Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-03-07

ouGIdSeOuSly mean proceeding, IN my
opinion
Shifted January I.
The dispute between the Lighting
company and the city began with the
expiration of the city pumping con-
tract at the end of the year and the
notification by the company of an in
crease in rates for renewal, on the
ground that it had been losing money
during the year on the city's con-
tract The Recommendation Of :he
city engineer at that time vas that
the city could revive its old plant and
Go its own pumping cheaper than the
terms of the company's propo~al pro-
vided, and on January l at midnight
the city began it's own pumping.
However, the connection of the
Lighting company in the city pump
ing station remained, and the COM
pany notified the city that i+s terms
for q years contract for this emer-
gency connection would be $3.50 rer
month minimum, with straight COM
mercial rate for all the power used.
! Since that time the city has twice
/ been forced to use the company's SER
vice, and the bills from the company
for January and February have ex-
ceeded 5000.
Until Friday night, owing to ina
bility of the council committee to
| handle the matter and because of the
change in city engineers on Feb uary
| /, the company had not been able to
secure a definite reply to its contract
proposal. However, it had been pret-
/ ty well agreed for some time by city
officials that the proposal was excess
/ i've and should not be accepted. 1t
was the contention of former City En-
gineer John B. Ansley that the $450
minimum charge was illegal, the pub
/ lished rate of the company beng so
cents per horse power per month, and
the service at the plant being 400
horse power. The company's reply to
this was that this published rate ap-
piled to ordinary demands, but that
the city's requirements were extra
ordinary, in that an extra steam tur-
bine was required when the citys load
was carried, and that interest on in
vestment, depreciation, ETC., should be
figured in calculating the rate, which
had been done. 1t was stated that the
state railroad commission had approv-
ed the $3.50 rate as proper.
Service begun Quickly
In reply to the companys conten-
ton in this regard, it was stated by
City Engineer Tiedeman that an ex-
ira turbln was not actually required
to handle the city's load, as on two
recent occasions when the city had
called for emergency service 1t had
been furnished within 5 minutes,
something that would have be>n I'M
possible had the company been fore-
ed to warm up an extra turb.n.
During the hearing Friday, the CONF
pany's representatives put great
stress upon the fact that their Looks
were open, that city officials had
been invited and urged to inspect
them and see for themselves that the
company had lost money during the
last year on the city's contract at the
old rate. Mayor Sheppard replied
that apparently the city officials ~ ere
not greatly interested, since they re-
called that an expert for the company
on a previous occasion in making a
valuation of the company's property
here and list( at $4,000 IAN old
shed that to my mind isn't worth
So"
The company representatives stat
ed that their reason for wishing to
remove the connections at the pump
! ing plant at once was that the COM
pany had an opportunity at this time
, to sell the machinery to be removed,
valued by them at 100000, and that
this opportunity might be lost saoald
! they be held up for thirty days.