The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1924-10-31

you vote TO Sell. You VIII nave less
money for other things.
Here are some of the arguments
they give you for selling: That the
plant is losing money; that it is worn
out and obsolete. That you had bet
ter hurry up and sell before the u. G.
& E. backs down. If you were trying
to sell your property would you hand
out that kind of talk? Who is pay
ing for the large amount of literature
being sent out by mail urging the
sale? Who is paying the fabulous
sums being spent for newspaper ad-
vertising and space? Who is paying
for the large number of solicitor and
canvassers out soliciting votes for the
sale? Why is it that the newspapers
will only carry the one side of the
issue and will not publish the facts
against the sale even as paid adver-
tisements ? Large sums of money are
being used to put over the sale. If
there was real merit and truth in their
side they would not be spending
money so lavishly and they would be
fair enough to let the people get both
sides of the issue. The many pages
of advertising and 100000 pieces of
literature distributed, telling about
the bankruptcy of the city and the
condition of the sinking fund and. al
legged lower tax is not pertinent to
| the issue. The sale would not give
you more money for other purposes,
but less money; it would not lower
taxes but make them higher.
| Judge Walter S. Harlan in deciding
Mr.. Koehler's tax budget suit said,
'As to the reason which actuated the
legislature in passing this amendment
| in 1923 the court is not advised. But
| it would seem that at least large
contributing influence was the lobby
Of the privately owned utilities who
sought by the enactment of this stat
ute to completely hamstring cities
that owned utilities yielding profit
able revenues"
We can show that you should vote
| mo" on the electric light ballot from
| The mouths of some who are now adj
| vocating the sale.
Froelich & Emery, in their first re-
port, said, "The results of the city
electric service has been generally sat-
| sfactory; the present physical con-
diticn of the power plant equipment
| is good; the equipment has been well
| maintained; the present electric dis
.ribution system has been maintained
in good physical condition, and the
street lighting system is modern and
efficient and well designed"
Ex-Mayor Koehler in July, 1923, be-
fore city council said, "The electric
light plant has not cost the tax pay
ers one single cent, produced net
profit, took care of its own obliga-
tions. sinking fund requirements and
interest charges; in addition to that
it has furnished, without cost to the
taxpayer, street lighting for which
no tax levy has been made"
In their first report the Toledo
engineers, Froelich & Emery, after
going thoroughly over the books OF
the electric department, said, Dur
ing the period from January l, 1908,
to December 81, 1921, the electric
plant turned over to the sinking fund
trustees 1925 ,S97.65 and spent $110,-
| l47.85 out of the revenues for new
equipment and extensions to the dis
| tribution system; the value OF the
street lighting for which payment was
not made from 1908 to 1921 is estl-
mated at SAL ,155; the interest re-
ouirements on the bonded indebted
ness during that period was $780,
667. making the net operating profits
during that period, after deducting
interest requirements, $628,26725."
Mayor Kelly in an article given out
by him July l, 1924, said, Had the
street lighting been paid for from the
time the plant was built, up until
the present time, there would have
been such an amount of revenue turn.
ed over to the sinking fund trustees
to have cleared up the outstanding
debt"
In the pamphlet issued in the name
Of The Taxpayers League Of Hamil
ton, alias The Union Gas and Elec
tric Company, it says, "There is nj
question but what the owning OF {
municipal plant has been boon tt
Hamilton. 1t has kept down the rates
during the past.
In conclusion, we have had lowe.
price for electricity here because O.
the city owned plant; the city elec
trio plant has always paid it's owl
way and paid interest on the bond
and the bonds themselves as the,
came due, and has furnished tn
street lighting free of charge to tn
taxpayers. We have gone through
the pioneer stages in the production
and use of electricity. and have mad
and saved the people money. w
should not now sell this valuabl
property for mere pittance and turl
it over to monopoly. The peopl