Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-04-18
HUTCHINSON
VOTES PLANT
Municipal Power Facilities are At.
tracing Attention OF Village
and City Voters.
By HENRY G.. TEIGAN

Tile light dllu poWCl SoAPetAAiS' -
Minnesota. The conservative city OF
Hutchinson returned a majority for
municipal ownership by a vote OF 114b
to 12S against. The margin was al
most ten to one for public ownership.
A few days before the city of Glen
coe in the same county had voted out
the betrayers of the public interest
by an equally impressive vote. The
old mayor and his colleagues In the
city council who had come to the
rescue of the Northern States Power
Company went down to defeat at the
hands of men pledged to municipal
light and power plant.
But that was not all. The State
Supreme Court, by unanimous vote,
upheld the elections at Mora and
Mountain Lake at which the people
had voted for the establishment OF
municipality owned electric plants.
incidentally, the court paid its re-
spects to the performance of the light
and power company that had sought
to restrain the Mountain Lake people
from proceeding with the construction
of the plant.
"ImprOper Conduct
1t appears that the power company's
contention was that the citizens OF
Mountain Lake had violated the Cor
rupt Practices Act in its publicity
matter. The publicity disseminated
by the citizens committee favoring a
municipal light plant was in answer
to certain false contentious OF the
power company which the court desig-
mated as improper conduct" The
court said in part:
AN inspection of the record in this
case and in the election contests, made
a part of the record in the case at bar,
shows that the plaintiff was the ag-
gressor in all the political activity
surrounding the election; that, il any
law was violated, or if there was airy
improper conduct, the plaintiff Power
Company was guilty.
Under the doctrine of clean hands,
it would not seem that the Power
Company could complain of a viola
ton of which it itself is guilty, or
complain of conduct which it caused
by the publication of unfair state
ments. To deny defendants the right
to answer such statements, would
place a handicap upon them never
intended in the law"
Strong Language.
1t is seldom that the Supreme Court
voices its opinion in as caustlc Ian
guage as that used in the above case.
In all probability, however. it will
have a wholesome, effect on power
companies that in the future seek to
enjoin voters from carrying out their
wishes as expressed at the polls. In
other words, now that the city OF
Hutchinson has so overwhelmingly de-
cided to go ahead with the estab-
lishment of light and power plant,
the Northern States Power Company
may find it unwise to resort to legal
action to prevent the voters from car
rying out their plans.
Where Profits Go.
Incidentally too, the profits earned
by the Litchfield plant go into the city
treasury, while the profits earned by
the Northern States Power Company
at Hutchinson flow into Golfers of tn
men of Wall Street.
In this connection it is interesting
to note the difference in light rates
in the city of Hutchinson. supplied
with current by the Northern States
Power Company. and the city of Itch
field. whose current is furnished by a
municipal plant.
Big Saving I'm Litchfield.
For a five room house in Hutchin-
son with total consumption of 1870
kilowatt hours, the charge would be
$3.50. In Litchtield, according to ].
&. Bang, superintendent of the plant,
the charge would be only $40, or a
saving to the customer of $1.20. On
an eight room house in Hutchinson,
whose total consumption is 14S kilO-
watt hours, the charge would be $6.6S.
while at Litchfield the same amount
of current would be supplied at $4.4S,
or at a saving of 1922.
Mr.. Bang also shows that the power
rates in Litchfeld. with this munich
pal plant, are considerably below
those at Hutchinson. Space, however,
forbids quoting more of Mr.. Bar g's
splendid article comparing the Hutch
inson and Litchfield electric rates.
The struggle for public ownership
has been hard one. Private owner
ship will not give way as a result of
argument alone. Moreover. no big
business group is more firmly en-
trenched than is the power crowd.
Yet, the indications are that the peo-
pie are waking up on this particular
issue, at least, and ere long they will
come into their own through the
establishment of publicly-owned light
and power systems.
Big Battle I'm st. Paul.
The biggest battle ahead for the
power crowd in this state is in the
city of St. Paul. Reference to this |
was made in a previous article. Near
ly $4,000 st. Paul voters have signed |
petitions asking that a special cleo
ton be held for the voting of bonds |
for an electric plant. The establish |
ment of such plant in st. Paul will, |
of course, have the effect of bringing |