The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-04-24
CITY ELECTRIC PLANT
MAY SELL CURRENT
'OrvRfnazarN Committee Recommend
Rrssoauficn To Dispose OF
Power tn Bulk.
THERE Is NO OPPOSITION
Virginia Railway and Power Company
May Be Enabled to Help Conserve
Fuel Through Cooperation With
Administrative Board.

4 After hearing from Comm issionera
hirSchoerg and Hoesou, Superinten
dent Trarord. Of the city electric
/ plant; Charles K, Winston. of the Viz
gfnia Railway and Power company
and Jesse c. Duke, representing the
Central Trades and Labor council, the
council committee on utilities last
night recommended the ordinance
submitted by the administrative board
authorizing that body to buy and sell
! electric current
Comm Asioner HirschberE and Su =
perintendent TraTord explained in de-
! tail how the city could dispose OF
600, 900 kiiowatt hours of current an
nuAlly, without interfering with it's
present demands, thereby saving much
coal and utilizing waste current. and
turning into the treasury not less than
S4o.o a year.
Superintendent TNrafYord told an in
/ feresttng story OF the origin and prog
re@Ss Of the electric plant. showing how
~ had grown into one OF the most
complete and efficient in the entire
country. He explained that the city
could aid the Virginia Railway and
Power com pany in the conservation of
coal, Try selling it's surplus current
the greater part Of which ts generated
by wafer power.
Commissioner Hirschberg stated
that number Of persons had applied
| to the board for current. but that no
propositions could be considered with
out an ordinance regulating the mat
ter
The discussion developed the fact
that the city did not intend to SELF
current to private consume rs. as the
cost or Installation of conduits- poles
and other necessary fixtures was at
This time too high, but that the board
desired to offer the surplus current IN
bulk to the highest responsible bidder
II was felt that this would in a meas
ure tend to lower the rate 10 the in
dfvidual consumer
Mr. Winston said he felt satisfied the
city had no intention OF injurinr the
company which he represented. which
II would do Ii the surplus were sold
TO dome este consumers or small manu-
facturers. and he expressed confidence
IN the purposes OF the city in d@pos-
ing of the current IN bufk with the
object at this time OF helping relieve
the coal situation.
Commissioner HirSchberg stated that
the board could sell the current at
one cent kflowatt hour and make
$4,000 year, and that this ngure
was the lowest mat II would be sold
Tor 1t would cost the city $4,000
TO prcperly install material for the
complete lighting or the city now. and
would cost several hundred thousand
to place the city in position to de-
liver to fndfvf6ual ocusumNrw This.
therefore. was out OF the question. at
the present time
csouncalmen Umlauf Eaextns Nell
sen and I.sdd and Chairman Mitchell
tcosS part in the dsscn SxsoTa. all feeling
that the city might with great pro-
priety and with Justice TO itself. dis
pose OF the surplus current
II was suggested that corporation
between the committee and the ad-
ministrative board would tend toI
strengthen the relationship between
the two bodice. and that this propo-
sitfon would cement the two bodies
in the interests OF the city
Mr.. Duke said he was somewhat dis
appointed at the turn events had
taken. He thought the intention of
the committee would be to recommend
the sale Of current TO the consumer,
In order that rates might be lowered.
IT was suggested by a committee
man that perhaps. il the Virginia
Railway and Power company secured
the surplus. with the great saving of
coal the consumer might profit to
some extent by decrease in price.
Another member OF the committee
said that II the company secured the
current. the saving of coal might suf |
Ace In eliminating the agitation for
the skip-stop system.