Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press., 1927-02-17
A Neighboring Light
Plant
(From The Cordele Dispatch)

Georgia without ad ValOreln LdAeS anu
licenses. if the plans of the water and
light commission mature. The COM
mission has rebuilt the, plant in the
last three years, out of the earnings
and with the installation of the final
anti this spring, they expect to devel-
op sufficient revenue in 1928 to take
care of the ordinary expenses of the
city.
"The bonds with which the plant
was built thirty years ago have been
retired, new wells and reservoir built
for the water system, the original
machinery replaced by modern cleo
trical units and the public lighting
extended out of these earnings of the
plant, despite low rates. Additional
! reductions in the price Of current for
domestic and commercial uses are to
go into effect March /. With the in
stallation Of the new machinery, cur
rent will be available for factory uses
for which the commission has made a
special low rate.
81. D. Dorminy, cashier of the EX-
change National Bank, DR.. A. H. Den
mark and Ed Hussey are the board OF
commissioners to whom the success of
the plant is largely due"
The struggle here has been so great
and so long that our people will be
ready to offer congratulations of the
heartiest kind to the people of the
city of Fitzgerald. 1t is a wonderful
advantage to have a taX-free munl-
cipality on the income from water
and light plant which has at the same
time given water and lights and power
to the community at a moderate cost.
1t is a wonderful thing, even though
the light and water rates might be a
little higher, because what the water
and light plants thus earn go back to
the people, They reap the benefits
of their own public utilities.
Little two-by-four, pin-headed,
cheap-cheroot lawyers in many Geor-
gia communities we know get the
pittance of a dime or two-and print
in big letters that they are attorneys
for some one of the various aliases
used by the power combine-counsel
for the great and good Georgia or
Southern or Southwestern or the Cat
tails and Grab-alls, and then they
strut out to enjoy the ETHEREAL atmos-
phere into which their said new le-
gal and professional connections have
elevated them. Big lawyers, now!
And some of the pie-faced newspa-
per operators who are not used to big
company fall into line-get a big ad
and the pay for it and then they are
sold on the said great power COM
pany which wants to come in and
make it possible to provide for indus
tries-more ndustries-better indus
tries-industries with which they are
not conversant in a business way
industries that do not tie to the ras-
Gals because they are dishonest and
do not stop at fair charges-indus-
tries that never will come because
they are engineered by people who
have better sense than to tie in with
some ething which will collect their an
nual earning in excess power charges.
There isn't anything anymore i'm
possible than big industries in this
territory under present power prices
and distribution. We challenge any
of these seedy little lawyers-these
important newspapers that are not
larger in principle than the pay for a
Stone and Webster advertisement one
time-we challenge them to show
one industry tied on the power lines
of Stone and Webster anywhere in
this territory. Stone and Webster
doesn't want them-isn't looking for
them-wouldn' have them. They
want the lights in the little towns
the house and street lighing, that's
all. They haven't dollar they want
to invest in the bringing Of new in
dustries-dare our wise newspaper
biddies who chase them through this
country like they were powerful and
miehty-we ask them to tell us where
thew have ever seen anything that
looked like Stone and Webster move
to bring in new industries. 1t isn't
SO and these newspaper operators
know it-have known it all the time.
They are not going to bring industries
every person that has any lntelll-
gence at all knows that.
And Fitzgerald is doing it's wisest
turn for it's own people when 1T holds
it's own, water and light system and
turns the profits into running the
public schools, the public offices, and
in maintaining the municipal govern
ment. A tax-free town, not for five
wears alone, but for all the time the
water and light system belongs to the
public-that's an excellent plan. 1t
is one of the finest we know of be-
cause it manifests business in public
office. 1t is testimonial which will
he a great asset for Fitzgerald. So
long as that business community
stands in its present light, it will
have as strong pulling power for in
dustrial development as any center.