Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-06-19
Continue Municipal Plant.
Decision Based On Report OF
Special Committee,

|
Decision Based On Report o.
Special Committee.
Another meeting of the citizens OF
Thurmont was held Monday evening il
the interest of the Municipal Electric
Light and Power Plant.
This meeting was called for the pur
pose of hearing the report of the Com.
mittee of Investigation which was named
at meeting one week ago, the duty OF
said committee being to determine wheth-
err or not the Thurmont Electric Light
Plant should be closed down and current
Purchased entirely from the H. & F.
Railway Company, or whether the local
plant should be continued and current
purchased from the Railway as hereto
fore.
| Mr.. Paul Smith. Superintendent of the
H. & F., at the first meeting tried to
show our people how his company could
! furnish all the current used in Thurmont,
at a less cost per year than it costs to
generate it here and thus save money for
Thurmont, and asked that our plant be
closed for one year and the H. & F. be
given a chance to demonstrate the truth
of his statement.
The committee named met on Friday
evening and adopted the following reso-
luton:
Your committee appointed at citizens
meeting to investigate the ACCESSIBILITY
of closing down the electric plant of the
town for one year, and purchasing cur
rent from the Hagerstown & Frederick
Railroad Co., under the terms submitted
by Mr.. Paul Smith, Supt. at your meet
ing Monday night, June 9, 1919, beg
leave to report, that after an economical
and financial investigation, your COM
mittee unanimously decided to recommend
the rejection of the proposition and the
continuance of the Municipal Plant.
We hereby submit the following figures
upon which our action was based.
Salary, repairs, fuel, etc, for
the year 1918, .................Sl 34l. 55
Less depreciation for standing. 25O.00
Operation cost, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 1901. 55
Average paid H. & F. two years. 9l6.4l
Hagerstown & Frederick Railroad
proposition, .................. 2OO7.96
We find from as hour load from the
H. & F. Ry. with no picture shows on,
the reading wasl52OK. w. H. Taking the
same ratio for the year. we would have
a minimum charge for the year at cents
of $2S47.00 From the above figures it is
clearly shown that saving of $839.04
will be made by operating the Municipal
Plant.
Complete figures for measured current
for the past year are not available, but
from data we have we are figuring on
the minimum cost. Extra current from
the H. & F. will cost % cents per X. w.
while that produced by the Municipal
Plant during flush water will remain the
same. The increase in current sold 1918
over 1917 was 1881. 81 and 1919 over 1918
was 1924. SO and in seven years it has
over doubled itself.
Clarence W. Lidie, o. B. Wisotzkey,
Daniel R. Rouzer, Daniel Flory,
l.. S. Birely, M. l.. Creager,
VIM. j. Stoner, A. H. Etzler,
l.. J. Flohr, P. N. Hammaker,
]. VIM. Payne, Sec'y L. r. Waesche.
After hearing the above read, a vote
was taken as to whether or not Thurmont
would continue to operate its plant. and
the vote was unanimous in favor of its
continuance.
The Board of Commissioners will there
fore be governed by the decision and ne
gotiate with the H. & F. for power as in
former years.
At these meetings it was set forth that
the loss in transmission over the wire in
town is very great, this being due to the
bad condition of the lines. At many
places the wire is rubbing on limbs of
trees and insulation worn from same.
1t is likely that the present Board of
Commissioners will take steps in the near
future to remedy these conditions.