THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNINO, APRIL 12, 1C03.
1 r
1-
CITES FAILURES OF '
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP
C ; President Josselyn of the Local Electric Company Pre
' : scnts Arguments id Mayor Lane Against the Execu-'
" . tMs Vim tot Lighting the City; j;
, President B. 8. Josselyn of tta Port
. Jand Railway, Light m Power company
has written an. open letter to Mayor
Lane eipresslna hie aisapprovai of the
" mayor's proposition for the municipal
; ownership of , the electrlo light plant
In the letter which la Ktven In full here
with the light and railway president
'iiltte Instances of alleged failure of mu
nicipally owned plants, which he Says
shows that Portland a taxes would be
largely Increased by the purchase of
uch a DlanL The letter fa aa follows
Honorable Harry Lane, Mayor, Port
land Dear Blr: Noting your position
.on the subject of municipal ownership
of publlo uilllty corporations, and lnaa
much aa our company Is one of the larg
est. If not the large!. Individual tax-
.payer In the city, and consequently In
. forested In knowing that nothing shall
be done along the line of municipal
' .'ownership that would have the effect of
Increasing our taxes, I have made quite
, an extensive research: to aacertain both
aides of me question xrom ins experi
ence bad In other cities of the United
g States who have undertaken municipal
management - or ownership of publlo
utilities, and give you herewith a few
short extracts on to subject for your
' Information, aa well aa that of the good
, peopleof Portland.
i In Richmond, Virginia, the city gas
Slant la one ot tne oideet in ine eoun
ry, and la the largest municipal owner,
ahln Institution Of Its kind on this side
of the Atlantic, barring that at Phlla
dalDhla, which Ms leased to a private
' oornoratlon. - Oaa la aold in that city
, for 11 per thousand cublo feet, and an
eciorc waa maoe to reouce inm price io
SO eenta or is centa per thousand feet
, 'In endeavoring to give the city council
information on which to base action,
I the superintendent of the plant rave
one figure as the real ooet ot making
toe proouct; vne euy accountant on area
a second figure, and the finance commit
tee nroduoed a third ail oirrerent ana
aJL of coarse, correct (T) The council
,at Richmond la large, patrlotio and elo
auant not unlike that of Portland, and
the gaa price question cauaed eotne liv
tereaUng scene. After It waa ail over
the point that the ' city did not know
SOW BjUOII uu wu-wnvi VI tmiimutm
about Its gas worka seemed to. be the
ingle) eonoiualon .upon which a ma
jority waa agreed, and the reduction In
brio was defeated. It waa charred
that the cheap gaa jnovement waa for
the purpoee of campaign material with
out proper consideration of the finances
and facta Involved. - - .(
Odd Peal with One City.
In KeW TVeetmlnattHs B. C a curious
roetood of protecting tne- revenues ox
lh .nntilnln&l alaatrLt llrht Blent Waa
' adopted la order to save the elty plant
Xrom injurious eomytuuva iron r
supplied by the gaa company, In that
the city authorltlea prevailed upon the
principal owner of the gaa oompany to
maintain a rat of I2.E0 per thousand
'cublo feet Tho aeai waa onnijni 19
light when , the gas company protested
agalnat granting a franohlse to another
oompany, stating that they would-be
abla to sell ran cheaper but for the
agreement with the city, and under the
cTroumatanceo felt It waa entlUed to
protection by the city. -
That public eervlce companies do not
suffer from Investigation by -city au
thorltlea, when the action la Impartial
and not for the purpoae of political a
rertisinr. is anown ax ierra naaia, In
diana, where the Cltlsena Oaa & Fuel
company recently had its service ex
amined and tested under the auspices
of a special committee of the city COUn
i, . nhA A.t wiaHfi ihnvi aMrvIn tn
ta aatlefaetorr and the committee waa
unable to discover any grounds for
criticism.
, rrankfort'a JJteported Xxperienoe.
' At Frankfort, Indiana, a disinterested
cltlsen In response to a request lor an
opinion upon - municipal ownership,
stated that they have alty from 10,-
000 to 12.000. The original cost for a
municipal lighting plant was something
over $90,000. Though the city has no
.report from data on file, he would Judge
that the cost waa about. 20 per atreet
arc lamp per year. The city taxes have
been doubled aMnce the Installation of
the municipal lighting plant. The ser
vice is extremely poor, and while It ap
pears to be the pet or "certain council
men, there la not a taxpayer in the city'
that doea not .regard the plant as a1
white elenhant lie etatee that If
city la out of debt, haa a low tax levy
and a large surplus of rash that the
city wishee to get rid of. his sdvloe
would be to build a municipal lighting
plant ' . . .
