The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1920-02-19
St. Cloud Pouer Comes Before
Council with Neu Proposition

til the Commercial Club can file their
recommendations.
The opinion of City Attorney Kells
on the proposed ordinance as present.
ed without the amendments, follows:
February 10th, 1920.
City of Sank Centre.
Gentlemen:
In accordance with your request ]
nance Number 14S granting certain
rights to the ST. Cloud Water Power
Company.
Certain facts in connection with this
Ordinance were given to me at your
last meeting and I was Informed that
the reason and necessity for this Ordi-
nance, as stated to you, is that it will
power now owned by the Central Min
nesota Power and Milling Company, and
that it will, also, benefit the City by
MAINTAINING therein the manufacture OF
posed that the City foster the milling
business by passing this Ordinance.
ANALYSIS OF THE ORDINANCE.
Section L.
This section purports to set forth a
consideration for the Ordinance and
be granted. The consideration may be
divided in two rarts,-frst, develop
ment by the st. Cloud Water Power
Company of the water power, and, Sec
ond, the operation and maintenance OF
the Power Plant as an auxiliary to the
other generating. stations of said Com
pany. That part of the consideration
pertaining to the fostering of the Mill
ing business is not set forth in the
AS TO the first consideration Of de-
veloping the Power Plant: Mr.; Parker
meeting of the Council that his Com
pany had already closed contract for
the development of the water power to
and that, upon the granting of this
Ordinance, the Water Power Company
would continue with the development
pany so intended to do. That does not
constitute any consideration. The de-
velopment of the dam is assured by Mr..
Parker and, if the Water Power Com
will add nothing. new to the situation
but will only do substantially what
Mr.. Parker would do if this Ordinance
mot sasSed So far oe 81
a man making payment by giving to
his creditor something which already
belongs to the creditor.
As to the second part of the consid-
Grafton. that of operating the Power
Plant in connection with other plants
of the Water Power Company: 1t is
well known that the Water Company,
an extensive system of furnishing
pow1E aad light and do furnish power
and HIGHT to- many cities and villages in
Central Minnesota. The City has a
fve-year contract for power with this
Company, but it has not been suggested
that Sank Centre would be benefited by
the further development of this plant
in that way. Now the water power
existing at Sank Centre is natural
resource. It is the cause of the loca-
ton of this City in its present situa-
ton and while the Milling Company
own the water power, still the City and
it's Inhabitants have a considerable in
terest therein. I am informed that the
dam can be developed to produce from
one hundred twenty-five to one hundred
fifty horsepower throughout the year
and this amount Of power can ali be
used locally; it need not go outside the
City for market. The power devel-
oped< is an advantage which other
towns do not enjoy and gives the City
certain benefits which do not accrue to
municipalities having no water power.
1t is reasonable to suppose that as long
as the water power is confined to the
City some industry will use it. this be-
ing particularly true so long as labor
and fuel remain at high prices. The
instant that this franchise is granted,
the City surrenders its control over the
water power and it becomes, as stated
in the Ordinance, an auxiliary to sys-
tenn furnishing power to many towns