Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-10-13
LOCAL COMMENT

$1,000 worth Of bonds or more This
county must sell 1,677 bonds of $1,000
each. The city of Marshalltown and
vicinity must sell 800 bonds of $1,000
each on an average No man who
owns good home, a business. a farm,
an automobile or a paying profession
mas done his share until he has loaned
Sl'ooe or more. This fact was driven
home TO the committee in charge this
week when they selected list of $500
names within the city and asked a spc-
cal committee to rate the list. After
week work at rating the entire list
was added and it was discovered that
II everybody would loan all that the
rating committee thought of asking
MIN TO loan less than one-third the
full amount required would have been
subscribed. No one, not even ,ne COM
mittee, had realized the size of the
job before us. One can always borrow
up to the face value of a government
bond. At per cent it would cost only
$50 year to loan ones credit to
Uncle Sam TO win the war. II the bonds
should go to a premium il might cost
nothing at all. All eyes should he kept
fixed on the SEQ and not on the $1,000
loaned if we are to succeed.
Marshall county will vote dry on the
proposition to put prohibition into the
constitution and forever end the wet
and dry fight. but Marshall county is
really voting against Dubuque and
Scott counties in this election and that
is why there is so much need OF every
dry vote being cast If the wet counties
carry the state we will be lighting all
next year TO keep the legislature from
going wet and we will have 70 keep on
fighting to keep all other legislatures
dry. What we want is a settlement of
the whole question so we can all pull
together for other things.
After careful investigation joint
committee composed OF directors Of the
Narshalltown Club and the executive
committee OF the Trades and Labor
Assembly have unanimously endorsed
the city councils proposed sale of the
worn out street lighting plant and the
purchase OF street lighting current from
the local utilities company. No man.
who will investigate all the facts as
other conclusion. The city's mach.n-
cry, twenty-nine years old, is out of
date and It's boilers have been con-
demned by the state inspector. Some
thing must be done to keep even the
present lights going and this Is no
time to buy electric machinery. The
council has found that new generators
can not be had within a years time
a2d then only at exhorbitant prices.
The utility company has generating
power enough 10 furnish lights FOR our
streets and makes a fair offer.
It IS costing the city now s1l 900 a
year TO operate its street lights. Be-
sides this its plant Is worn out, which
would add to the present annual ex-
pense II It had been properly charged
off as il deprecated. The city can now
sell its junk for $4,000 and buy eighty
four more lights than il now has for
IS 900 year. An electrical salvage
when asked 10 appraise the
value Of the stnf TO be sold replied
that Il was worth only what II would |
bring as Junk The city's own cleo
trician has appraised 1t at $4,000 and
the local utilities company will buy II
at 1000 because this company can
use some OF the wires as they are with
out losing the cost Of installation. This
sI5 600 together with the mill tax
already levied for next year. will Great" |
a street lighting fund that will pay for !
street lighting without any more light |
Ing tax for three years and the 80 40O !
a wear saved between the 81. 1000 which |
II now costs the city to run its own |
lights and the $500 offered by the |
company will save the taxpayers s24. |
600 in ten years. This Will be saved |
In spite Of eighty-fo new lights be- |
ing added.
OF course. there is one other alterna-
tive, a brand new and enlarged mu- |
nicipal plant at q cost OF $4,000. II |
the city were ready to build a big one |
and do house lighting as well as street |
lighting this might pay, but 1t can !
never afford to run small plant Tor
street lighting alone. This Is the con-
clusion reached by the Lennox Fur
::sc. COMPANY when 1t built It's new |
factory It found that current from It's |
own private plant would cost cents |
per X. W. h.. whereas the city is offered |
a rate of cents plus the cost OF main /
tanning a system OF wires about the |
CITY. At Boone the G. & \. w. railway |
shops buy their power Of the big util-
itv company for the same reason and so
does the Quaker Oats Company at Ce- |
dar Rapids. which uses more current |
than the entire city Of Marshalltown
uses. If Marshalltown really wants to
go into municipal lighting 1t had bet
ter sell it's old junk at war prices now
and buy back In on a large scale when
lower prices prevail in the market.
So far as the voter is concerned ne
votes only on the question Of selling
the old Junk at $4,000. He has no
legal voice in making the contract Tor
lights and the council has made up It's
mind to buy current from the utility
companv anyway for all three mem
hers Of the council have been con-
WINGED after investigating all plans
that It is the cheapest for the city. II
tho voters do not approve Of the sale
the CITY will merely keep its Junk un-
u, the price goes down and Will have
n sacrifice it some day at mucn
lower figure.
PREMIUMS ARE AWARDED.