In New York City the expense budget
for city government this year amounts
to MS.OuO.OOO. Of the amount, $24.
600,000 la for Interest on the bonded
debt, and 114,000,000 Is for redemption
of that much of the bonded' debt' A
great many of the things for which the
money waa originally Dorrowwi nave
been, used, worn, out and 'disappeared
from the. eyes and knowledge of men.
The figures are presented for the bene
fit of those who have no dial Ike of pub
llo debt and who believe In letting com
ing generations pay.. , , .
- rrivate Ownership Triumphant '
" St Ignace, Michigan, has surrendered
to Private ownership after political
struggle lasting five years. The Manle
tlque Light at -ower oompany not only
clalma a 10-year-contract on Its own
itrmi which a linear reasonable) but
contract for Dumping the - municipal
water throurh. the municipal water
MJB-aais. , . A a
la salt Lake elty tne rates cnargea ny
th. m ii n initial water works are to be
advanced soon In order to provide from
lio ooo tn 160.000 additional revenue an
nually, which repreeenta the deficit
under municipal operation, maintenance
and. interest and sinking fund charges.
Tho income to the department last year
i in ooa The Bum neeaea 10 meet
xpenens, minus depreuution. la about
I'iioooo a.vear. The city la In bad
financial condition and the administra
tion can see no' war 10 cover mi uanun
except by Increasing the cost for sup
plying water. '"
At Kansas Cltr the journal la an out
spoken opponent or municipal ownersmp
and does not mind who knows IV and
state substantially as xonowsi .
if th water worka were now operated
by a private corporation. Instead of by
the municipality, such a protest against
Inefficient service as waa recently aeni
tn thm ma Tor. would orovoke me aamin
Istratlon to volcanio wrath, but aa the
city and not a private corporation owna
the water worka. the mayor referred the
protest to ine ooaru oi puuuo woraa,
which probably referred It to Its' secre
tary, who probably 'referred It to his
a pigeon hole, where It will probably
rent In unmolested seclusion while the
solemn years flan tuelr gloomy wings
adown the centuries. Those enthusiasts
who are elamorlnr for municipal owner
ship are gTcvtousTjr embarraased by the
water woras. ll is a standing reiuiaiion
of their publlo ownership arguments.
The aerrloe 1 Inferior and comes ex
travagantly high. It haa never paid ex
penses and frequent bond Ismies are
necessary to make up the deficits.1 If
the sewer system of the city were cared
for and maintained under private con
tract, what a cry would be raised about
Us Inefficiency.
If the maintenance and care of the
streets were a - matter of private con
trol, the city officials' from the mayor
aown would go into-one convulsion after
another. If the work of tho city admin
istration were done under private con
tract what a howl there would be at the
city hall- With all Its boards, commis
sions, agents, superintendents, experts
and an army of clerks, the city Is un
able to run lt affairs efficiently and
satisfactorily. Tet there are those who
would have. It essay to run all other
utilities; and officials of tho city, who
stand dumb and Impotent in the face of
ordinary business .. problems, criticise
the ntreet railways, the telephone sya
tema, the gaa company and other effi
cient ana capaoie puono aervice com'
Danlea
At Pulaski, Virginia, a place of some
plant is offeree ror sale. -
The town or iveeanam. jaassaonuaetta.
haa Just aold Ita municipal atreet light
ing plant to tho Edison Electrlo Illumi
nating company of Boston, .and a 20
year contract made for street illumi
nation at the company's regular stand
ard ratea, the same as charged under
similar conditions to the other towns
In the adjacent territory. The Need-
ham municipal plant waa installed
about 1S94 at an approximate cost of
111.500. It waa solely for atreet light
ing, the commercial aervice being in tho
handa of a private oompany from which
the electrlo current for the atreet light-
GREAT GROWTH OF CITY
EVIDENCED EVERYWHERE
Wtverlclgh Being Improved With Pavement!, Cement Walks' and
Curbs unprecedented Demand for Building Sites '
;-v. John P. -Sharkey Working Overtime:,
JOHN P. 8 MARKET.
