The Washington times., 1924-01-03
CANADA FARMS
GET CHEAP
POWER
ontario's Municipal Electric
Plant Solves Problem OF
Labor Cost.
JOHN r. LAMBERT,
Cosmopolitan News Service.

C0HmOpOAlL8D N0WB 0CEVAGc'
/, The Ontario hydro-electric system
will soon be able to generate .OOV''
900 horsepower. There is said 10
be nothing like it in size in the
world. 1t has the lowest rates any
where. It 10 owned by the people
and operated by them.
The people of Ontario had to have
a system. They had no local coal.
They were buying coal in this coun-
try and paying high rates and
freight charges for it. The private
companies were unwilling to oper'
ate their plants in the public IN
terest. They were concerned only
in getting high dividends. Farmers,
homes were dark at night. except
for candles or kerosene lamps. Pri-
vate companies said they couldn't
afford" to supply the farmers.
All Cities Served.
Practically every city and town
in the big province now has cleo
trio service. Twelve years ago. the
people of twelve towns got together
and formed the system. 1t now
selves 247 municipalities, seventy
seven townships and about 100000
customers. Those twelve places
were paying the private companies
9.6 cents per kilowatt hour. NOW
they get their light from their own
public plant for 80 cents.
The seventy-nine cities OF the
province were paying an average
Of 9.82 cents per kilowatt hour
They now get it for 4.66. There
are forty-six cities served for less
than 8 cents per, kilowatt hour.
The people there are beginning &c
electrify their railroads. ontario
farmers homes are being lighted as
fast as lines can be run TO them
More than 500 miles of TRANSMISSION
lines have been built to them. More
than 10000 farm and hamlet dwell
lers are using the service.
Light ON Farms.
For twenty-five cents a day, the
Ontario farmer can light all MS
farm buildings and operate all cleo
trio household utensils. For fifty
six cents a day. he can get enough
additional power to operate ten
horsepower motor, equal to the
labor of 12O men. For ninety cents
day he can get power equivalent
to the labor capacity Of 240 men.
Public ownership has increased
the productive capacity of the farm
and added to the value Of the land
Abandoned farms are being re
claimed. Here. politicians are pass
ing tariff laws in the hope of arti
ficially stimulating prosperity.
Sir Adam Beck. head of tn
Ontario system, saws the corpora
| ion com rolled newspapers of TIN:
COUNTRY had spread a great dco
, II lying propaganda against public
ownership.
One report was distributed tina
he Der capita cost of street lightins
J W Toronto was GO cents as com
! 1a"nd with so cents by the private
| company in Buffalo, Sir Adam say'
! shat. the person who circulated tina
| report ignored the fact that half O
Buffalo was lighted by gas or gaso
| line lamps.
The man who wrote the repor
| took one-half the cost of lighting
Buffalo and compared it with tn
whole cost of lighting Toronto. 81
Adam says these are the facts:
Toronto Buffalo
Pub. Own. Priv. Own
Cost per lamp. -. S.T $46.5
Cost per capita. d. 0.642 IL
Another Failure" Of public own
ership reported recently was TIL
municipal light. and power plant il
Jacksonville, Fla. City Auditor J
E. Pace hurried to a justice of tn
peace, however, and solemnly swor
/ that for twenty-seven years tn
plant has. paid all expenses, replace
ments and depreciation, has turne
80. 400. 900 over to the city, is nov
worth about $2.50O,O0O, and gives it
customers the lowest rates in tn
State.