Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-03-14
POWER ISSUE
TO Be VOTED ON
St. Paul People Petition for
Special Election on NUM-
cipal Plant Proposal.
Large Profits for Northern
States Power Company
are Cited.
BY HENRY G. TEIGAN

by f1ENh4 ". lElTAN
Public ownership gained great
victory in st. Paul few days ago
Advocates of public ownership OF
light and power presented petitions
to the st. Paul City Council with 81
S36 signers asking that special cleo
tion be held for voting on a proposal
to establish a municipal plant in the
city.
The petition is the largest in num-
Der of signatures ever filed with the
City Clerks office. Under st. Paul
charter provisions, $4,000 signatures
would have been sufficient to force
special election on the proposal
Thus, the petitions contained nearly
1000 signers more than necessary.
MahOney Chairman.
There were more than 400 workers
circulating the petitions. These
workers made their canvass under
the direction of a committee consist
ing of approxim ately 80 members
The officers of the committee were:
VIM. Mahoney, former mayor, chair
man; ]. F.. Bissonete, secretary; ]. S.
Jensen, treasurer; Fred Miller, Gus.
todian of petitions.
The Northern States Power COM
pany. which is supplying st. Paul
citizens with electric current Isl facing
it's biggest battle. This power COM
pany has enjoyed a most profitable
business in both of the Twin Cities,
and it is naturally loathe to sur
render it's stranglehold on either of
the two large cities. Certain con-
cessions have from time to time been
made by the company but these have
in practical effect meant little or
the new rates shows conclusively that
the average user of electric current
will gain practically nothing and that
the concessions exist only on paper
n. s. p. Profits Fourteen Millions.
According to the quarterly "Share-
holders Bulletin" issued by the North
ern States Power company for jan
uary 1885, the gross earnings were
s31,961, 237.07; operating expenses,
maintenance and taxes, S17,S75, $685.
80; with net earnings of $14,O85,
62S75.
Needless to state the net profits of
the Northern States Power company
exceed those of any legitimate bust
ness concern in percentage of profits.
1t means that the net income is prac-
tically so per cent of the gross.
Hard Fight Ahead.
The people of st. Paul are to be
congratulated upon the stand they
have thus far taken in the matter of
establishing for themselves a city
owned light and power plant Let
them go ahead now and win a smash
ing victory at the special election
which will be held in the near future.
They must not, however, take any
thing for granted. There is no "fox-
Ter" business outfit under the sun
than the N. S. P. Robert F. Pack,
president of the company. and his
lieutenants, are not merely clever
business men but are equally astute
politicians. These gentlemen know
more about handling" public Of
ficials than do the representatives of
any other business outfit in the state.
In both Of the Twin Cities the COM
pany has for years been able to con-
troll city councils SO completely as to
avoid even a suggestion of the estab-
lishment of competing publicly
owned plant.
Hutchinson People Aroused.
In this connection it is worth men
tioning that the city of Hutchinson
is also waging war on the N. S. p.
The citizens of that conservative
town are sick and tired of being plum
dered by the power company and have
forced the city council to fix a date
for a special election which will be
held late this month.
Referring again to the influence Of
the Northern States Power company
in politics it is proper to mention
here that only two weeks ago the
company and its allies secured the
overwhelming defeat of the Stock
well Water-Power amendment in the
Legislature. Only the Farmer-Labor-
ties in the house had the courage to
go down the line for the Stockwell
Eventually the people are going to
win out against the domination of the
public utilities companies and the
road to freedom is by way Of public