That Portland is more than holding Jorltv of the purchaaera will eventually
nor own in tho building line la an es
tablished fact One haa only to movo
around In any direction to see evidenoea
of growth. Those who are in a po
sition to apeak authoritatively on tho
clty'e expansion have no hesitancy In
expressing themselves la no mistaken
manner about - the rapid headway the
whole city Is making. Although thsre
la considerable vacant nroDerfy with
in a mile of tho Morrison street bridge,
oeovle who are Inventing money In lota
and aecurlnr lota for homo building
have a tendency to go farther out This
ahowa a lively faith In tho city's fu
ture. They are aatlafled that Portland
Is making progress to warrant tffem In
securing holdings even four and five
miles from the bualnesa center. The
number of new additions that are being
filatted Is another criterion that there
s a blr demand for home butldinr sites.
An Interview with John P. Sharkey con
vinced The Journal of the great possi
bilities of such additions aa WaveHelgh
hlch Ilea Immediately south of JLm-
alon atreet and east of Twenty-sixth
street "Waverlelgh la a beautiful tract
of 140 scree and waa platted In Maroh,
1907. Mr. Sharkey with hla usual vim
used printer's ink liberally, Is bringing
Waverlelgh to tho attention of prospec
tive buyers and tin to the nreaent time
has sold nearly 600 lota and tho ma-
build- homes. The prices of lots opened
i to ffvu, wnicn were very low.
Prices have advanced to 1461 to. 1780
and aince the advance lota are selling
oven more rapidly. Mr. Sharkey say a
tne great majority of people who buy
property now use good judgment There
Is no wildcat speculation .going on In
Portland. When a person buys, he or
she looks over the situation carefully,
and the result Is those who buy for
speculation generally make a nice prof
It while those who build homes refuse
good substantial offers for them-
sometimes before the bouses are fin
ished. People are beginning to realise that
It la Impossible for all to live In or
near the heart of a metropolitan city.
Portland is now in the big city class
and professional men, businees men.
are rapidly radiating out and following
the trolley lines, waverlelgh Is get
ting more than a fair share of home
builders. It Is most attractively lo
cated and general Improvements are go
ing on aa fast aa the labor of oxnerta
and horsepower can make them. When
tne atreeta are an graded, ooment wains
and curbs laid, Waverlelgh wlU bo one
of tho . most desirable residence dis
tricts in the city. Like all lmDroved
districts late purchasers of lots will be
coursa have to pay substantial advances.
TemHUI ' PHONE MAIN 4918 Wlti
i 1 1 . i
-LAMS'
EASTEB
SUITS
Just reccivtd by ex
press from on of New
York leading makers
75 modal Salts for oar
Easter trade. The
are positively. the lat
est etylee with those
trildnf IndlTldualtties
characterbtlo only In
high class tailor-made
suite. Come In all lead
ing shades and in two
and three -button cut
aways, semi-fitting ef
fects, etc. For Mon
day and Tuesday priced
$15.00
to $40.00
12'Ac Percales
65c Suitings
39c
60 bolts ' Dress Percales, in
staple . and 1 fancy patterns; a
large assortment carefully se
lected for our Monday and
Tuesday , sales; val
ues
yard
xu Jur oar ivionaay ana
isday sales; val- O I
up to 12e. tha jyi Q
SO full bolts of Fancy Worsted
Spring Suiting,' in, checks,
stripes, plaids, small figures snd
shadow effects; values up to 65c.
Special for Monday -
Lace Curtains
We have just received a large
assortment of Lace Curtains at
exceptional low prices and offer
them for Monday and Tuesday,
the pair, at ' 1 . i;
50c up lo $5.00
lng was bought ThU combination waa ably to be ascertained by a court. Is de-
not satisfactory ana tne town aiscov- cidedly interesting. perhaDS some pun
ered It was esslrable either to sell out lie ownership enthusiasts reading this
to the Edison company, or purchase the I mav be moved to reflection. Lake many
commercial racuuies ana -enter in tne (other phrases that of "publlo utilities
business. After full consideration the j should belong to the people" has a habit
aocision enaciea was reacoea ana an I or alscusslon ana double dealing.
ownership aban-
forms ot munlplcal
donad.
