The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-12-16
LETTER TO EDITOR
Dec. Is, 1922.

Mr.. Editor:
l read last night with much in
terest your editorial on town man
agement. Our present system of
managing either town, village or
city affairs is a failure For twelve
years prior to the war | had oc-
caslon rs an employee of the Inter-
state Commerce Commission to
visit every state in the Union and
stopped and came to know about
the affairs of nearly all the prin-
cipal cities in this country as well
as smaller communities. Many
times | was invited to attend meet
ings where | heard discussed the
local conditions. In the middle
West | was surprised to find the
number of cities run by a COM
mission of three men who were
, hired to do the work seIectmen or
. city council usually do. Later
observed the tendency to hire one
man as manager. The city of Pet
ersburg Va, hired one of the COM
missioners of the District of Col
umbia at salary of $4,000 a year
to manage their affairs. However
| am not a believer in the owner
ship of public utilities such as
street railways, gas and electric
light plants, but the water systems
should be. All rates of a public
utility should be fixed by a state
board which board should have au-
thority on its own initiative to in
qpire and make a reasonable rate
Take for example railroad rates
and the past differential which now
attracts public attention, that
question has been discussed
time and again. Let the govern
ment once and for all fix the rate
to Boston, New York, Philadel-
phia and Baltimore. SO too, let
our Public Service Commission fix
our public utility rates for water,
gas and electricity. 1t should not
be necessary for an individual TO
make complaint and produce evil
dence.
How does it happen that St.
Johnsbury has power station for
the production of electric current
probably three times as big as the
normal flow of the river can gem
crate. Has some enteIprising in
dividual saddled on you an over
head expense which is uncalled for.
Your local plant has no storage |
and only for short time in the
year can it develop 700 h. p. The |
rest of the time it is generating |
about 200 h. p. and the balance f |
your current comes from Berlin, !
n. H. Last September | was in |
your plant when only 100 h. p. was
being turned out and the operator
told me that by five in the after
noon he would have to call on Ber
lin Are we going to allow Yer
mont to be mortgaged for the ben
eft of the General Electric Com
pany and its subsidiary companies.
Of course they wish to seek gene
ratorS and water wheels but why
purchase if you cannot use them?
We have no such amount of water
power as people think, neither
have we the money to build these
modern stations to look at We are
going to come to use more and /
more the oil engine of the DIESEL
type which can be started in a few
minutes. Our water powers grow
less each year. Statistics show
that the flow of the stream has
steadily grown less the last II
years.
We have very grave situations to
face if we are to continue as cheap
Iy as we have, and preserve our
local individuality. Paternalism at
or Montpelier is to
be discouraged in every form
whether it be schools, highways Or
Vermont has always
held a high rank because of our
individuality but if we wish Wall
Street to make of our State a play
ground we should of course CEN
tlalize, and receive outside assist
ance but it will in my opinion cost
not only individuality but money. !
Respectfully, !
WARD IEOUTG.
= g.. part VI