The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1919-10-17
Mr.. CITIZEN, WHAT Do
YOU THINK OF THIS?

That great exponent" of Munic-
ipal Ownership, Mayor D. D. Mer-
rill, made the following statement
in the Sunday Morning Tribune:
To jump headlong into a project
to give the city of Everett municipal
| light at this time would be an un-
| wise and senselessly costly move. ac-
| cording to statement by Mayor d.
| d. Merrill yesterday.
81 am in favor of municipal lgh,
and power as I am convinced munI-
cipal ownership is the only thins."
he said; but now is not the time
to go into it, We should wait until
| a more favorable time. l voted in
| favor of having an ordinance drawn
to have the proposition submitted
to the voters at the November cleo
ton: but since then, upon more ma
| ture consideration, l do not believe
the passage of the necessary bond
| issue would be a sensible move"
He gave as his reasons the pres
| ent high cost of all development
| work, the tax burdens real estate in
Everett is now forced to bear and
the uncertainty of the times.
When the Stone Webster com
now furnish them with elect c light
and power the cost was about $11o
per horsepower. The cost for such
work now would be about two and
| one half times that much OF about
$3.50, he said
With conditions as uncertain as
they now are the Stone Webster
company is willing to renew Ever
| etts street lighting contract at no
| n II -
| four years ago. There is now prac-
tically no advance in the cost of
light and power furnished by the
Stone Webster interests over the
! charges of four years ago, based on
a construction cost OF s115 per
horsepower, If the city were to go
| ahead to put in a power plant to
| handle the Sultan river power al
| this time on the cost basis of the
$3.50 figure citizens who anticipate
cheaper light and power under mum
| icipal ownership would be liable to
a big disappointment Merrill ex-
| planned.
| THE Stone Webster people are
waiting" he said. They are willing
| to be reasonable with us, at leas:
until conditions are more settled
and they know where they are at. Ir
| later material costs come down, as
we expect they will, and the Stone
| Webster people begin to boost the
rates to put them on an equal basis
with the cost of conditions of the
| times we can begin to study NUM-
| sipal ownership without seeing a bis
waste of public money ahead of us
As it is the company has us at a
| big disadvantage and so long as they
are willing to play fair it looks to
| me like money in our pockets to sit
| tight.
During the past six months alone
| material costs have taken SIS
| jump. They ought to come down. 1s
after sterilization they still stay up
| Stone Webster probably will boost
to equalize. Then will be our time to
act. A years time should clear the
situation so we will know better
where we are"
Everett real estate is in no con-
dition to bear excessive burdens
now. he declared. During the past
| eight years while everything else
has gone up real estate has been
about at a standstill here. practi-
| cally dead as a commercial elC
ment. Only recently has the market
| commenced to pick up and values
begun to come into their own. Dur
ing all the time of low values the
real estate has been forced to bea
heavy tax burdens, many OF them
! for big improvements, until In many
cases the burden limit has been
| passed, as numbers of sales OF ~ OPP
erty for delinquent taxes recently
have shown. Real estate should be
allowed to pick up and get some,
what more on Its feet before fur
| Their burdens are piled on 1t is
the backbone of taxation and must
not be worked until it breaks.
This consideratio with refer
ence to bond buyers has been
brought to my attention by City At
torney Johnson" said Merrill. He
has been informed that buyers will
not look with favor on an issue
which will represent an over load on
our tax resources. Let's get some of
the burden now being borne cleared
up before we vote to take on others
which the bond buyers will not APP
prove even after we have passed.
them. I want to see a sound basis
for operations first established"
The supporters of submission OF
the light and power proposition at
this time will say that all sorts of
obstacles stood in the way of the
municipal water protect and now
the thing is through those Questions
have faded into thin air But this is
uiStiHbliy INHERENT SlludllOH rs
curing a different outlook. I am all
for municipal ownership but | do
not want TO see II given a black eye
which will throw il into discredit.
THE Sultan river proposition was
one we had TO take or leave at the
time 1t came up and we took IL.
Also at that time we could get IT as
cheaply as we were ever likely to
get it. We did not face a loss oil
money through poor financing.
I'VE do in this case If we at
tempt municipal light and powe.'
now. Furthermore, there is no need
for hurry. We have the Sultan River
power site. There is no uncertaintj