Spokane,' Washington, Is defendant In
a suit brought by a eltison. charging
that the water rates are exorbitant and
that tho money- Is diverted from the
water fund for other purposes, notwith
standing tho party who brings the suit
is one of tne owners or tne water works,
that Is, according to the theory of mu
nicipal ownership. He goes Into court
to nrevent hla own creature from charg
ing more than he thinks the service Ts
worth. The fact tnat sucn a case is in
the courts, and that the reasonableness
of tho water rates at Spokane la prob-
Come
and Get
Your Teeth
fixed Before
They Get Worse
Our Careful, Tender
Methods Will
Please You.
lies5-
Chief of Staff ; J i
GENTLE DENTISTRY
"( .1 j :' ; Our Motto : Your " Consideration First, Ours Last.
,u i VISIT OUR
Perfect Dentistry; Modest Prices.
New Home
OMce Hours from 8 a..m. to 5:30;
;ip. m.; Sundays; 9 a. m. to '
l p. m. Main . . .
BOXJO OOXT "TEETH CTBlOWSrS Any tooth in tho mouth LA flfs
we crown with solid gold, 22k, guaranteed the best for. . V"
POBCEXiAXar CSOWjrsvAny porcelain Crown made no Cf.ffl
matter what they are called or how made. Our prloo l.....Py
BRIDGES -Solid gold top. solid gold back, porcelain front. .i,..f4O0
Bolid gold teeth. 22k bridge, per tooth i ........
. . All other work same price, proportionately.
. : , Absohite Ouara&teea Wo Better Work In Portland at Any '
' SMrloe. Tho Best Bet of Teeth Made for 7.00 i - -
EASTERN 'DENTIS
32654 WASHINGTON, CORNER SIXTH -ttEff?)
j
The city council of Lafayette, Indi
ana, haa rejected a proposed municipal
electrlo plant scheme after Investigation
on the eubject by Individual members.
The Courier of that place says, editor
ially: . "Municipal ownershln has gener
ally proven a failure, although on paper
It Invariably looks good and Its theory
sounds well. Its advocates here believe
we might be one of the exceptions.
Well, we might. It is true, but that is
what nearly every other municipality
that has. even tried It thought, only to
come up with a bump that made tho
taxpayers wonder what had hit them
but the question la aettled. Let there
be peace.
in Cincinnati it waa thought that
gaa or electrlo company alone In tta ter
ritory naa no competition, a nronoaition
generally accepted upon lta face, but Is
not true, some xacia riven in a cir
cular issued by the Union Gaa A Eleo
trio company of Cincinnati, ahowlng the
results of operation for a certain per-
loa. uiuairaie now mis view is wrong,
It is related that by reason of the ag
gressive campaign for new business the
company succeeded In substituting its
service for 1 private gasoline electrlo
generating plants. 44 steam power
plants and 14 Isolated plants, besldea
securing tne cnan?e or it nimninM
from hydraulic to electrlo power, all
m ono year. Labor increased IE rer
conv in cuai, wnn a reaucuon in nours
rrom iz to eignt, and materials of all
kinds were verv hiah in tric. hnt on
higher rates for gas or electricity were
contemplated, as would have been tho
ruie in an ordinary inauBtry.
The authorities of wtrtAwn m n
have decided not to build a water worka
to compete with a local oompany already
in - tho field, - . . , .
At Charlevoix Mich.. ' Vh hnarA
publlo works readjusted the water ratea
maae in in ine investigation re
quired many abuses and inequalities
uiscgrerw. Duma mei w.r. raiau.ii
others lowered oven the -board Of pub-
i'u nviu ww lumHiw, atom recently
still. It waa found that the city had a
very large amount of money due It from
the Risers of wajer and light There la
no town, within fortv mll nf rh.ri
yolx that owns. Its own lighting plant,
that ' Is not in trouble concerning the
management - and onaration th rn)f mnA
In one oaee the situation is serious.
At Nashville, Tenn., the report of tho
Buperinienuent or tne municipal water
works aenartment atatM ha d rainnd
and stopped two big leaks In South
Nashville, one of which had been sup
plying a "spring" for years that drlul tin
on discovering a rour-lnoh main hrelrnn
squareiy in two ana - stopping the leak.
In .a renort to tha boarA of aid Arm An
of Burlington, Vt certified public ac
countants set forth that the municipal
electrlo plant or tnat place has been op
erated at a heavy loss since it was put
Intp service. The city plant supplies
tho street lighting and pays for com
mercial servioe with a nrivate mmminT.
