The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-02-21
PREPARE TO OVERHAUL
LIGHT AND WATER PLANT

l. AND " "A TAA1N
The city government might as well
get ready to overhaul the light and
power plant. 1t is running along
tolerably well at present, but the
margin for emergencies is very mar
row.
The previous council made two
great improvements-changing to oil
for fuel and installing the turbine.
One great fault-the boilers-it could
not remedy. One mistake it made was
putting the big oil tank underground.
It's only a matter of time when one
of the boilers goes out of commission,
and when it does the plant will have
to shut down, for they are right to-
gether, and no one can go into the
one while the other is in operation.
The only remedy is another pair of
boilers at some distance from the
first pair.
The oil tank is right down in the
dirt and can't be painted or mended
without being excavated. Of course,
if it stays that way it will not be
many years before it springs leak;
and when the oil begins to leak out
the dirt will begin to leak in; and
then the tank will be useless. The
Star thought about that disadvantage
when the tank was put in, but that
council wasn't paying any attention
to what the Star said.
The turbine engine is well-nigh a
perfect machine, but no plant that
has to run twenty-four hours a day
should have to depend on one ma
chine. Of the other two engines, one,
the Harrisburg, has been a good SER
want, and like all other good servants
has been overworked. 1t is now only
able to carry the lightest load for a
few hours at a time. The Skinner en-
CINE should be called the skinny"
engine. 1t wasn't strong enough to
do the work when it was put in, it
has broken down and been repaired
three or four times, it has cost the
city thousands for repairs, and there
is no telling when it will break again.
In comparison with the turbine, these
engines use disproportionate amount
of fuel.
The proper thing to do is to make
a careful estimate for another turbine
and another battery of boilers, and a
understanding plant, and whatever
else is necessary, not only for now,
but for at least ten years to come
All these improvements will cost
money, and the Star thinks the money
should be raised by bond issue. We
don't believe in either raising rates or
trying to do the work piecemeal, pay
ing for it as the plant makes the
money. Rates are high enough now
if they are raised any higher there
will be no use in the city owning its
plant. The only reason we have for
owning our light and water plant is
to give the people good service for
less money. If the rates must go up
to the same paid in towns which do
not own their plants, we had better
sell our plant and get rid of the worry
of taking care of it. A bond issue
may be arranged on basis that will
enable the bonds to be paid mostly if
not entirely out of the earnings of the
plant and adding little if any to the
taxation. But if the people continue
to own these utilities we must have
good light, strong current, good water
and plenty of it, and all at a rate
that will make it pay the people to
own them. Otherwise we will have
a breakdown, excessive insurance
rates and a lot of other evils that
will foot up higher than two or three
reasonable bond issues
There is something else that Satur-
days fire has brought to the front, i.
e., there is something seriously at
fault with the water pressure. Ger
tain it is there was no excuse for low
pressure Saturday morning, for there
was much higher pressure later; also,
there has been good water pressure