The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1924-04-04
READY TO SEND
Us THE JUICE
Virginia Company Will Build
Power Lines Here If City
Will Contract for Current


from $550,OOO to $S00,CO0 if in
stead Of brilding its own light
and power plant, it takes up
with the offer of the Virginia
Railway < Power Company
which has large plants in Rich
mond and Norfolk. and which
has offered to put its power
lines into this city to furnish
us current. j::ts as soon as the
City Council will sign a con-
tract.
The virginia Company 10 nd
visrd u committee from the BOart
or Aldermen this week. The Boart
of Aldermen held u special meeting
om Monday and appointed Alder
man Fcrrncr and Kramer, Mayor
Goodwin and the city Manager Il
take up the matter and learn u
the virginia Company has n surplus
aud will put It's power lines Int
Elizabeth city. just ns soon rs thu
city will execute contracts to take
care of the service.
IN line with an editorial In thi'
newspaper several weeks ago, Al
,irrnun Miles Ferebee Of the FOurtl
Ward, and ID. Ray Kramer OF TIT
Second Ward. brought the mntte
before the City Council ut a specla
meeting called by Mayor Goodwin
for the purpose this week.
II will bc remembered that tn
city is now involved In II lega
tnnglr in which the privately own
rd utilities companies seek to RI
strain the city from issuing bOld
and building It's own plants. Th
complications have arisen since tn
Aldermen two years ago voted Il
issue bonds. amounting to SSOO.OO
for this purpose. u will be rcmcn
hcrrd that the city has for yeir
been obliged tO submit tO such serv
ir ~ the utilities companies fee
diSposrl to give. o.
Alderman Kramer is II pructicl
engineer himself and thinks TIT
iIcu H. worth lot of investigation
Mr.. Kramer says II would cost les
than S20O,OOO To wire the town 4
distribute the current. nnd thi
wiring would bc nll right, shOul'
the city ever decide to build IL
own plant. The current would b
brought to Elizabeth city over higl
voltage wires. the town buying !
nj wholesale and selling tn cOnsiinl
rrs at cost. plus interest Oh tn
money invested In wirina Mr.
Kramer thinks three 1,OOO.wat
transformers costing two or thrc'
thousand dollars. is nll the equip
mrlIt needed Ia handle the juice be
fore distributing IL to CONSUMERS.
Proponents of the new plnn Il
gct current for local CONSUMERS. con
tend that il h the only pra"fic;l
solution Of the electric problem
here n, the present time. u IL point
cd out that the "ity would snvr M
wards of u half million dollnr'
which is sOrcly rccdcd for stree
mving. for Il municipal building
for the filling Of scvernl cniinlt
which hnve already become Il 'prol
lem. and for numerous other need
! about town. On the one hand nr
the citizens cOntcnding that take
; are already too high, and on th
other the citizens urc gOading tll
board Of aldermen to do sOnt hin
for the relief of their utility trOl
I blrs, aud - the aldermen see u
opening to secure plenty of cui
rent without making the taxpayer
! shoulder Il big investment.
A contract with the Nirginl
Company may lift considerable bil
den of the shoulders of the city az
ministrution for many ycnrs.
may bc that few years, Elizabet
city will have OutgrOwn the Sol
of plant contemplated at the pre'
cnt time. und that pOstWmt
mrnt of the huiltling plans iila
save il from the same boat as nov
But the city council will go. cat
iiously into any deal with d VII
ginia Company that has been
the business for many years, an
whose executives are us shrew'
cautious. lOng.headed and clos
fistcd as tn, executives Of our Ow
utility companies, and more so thu
the bond Of aldermen who nv
80. rtimoe hard to got tOpcth"-.