The depreciation allowance made bv the
accountants were: Building. I per cent;
machinery, e , per cent: tools, fixtures.
etc., IS per cent.
Tho communication transmitting the
feport close with this paragraph:
. '"Wo find that tho department la pay-;
lng nothing in reelect to the rental for
tho land occupied by its plant, which, If
It were-' a eammantil riindnrtiklnr. It
would undoubtedly have to bear."
" The above communication la quite
long, out i snau, ir aesiren, do pieasea
to-giro -you further refefeneea should
you desire to be more full posted of
Ladies' Lingerie Muslin Wears
Lot No. 1 Ladies' fine Gowns
and underskirts, made of very
good grade muslin, trimmed in
tucks, embroidery and lace in
jertions, wide ruffles, double
stitched throughout; a wide
range of styles and' finishes;
values up to $2. Special for
Monday
and Tuesday,
choice
l. cpeciai i or
$1.29
Lot No. 2 A select assort
ment of Muslinwear, consist
ing of about 50 pieces etch of
Gowns, Skirts, Drawers and
Corset Covers, all beautifully
trimmed in laces, insertions
and openwork em
broideries; vals. to
SI. Your choice.,..
49c
SUB YAMHILL STRERT WINDOW
-WMfc
ft ,r
w
or Easter Off erihgsiinj
'File ie
- The Kard-Klapper Co. direct, your particular
attention to the splendid showing of Easter
Shoes in men's, .women's and children's wear,
specially selected for the -Monday and Tuesday
sales. These shoes were gathered from the best
manufacturers in the country and tha materials,
fit and workmanship are fully guaranteed. ,
Try Onr $2.00, $2.50 or $3.00
Shoes You Will Be
Pleased Willi Them.
Better Shoes at f3.50, f 4.00 and f 5.00.
Wmk
FOR-WOMW MB --(mMM-
THE iMJNSmOIE
Women's and Children'a Diseases Treat- t
cd exclusively by graduate and licensed
Women Physldaos only
mWovs and;cdronic diseases
A SPECIALTY
Maternity Cases glyen careful attention
. and np-to-data maternity hospital In
- connection. . .
k No Charge for Consultation- Corre- ,
apondence Solicited.
SUITES ,5 TO 14 GRAND, THEATRE BLDG.
352 Y Washington' Street Corner Park
BOTH PHONES-Main 3928 A5607 . '
APPOINTMENTS'MADE BY PHONE
JUMPING 1
ROPES
FREE
for the
Children
Om . aWery Xaf er "BaUer-ant'
the exact- outcome as demonstrated In
other municipalities, for tho purpose, if
possible, of defeating; an increased tax
ation tnat ml:htbe levied upon ua by
eason of municipal owneremp vt. yuunu
tilitlea, - very .fitTN; H
j rresiaeni.
ARGENTINE PAPER ; ";
1 BEFRIENDS SPAIN
. (Catted Pieea Uated Wire.
. Madrid, April If. -A flaUy newspaper
of Buenos Aires, prensa, . haa tm
balmed itaelf In the hearts of Spain by
starting a subscription for the sufferers
In Malaga by the terrible inundation
that has visited that city, and has been
the recipient of numerous - telerranvs
from the most prominent people of the
kingdom, . The prime minister, Waure,
haa sent the following- messHtte: "Fra
ternal love among the peoples distinct
and separated by historic vicissitudes,
Bank, Store and Office Railing
Fire Escapes
and
Fire Casings
Fencing
and
Trellis Werk
; Portland ;Wire & Iron Worfcs
Cor. Second and Everett flta.
Phono Alitlri 20C
mil.
.1
t,..
by geographlo distance, proclaims oncelfeta mrlt a p'ratltn.i-. t
more tuo eovereifrn preeminence or in
human spirit.- which prevails aaainRt
disaareenienta. ' dveriti.t and even
deathe itself. The. treasures, wnrthy of
true estimation are those which are kept
In the heart ' and uti)ertanilinc: and
those which like I.a I'renaa of Hueoo
Aires, live and dUfuae ti;'-!r holy ef-
eJevelopnifiit l
natiuu. 1' rati
Krows and t
iiaura."
The w
1U ra-v.