The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1922-09-14
"a ~ ~ *
MR.. GELM0R S. HAMEIL
DENIES OAKLAND DISPUTE
President of Town Council Says
Power Plant Sale Is Closed Affair

| date line purpOrtlng to be a report of
meeting of the Mayor and Town
/ Council in which a number of state
ments were made and to which Mr..
Gilmor S. Hamill, President of the
Council, as we'll as other members Of
the body, have taken exceptions. Fol
lowing an interview a few days ago
the following from Mr.. Hamill APP
peared in the Baltimore Sun:
Denial was made Friday of part of
the statements made in an article
appearing in the Sun Wednesday
morning, by Gilmor S. Hamill, presi.
dent of the town council of this place.
The article said that there is con-
siderable controversy here over the
sale of the Oakland power plant to
| the West Penn Electric and Power
Company, and that a delegation had
asked that the plant be sold to the
Youghiogheny Power and Electric
Company.
Mr.. Hamill said:
"The article states that a number
of citizens appeared before the coun-
Gil asking that the Youghiogheny
Company be given priority over the
West Penn Electric and Power Com
pany, and further intimated that the
majority of Oakland was opposed to
the sale of the plant to the latter
company. The facts are that when
the question of the sale of the light
plant of the town was first considered
by the Town Council, a citizens COM
mittee was appointed with John W.
Hart, chairman, and Ernest Ray
Jones, secretary, with instructions to
make full investigation and report
to the council.
Before the Youghiogheny Power
and Electric Company was ever
heard of in Oakland the West Penn
Company came forward and made its
offer for the municipal plant. A
special meeting of Oakland citizens
was called in June at which the cues
ton was fully discussed and when
the plan received the approval of
large majority, if not all of the peo-
pie present. The citizens committee
next made a favorable report to the
council, urging that the West Penn
Company's offer be accepted as the
only visible method of relieving the
municipality of losing investment.
The matter was freely discussed
in the council, and on June 27 an op-
ton was passed upon by a majority
Of the council, accepted by the West
Penn Company, giving the company
80 days to accept or reject the pro-
posal to take over the lighting plant
and system upon assumption of the
payment of the S45,OOO.0O bonded
debt (the municipality was to nav
off the first 100000 of bonds due
at was not until after the option
was accepted by the West Penn Com
pany that representatives of the
Youghiogheny Power and Electric
Company appeared in Oakland and
began making inquiries for the plant
with view of taking it over. Their
offer was considered before the Town
Council. The proposal of the Yough-
iogheny Company was still under dis
cussion when the agents and attor-
neys for the West Penn Company
arrived in Oakland within the 30
days time and accepted purchase
under the terms of the option, full
filling their part of the contract in
every way.
"When this move was reported TO
the Council two of it's members were
in favor of rejecting the West Penn
Company in favor of the Youghio-
CHEN Company, while four members
were in favor of the acceptance of
the West Penn Company's offer.
After discussion the matter was put
to vote, a majority vote gave sale
of the property to the West Penn
Company under the terms of the
option.
The arguments advanced in favor
of the sale of the plant to the Yough.
iogheny Company were that they
would pay (possibly) $4,000 more
than their rival concern and their
possession of the property would en-
hance the development of certain
sections of Garrett county. The
Youghiogheny Company, however,
stated no definite time for the taking
over of the property as it was under
stood at the time that they would
have to dam up the Youghiogheny
river and develop its, water power
before they could run the plant salts
factorily, all of which they stated
would require at least two years. In
the meantime the electric plant
would be losing money all the time,
in addition to its need for repairs
and demand for labor and upkeep;
and the citizens committee expressly
reported the need for immediate