The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1926-01-15
V.E.P. co. HAS THE LONG
END OF IT EVERY WAY
Elizabeth City Can Hardly Outfisure The
Virginians In Arriving at Price City Must /,
Expect To Pay For Current

a contract between Elizaheth
City and the Virginia Electric
& Power Co. is the item of a
fixed charge which the. Yir.
ginians demand for the: high
tension line which will have to
be built from Suffolk to -Efiz.
abeth City to deliver current
here. - .;.g,.
The virginians will build tho
high power line, which they. esd;
mate will cost 100000, but, they
want Elizabeth City to pay q fixed
charge Of $500 q month for Inter:
est. depreciation and upkeep' otethe
line. That's $4,000 year, making
the net cost Of the current 10 Us
approximately 2hc per X W.
But the virginians come back at
us and say that the Bew-,powet
plant which the city must dtl,if It
doesn't take super.power. sill cost
$50,000 Il year to operate. Nssjra
The fixed chargf Of .S25O0 a
month will not be operative. .Indefln-
itely. The charge Is based upon the
city's present consumption Of. .elec,.
tricity. II Is estimated that the city
would at once take 81 7G0 worth Of
current a month from the power
company at its prevailing rate of
] .32c per X. W. The power com:
rany will contract TO reduce the fix.
cd charge % cents on every. doiiar's
worth of current the city CONSUMES
ever and above its present estimat.
ed needs. That is to say the e.rfixed
charge item will be steadily reduc.
ed as the demand for power tncreaS
cs in Elizabeth City. It is contend,
cd that Elizabeth City's acquisition
of one big new industry using, cleo
trio power might easily wipe out
the fixed charge item. ty
There are able men at the head
of the Virginia Electric & Power
Co. and they know their stuff It ID
patent enough that they are ngufs
ing to give elizabeth CftS q fSedktect
that will be but slightly, undet, the
lowest rate ut which the 'city can
make its own current. 81 ;:acnti
Where The yirgfnian HasesTh0
Long End OfsItB;rya :.
In the obsolete little pladt which
the city bought from the Crock in'
terests it is costing about 4fcts3 per
X. w. to manufacture electsio eur.
rent. The city proposed TO stssue
more bonds aud build q new ana
more modern plant to" -eosflntore
than 100000 which would ptoduco
current at practically. a. scent and
half per X. W. The new plant,
to he equipped with two LOCO K.
W. generators would have a maxi.
mum capacity of 6,OO0, 900 &. W. Of
electricity a year and 1t would Be
necessary to operate at the maxi.
mum capacity to produce curreut
at the minimum cost. s1-r's'i
But here the virginihhsy CONS
: back at us again and. sdy. thai we
can't depend upon our proposed new
plant to deliver six million X! w.
of electricity a year, because there
Il is always the possibility ofDne Of
! the generators breaking down OF
having to bc stopped for repairs,
which would reduce the. output tn
half. y. r-t-t ~
And there's where the Ylfkihians
have the long end Of 1t. There h
no limit to the amount OF. power
that will be available for Elizabeth
City at all times il we buy our power
from the supcr-power Interests In
stead of making 1t ourselves -. The
difference between town making
it's own power and drawing. it.
power from Il high tension line l.
the difference between homo equip
ped with It's own Delco Light Sys'
TEN and a home taking its current
from the city plant, or tho difference
between a home drawing it's water
supply from we'll in the back
gard and home taking Its water
from the city mains.
The Virginians have the LONG. end
of it in the battle between them
selves and the city for. O. low rate
Elizabeth City wants to grow. Eliz'
abeth City wants new Industries.
And Elizabeth City can not get In
line for any considerable industrial
development with a locally operated
power plant. 1t can not receive the
consideration of any important ne"
Industry seeking a location until il
can offer new industries unlimited
electric power ut Low. price. Eliz'
abcth City's only opportunity to gel
into the super-powcr class Is to
make the connection With tho. VIZ
ginia Electric & Power %. and GEL
OIL the circuit with Richmond
Petersburg, Suffolk and Nortoik.
Six Months To Build Line
The Virginia company WIN sub
mits its definite proposition 70 the
city next week. If the city enters
into the contract the city will w
. .n.. rod thu trnnhIn and nXYnansa a