The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-08-06
ALDERMANIC OPINION

The Star has in the past week Sc
cured the opinions of the different
members of the council in regard to
that ever interesting subject, the city
plant, and the manufacture and dis
tribution of electric current.
Mr.. McIver. the veteran member
from the third ward and alderman of
the longest experience. is uncompro-
misingly . in favor of the city con-
-tinuing to make its own current. He
is aware there were mistakes made
in building the plant, and some
things in it are not in the best of
order, but there is nothing wrong, he
says, that cannot be made right If the
right men take hold and do conscien-
tious work.
Mr.. Winer is of the same mind as
Mr.. McIver. He says he is assuredly
against the city buying current from
an outside source There are faults
| in the plant. but all the same it is a
most valuable piece of property. The
Skinner engine and the boilers are
among the best made, and are worth
more than when they were put in. It
was d mistake to install the oil en-
CINE; Notwithstanding, it is valu-
able machine-entirely too valuable
to throw away When it has the fuel
and runs right it saves the city con-
siderable expense
Mr.. A. T. Thomas, alderman at
large, is in favor of buying current
from the Florida Power Company,
and keeping the city plart in order
to take up the work at any time the
power company's current should be.
interrupted. On account of the loca-
ton of the power company's plant,
with the never-failing stream of
water from Blue Springs, behind its
dam, it is not liable to fail, like
hydro-electric plants in mountain or
billy countries, where drouths some
times reduce the head of water until
current is cut off. Mr. Thomas wants
Ocala to take this current, not only
because he thinks it can be furnished
cheaper than the city can buy it, but
because he does not think. the city
plant can ever furnish power for large
manufacturing plants. He says if
Ocala has plenty of cheap current
when the war ends, if not before, it
will be great encouragement for
| manufacturing enterprises to start
here, and without it they won't. He
however wants the city to retain con-
/ troll Of it's business and keep its plant
| in it's own hands. In regard to the
city managers estimate that it is
only costing the city 1.76 cents to
| manufacture current, he thinks the
figure is too low, by cent at least.
Mr.. Thomas makes one suggestion
that we think is very reasonable, and
that is that half dozen competent
| business men be appointed a commit
tee to go thru the records and find
out exactly what it costs to run the
plant for stated number of months,
and by striking an average make an
estimate of the expense of running
| the plant. Such an estimate would
| be of service to the city and settle a
| much disputed question for awhile.
Mr.. Osborne very nearly concurs
| with Mr.. Thomas. He thinks, how
ever, the Florida Power Company
could afford to supply the city with
current at cent and half, and if it
| made such a proposition it would be
bad business not to accept it. Mr..
Osborne says the fuel problem is bad
and getting worse. There is no fuel
we can depend on but wood, and
| wood is becoming scarcer and more
costly. About the only certain source
of supply is the Martel mill. This
| state of affairs may be expected to
last not only thru the war but for
some time after; in fact, he does not
expect the country to ever return to
the conditions of few years ago.
The Star had no chance to consult
Mr.. Geo. A. Nash, member from the
fourth ward, but from his remarks
on various occasions we judge he is
much of the same way of thinking as
Messrs. McIver and Winer.
| As Mr.. Nash is soon to be replaced
with another alderman, and as it
seems that this question will be with
US some time yet, the Star suggests
that any candidate who announces in
the fourth ward be required to make
/ plain his intentions on the subject.
There are some very good men in the
| fourth ward, and some who are not so
good, and it won't pay the town to
select one of the latter class.
/ The Orlando Renorter-Star save.