one confronting the tax pay
ers of Manchester. The city of Maquo-
keta granted a franchise to Chicago
capitalists, who in turn sold out to the
Iowa Electric Company. The company
was charging rate of 15c per kilowatt
hour, which the people considered was
too high. AS result of this an elec-
tion was held to vote bonds in the
sum of $685. for a municipal light
plant. The Iowa Electric company
procured an injunction and stopped
temporarily the construction of the
municipal plant, and the question went
to the courts. The case is now pend
ing the action of the supreme court.
Should the city loose sin the supreme
court, Mr.. Morse stated that the peo-
pie would at once have another cleo
ton, which would be more decisive
than the first one. Mr.. Morse gave
very able talk on the lighting ques-
ton, and at once impressed the peo-
pie of Manchester as man who had
given the question much thought, and
the information which he secured
while investigating the proposition for
his home city is we'll worth Manches-
ter's time to consider.
The last speaker Of the evening
was Mr.. C. o. Lund, consulting engin-
eer of Sioux City. Mr.. Lund went ov-
er the situation hastily, and gave many
valuable suggestions as to what
course Manchester should pursue be-
fore taking final action on the light
question. His principal suggestion
was that the city employ competent
electrical engineers who will go into
the electric light question and find out
definitely what Manchester should be
obliged to pay for electric service, and
what the possible cost of construction
and maintenance would be of NUM-
cipal plant. He said that il the city
can purchase the current as cheaply
as it can manufacture it, his advice
would be to keep out of the lighting
business. Mr. Lund said there are
81 cities in Iowa with a population of
between 1900 and 5000 that have num-
cipal light plants and that only two
proved to be a losing proposition.
The other plants were money-makers
for the cities. He stated, however,
that the average price charged by
these 81 cities was 10 6-100c per Kill
owatt hour. He also stated that
candle power did not mean anything;
that our new 40 candle power street
lamps only used 81 2-1O0 watts, an in
crease OF approximately per cent. ov-
er our old street lamps.
Should our city council find that
the Iowa Electric Company is disre-
garding any of the obligations which
it assumed when it undertook to sup
ply this city with light, heat and pow
er, then it becomes the duty of those
who represent the people of Manches-
ter to so act that no injustice may be
done.
The construction of municipality |
owned plant, under normal conditions,
would solve the problem for all time,
but these are not normal times. Mr.. |
Morse stated that an engine, such as he
would recommend for our use, could |
not be procured short of Is months. |
But Manchester does not have to con-