White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1936-11-19
The Power Election
in Benton County
Commissioner A. l.. Br0ckWay Pre-
;cnts Salient Points Involved
In Approaching Election

;cntS Salient Points Involved
In Approaching Election
AS required by law, an election
will be held in Benton County, Dec.
5th, 1896, to elect one Public Utility
District Commissioner from Com |
missioner District No. l, and one
co, missioner from District No. 2.
II. sse candidates were nominated
H petition by residents Of their re-
s,,ective Districts, but are elected by
re voters of the entire County.
Besides voting for the Conlrnis-
.oners, we will be called upon to
cote for or against the following
roposition
BE TT RESOLVED, that the Ben
ton County Utility District No. l
condemn the properties of the Pa
ciic Power & Light Company, locat-
ed within Benton County, exclusive
of the $4,000 volt trunk lines, and
that the Utility District condemn
the contract between the Pacific
Power g. Light Company and the
United States Bureau of Reclama-
ton and take steps to acquire adj
ditional power at Priest Rapids, and
that the said funds to acquire said
properties, including charges for
y professional services relative there
4 to 1exclusiye of court costs and in-
cidental expensesl, shall be derived
from bonds to be issued against the
4 revenues of such utilities only, If
acquired, and without any levy or
assessment against the taxpayer.
This proposition, stated, as it is,
in legal terms by the attorney for
the District, may be somewhat con-
fusing to the laynlan who has not
followed the work of the Commits
sioners closely for the past two
years. It should be noted that CON
demnation'' does not mean ''plr-
chase" It certainly is not the IN
tention of any member Of the Com
mission to move to purchase this
or any other property, unless the
price set is fair and reasonable.
The P. P. & L. Company has been
asked to set price upon the prop
} erty, but they have declined to dc
so. One official of that company
stated that the only feasible pla1
D in determining the value of the pro-
D parties would be to ''go ahead witt
0 condemnation proceedings" Thl:
0 is, of course, the only method avail
0 able. The objection to this methot
0 is in the costs incident to the cour1
0 procedure, and it might be of inter
0 est to the voters to know the detail
o leading up to the point where tn
% Commissioners are ready to Initial
70 proceedings, if that course is ap
70 proved at the election, Dec. 9th.
70 The first step was to make sur
70 of the legality of the Grange Pow
10 err Bill as the Act was commonl
10 called. This has been done, friend
10 w suit Gin which the Pacific Powe
81 Light Company participated a
q intervenor) having been carrie
e through the courts of the State Q
!, washington, and the constitution
J, alitv of the Act has been firmly es
J. tabliShed.
n The next step was to employ en-
gineers to outline a plan of opera
O. ton of a Public Utility power plan
1t in Benton County. This was don
If and the P. P. & l.. CO. was aske
h for a price on such portions of il
sc distribution lines, ETC., as was nee
in essary for the plan. Upon. the re
W fusal to sell, and in view of the ali
,e s,1rdity of constructing duplicat
lines, if the people were to procee