Norwich bulletin., 1917-02-12
City Meeting if Necessary.
COMMISSIONERS SELLING
 BELOW COST
(continued from Page Five)

innate our expenses at s50.eO0. Our cash receipts from Feb. l, 1917, to April 30, 1917, we estimate at $6o, ,OOe.
 Respectfully submitted.
 CHARLES F. WHITAKER,
 DANIEL T. SHEA,
 DAVID S. GLAMOUR,
 JOHN T. SULLIVAN, Board of Gas and Electric Commits
 sioners.
 City Must Borrow Money.
 After the communication had been read Mayor Brown announced that the commissioners, superintendent of the plant, Stephen J. Kehoe, and cashier, Fred S. Naples, were present and that he would throw-the meeting open for discussion or questions bearing On the gas and electric situation Alderman Dolbeare was the first to be heard.
 Action, I presume, will be whether or not the council will call city meeting, he said The council cannot make the appropriation asked for and the city will have to borrow the money. He then pointed out the necessity of hav- ing in hand an accurate estimate of the departments expenses. He said he un- derstood from the cashier that the $50, ,000 was intended to include S1S,0OO in unpaid bills. There are other con- tingent and possible bills that will have to be met, he continued, and they might as well be faced now
 Figuring out the average expenses Il the three years previous, he found it to be S3S, $40. Adding to this the $1S,- 900 in unpaid bills, the total would be $57.S4 This would indicate a larger appropriation than that asked for ($50,000) necessary to carry the plant through the three remaining months of its year.
 The estimate of s6e, 900 for cash re- ceipts to April 3oth he thought was correct.
 Councilman TelIey E. Babcock in quired whether Alderman Dolbeare had included in the s57. .340 the $1, 200 over draft and the bills of Feb. 5th. Alder man Dolbeare said that the overdraft and the bills of Feb. 5th were included in the $1S,000 in unpaid bills. A Difficult Matter to Figure.
 Superintendent Kehoe said that it was a difficult matter to figure out the expenses to be borne by the depart ment in the next three months Coal is advancing day by day and much of it is unfit to burn, he said. Copper is at a standstill; galvanized material, if you get it, you are lucky.
 How would you get at the S50, 900 estimate of expenses? asked the mayor By passing 1t in part on the past three months and adding the increase in cost of production, answered Supt. Kehoe. The line to Thamesville will have to be rebuilt to carry the extra load in that section. Two weeks ago we had a re- quest from the Arlington mills for 800 horse power. Last year we closed a contract with the Ponemah company to take care of 300 horse power during the summer at a. minimum of $3,6oO a year. Delivery of transformers needed last summer for this contract was de- layed three months by the manufac- turens. The Ponemah company have written me that they are not in a hurry but want the-service next summer. So we are out $3,600 on the income for this year. Heavier copper will have to be run to the Arlington plant to supply them.
 Steam Power Not Efficient.
 Mayor Browu-Is the plant capabie of handling all this extra load?
 Supt. Kehoe = Electrically, yes. no.
 Mayor Brown-Should the expense of rebuilding the Thamesville line be in- cluded in this estimate2
 Mayor Brown-What would the cost be?
 Supt. Kehoe-About s4,000.
 Mayor Brown-Would the fIuctuation in cost of materials provide for this
 Supt KehoeI think SO.
 Mayor BrownlWill there be any expense to provide the Ponemah com pany power?
 Supt Kehoe-The transformers are there. There will be some slight ex-
 Mayor Brown-Are there any other