Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-10-04
ELECTRIC PLANT TO
STOP MAKING JUICE
City Will Purchase All Power
from Its longtime Com.
petitor.
A COST THE CAUSE.
Fricc Of One and One-Fourtk Gents pei
kilowatt Hour. for Amy Amount.
Agreed Upon.

Burlington will stop making electricity
this week. The city's plant. however, will
not be abandoned.
After mar months discussion Of the
merits or dement's Of continuing the man.
ufacture Of the Juice the electric light
commissioners, Frank c. Lyon. Claude d.
Orator and A. II. Duhamel. have reach
ed this conclusion.
The city will hereafter purchase all it's
power from its old-time competitor. the
Burlington Light & Power company. For
some time this company and the Fairfax
Power Co. I'VE endeavored to close a con-
tract whereby the city would buy its power
from one or the other company. Pro-
posed clauses In the several contracts sub
mitted to the commissioners and a select
committee of the board Of aldermen at
tracted so much criticism from the board
or the committee that the signing Of any
contract was impossible. From the mass
OF proposals presented by owners Of sur
plus juice the decision was reached to
close down the municipal plant. particu-
larly because Of the extraordinary ex-
pense attached to making electricity from
coal. and accept the last proposal Of the
Burlington Light & Power company.
ONE AND oNE-FOURTH CENT K1Lo-
WATT.
Inc agreement reached between city OF
cials n the power company provides
that the city plant will purchase all the
power required by It to carry on the busi-
ness Of the plant from the company at a
uniform rate of one and o~ne-quarter cents
per kilowatt hour. This Is approximately
two and three-quarter cents less than 1t
costs the city to manufacture electricity
at its own plant at the present price of
Goa
The city plant. the construction and op-
GRAFTON of which has cost and saved the
people Of the city large sums of money.
will not be dismantled 1t is the intention
of the commissioners to keep the plant at
all times in frst-class condition. This 10
necessary as the agreement between the
board and the company can be severed at
any time. and also to provide for any con-
tingency that may arise. Only one boiler
at the plant will hereafter be under steam.
This boiler will provide the power neces-
sary to pump B~urlington's water supply
to the reservoirs on the hill. Few people.
probably remember that since the plant
has been established 1t has supplied all
the power required for pumping water.
The men now employed at the plant will
not lose anything by the deal, as it is
the purpose Of the superintendent, Walter
Bedding. to place them in other branches
of the department.
A BUSINESS DEAL.
A. H. Duhamel, the senior member o.
the board Of electric light commissioners,
when seen last night, said:
ut IL a business deal, pure and simple.
The city can not successfully compete In
the manufacture of coal-made electricity
with a company using water. The
enormous cost Of coal. of which we use
n pVrnvfp,oto < M <Aro a ~,nov AA~ ~a~A>
1t imperative for some time that inal
action on some Of the proposals before the
board be taken. This we have lone and
we believe that a very satisfactory ar
rangement has been made. The city will
now buy all its power from the Burlington
Light & Power company, but at a price
much lower than we could make 1t by
coal. The one and one-fourth cent price
per kilowatt Is reasonable. the commission
believes and will permit the expansion Of
the city plants business without any addi.
tional cost for additions or operations.
THE Burlington Light G Power com.
pany. since the completion Of Its enormous
plant at Essex Junction. has a large sur
plus Of power for sale. This and the
fact that it is manufactured by water
allows them to make 80 attractive a price
to the city plant. OF course. we will use
q largo hilOuuI anu DcCdubo n COntTdCt
was not signed we will not be bound by
the many proposed restrictions in the con.
tracts previously presented to US n ear
easily extend our business"
Twill the plant below the hill be closed
DOWN. he was asked.
mo" he replied, with emphasis.
THE plant will be kept in running or.
der and n boiler will be in operation
to supply power for the pumping sta
ton. In addition to this. with this
one boiler. we car generate a sufficient
amount of power to meet any emer.
gency that may arise"
The municipal plant for many months
has been buying a considerable amount
of juice from the Burlington Traction
company. This was purchased at me
half cent per kilowatt hour Only when
the water is high at the Vergennes
plant could this arrangement be car.
ried out and the amount Of electricity
to be had each day was limited.