The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-01-17
LIGHT and POWER
PROBLEMS OF CITY
Meeting Of Citizens Hear Reports Of
Officers and Vote for
New Plant

~
spite the stormy weather. They were
well repaid by reports and discussions
about the municipal light and power
plant.
The report of Mayor Halloween dis
closed the fact that the expense of
conducting the plant has been greater
than the receipts. hence the business
was running behind. as well as the
service deteriorating. To overcome
this deficit 1t was deemed necessary
by the city officers to raise the price
of current to 20 cents per killowat.
which they admitted is above the
average price of other towns.
To find the cause of this condition
the city officers sent for an expert
electrical engineer to a firm at Sioux
City. Their representative, Mr.. Lund,
came to Miller and put i'm half of one
night and n day in going e the
plant, equipment and business.
He was introduced to the meeting
of citizens, and gave a very interest
ing report of the city plant and bust
ness. His Investigation summarized,
located the difficulty in these features
of the business: The plant engine,
were pronounced obsolete, nc longer
manufactured, and excessively expen-
sive to run with the fuel used, show
ing that the cost of current at the
plant was between eight and nine
cents. A loss in current of 81 per
cent was found in the equipment of
wires, r~estorers. and lights after it
left the plant. This was disclosed by
the record of current between the
plant metre and the private metres.
Another matter of excessive expense
was the monthly repair bill of the
present plant and equipment, which is
greatly reduced in modern plants OF
the same size.
The expert figured these various
findings out i'm dollars and cents, and
explained the possibility of eliminat-
ing them with a new plant properly
constructed. He also explained the
different kinds of plants now upon
the market, and estimated their cost
for the needs of this city, including
suggested improvements in water,
fuel buying, uses of heat and power
in the day time, etc. His figures for
such a plant of oil power ran to about
$50, 900, and for steam to about $685.
900. all complete.
His summing up and recommends
ton was for an entire new up-to-date
plant and equipment, followed BY a
systematic business method of opera
ton to include sinking fund for pay
ing bond interest, and replacing OF
plant al stated intervals of years, as
found absolutely necessary by exper-
fence.
Mayor Halloween then stated that
the city officers wanted an expression
of the citizens as to what they thought
should be done. The expression was
general that those present had sufiici-
ent confidence in the city officers to
rely upon their judgment of the city's
needs, and suggested that they pro-
ceed to do what they considered best.
In considering ways and means the
Mayor stated that the credit OF the
city. over and above some present in
~debtedness. could be used to the ex-
tent of O,00O to 1000 and the
money secured by a bond issue at low
rates of interest. But before any
steps were taken in this direction the
city council would like some definite
expression of the citizens upon this
question, which led to the call for a
ballot of the meeting upon the ques-
ticn of floating a bond issue for a
modern municipal light and power
plant. A secret ballot was thereupon
taken, without discussion for or
against, and with no apparent effort
OF any one present to influence a
single individual. The only person
leaving their seat was Secretary Jones
who passed the blank ballots, and
gathered them up. President Chur-
chill asked that the ballot be written
For" or Against" bonds.
The result was So votes for bonds,
and 6 against, which must have been
an agreeable surprise to even the city
ofRcers themselves, who alone know
OF their struggles the past year to
keep the service going.
Summarized. it meant that a goodly
representation OF Milier's business
men and citizens want light and pow
-, cheaper and better than the pres
ent plant can give, and are willing 20
- their eredli 70 pay FOR y IN bonds
opro(d over aeveral yeers.
sarars NJ s.tpatlen 4 l1lly