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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (April 19, 1908)
THE OREGON , SUNDAY JOURNAL', ' PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING. APRIL' 19,' 1803. - V A; JOSSELYN PRESENTS FURTHER ARGUMENTS i. president of Local Ejcctric Company Writes to Mayor ' ' Lane of Failures of Municipal Street-Lights , : f j ing Tlants in Othei Cities. . V Portland.: Or,- April IT, Hon. Harry ;Lane, Hwor of Portland, Deer 6lr-r-The discussion aroused bjr your pre- claimed position on tha subject of mu nicipal otnershlp of public utilities lm ' ipela ma to offsr aoma additional data i which haa bssu gleaned, from tha re corded experience of othar cities, , It la undoubted .that tha operation of yall public utilities, la a jnatter of real .Interest to tha taxpayers and. cltlsens of tha community wnioh they serve. 'Home of thaaa ara to ba dlfferentleted from ordinary eommsrclal enterprises .because they , mora vitally, affect tba publlo waif ara. . . f Effective and efficient lit htln af . .tha street conduces to public aaraty, reducing tha denser In using tha pub Ho atraata at nlajnt from accidents dua to defective pavements, collisions, a to., and from tha acta of lawless paraona. -Tha street llfhtlnff system la In thla respect an, adjunct of tba department 'of publlo aafaty. j Contracts SoomocaJoaJ V In providing light for its streets, ' .parka, and publlo bulldlnrs,' tha city baa .tha option of purchaaa by contract or ,of undertaking service at its own liak on Vather uncertain estimates of proba ble coat. Tha contract plan aaauraa a definite grose coat to tha city, which la known and will ba no mora nor lees .for a certain period. The municipal ownership plan Involves all of the rlaka 'and uncertainties of going Into business ton one's own account, except thoaa due 'to bad debta. and beyond thla la tha ;'neceslty of making a large Investment 4n order to embark In the undertaking Any contractor can -affect economies .In buying: supplies and In handling his force of men and his' equipment If ha is nomg a large nusinesa in a given lo cality. In a similar way, a corporation In tha general lighting and power bust neea can .furnish street lights at a lower cost than If Ita sola business were street lighting. Buch general iigniing corporation can utilise it 'plant and force In connection with , other light and power service, so as to make a reasonable profit on street lighting at contract rates fully as low as tha true gross cost for such sen-Ice to a municipal plant Which supplies atraet lights only. This situation tends to very materially reduce tha fixed charges and operating expense for street .lighting over the corresponding Items of oosf of a plant which supplies no electrical energy during aayugnt nours. Thoss cities which established mu nicipal systems 10 to IS years ago en tered the field when plants could be con structed for very much less thsn simi lar equipment would now coat, and when the rates maintained by private corporations for aro lighting were 60 to .100 par cent higher than those existing In Portland today. B egret Vftalolpsl Owaershlp. The example set by Chicago In Install ing various muntclpsl ownership plants .was followed extensively throughout Il linois, with the result, aooordlng to re ports recently gathered, that In almost .every Instance the cltlsens of the mu nicipalities which operate their own elec tric lighting plants have causa to regret It They have. found tha promises that municipal ownership would save money for the cltlsens were baaed on miscal culations or Ignorance, and they have learned instead that they pay In nearly very instance a much higher rate than they had previously oald to orlvata corpora nons or wouia now nave to la many 'respects and a causa of con stant complaint Elgin operated Its own electrlo lighting plant or it years, lost over 1100,000, and then abandoned the plant when It was found Impossible to fet lights chesper thsn flOs.TI a year, hey now obtain private service at a fsr less coau Melon-, finding that Hs lights wars costing $9S a year, and that on a moon light schedule, sold Its $11,000 plant for 11,000 rather than continue - losing monty. hock rail a arter investing su, 000 and getting poor service at nigh rata, sold Its plant. Springfield built an elaborate plant for 171,000 and started on Its career of municipal own ership ausplcloualy, only to discover that Its lamps were-costing lilt a year. Da Also the municipal service Is deficient mentlrg upon the question of municipal whereuDon tha olant was leased to private concern. . I .a Orange dropped 160,000 In three years In Us plant. awakened to a realisation or toe ex pan as when taxes increased, and sold out. Sycamore found Ita municipal light and water service costing consid erably more than that furnished by pri vets eorporstions, ana wviney wnicn es tablished a. small electrlo Slant for lighting Its courthouse found it eost mv mora a year tnan wgni xroro a pri vate corporation. ';.. : yraoase'a XnvesttgatloB. Last year the Syracuse, New York. council appointed a representative com1 mittee oi eitisens to invsstigais ana report whether the city should own snd operate a lighting plant for supplying ass and electrlo current, or either, for light, heat and power: This committee spent'Stght months trying to ascertain whst would be best for their city. availed itself of tha beat literature on municipal ownership and operation of u gn ting in six or the roremost ana most successful public ownership cities of the country, and gathered official statistics relating to municipal lighting plants In It of ths largest municipal ownership eitlea or the ignited states. The committee signed" and returned a unanimous report on September I, 107. the concluding words of which are as follows: "Tour commission unanimous ly recommsnds that, the city of Syra oum do r.ot at the present time con struct s municipal plant for lighting Its streets, parks and pumle buildings. i ne committee was tnorouxniy rp resents tire and wss composed of the following men: Chairman. Charles W. Bnow. wholesale druggist snd banker; William H. Warner, banker; John A. Mathews, manager Sanderson Steel Co.; John H. Hsrr, vice-president Smith Pre mier Typewriter Co.. end former pro fessor of mechanical engineering at Cornell university;- Adam Voiles, presi dent Cigar Makers union snd orriciai representative o,f the Trades and Labor Assembly, George W. Driscoll, attor ney; Peter Eckel, president Eokel-Nye company, and Professor J. E. Hawkins, professor of political economy at Syra cuse university. The metnoa pursued at Syracuse was rlmple and founded .In common aense. very different from the Impulsive guesswork and splterqi prejudice shown In some American cities In approaching questions Involving publlo service com panies. Btartung onjeet lessons on tne sun- Ject of municipally operated lighting systems can be derived by a cursory examination of the bare facts relative to iho numerous municipal lighting plant failures which form costly chap ters In the financial history of so many; American cities. The New York Bun of April 10. com ownershln as applied to thai city, says "Comotroller Mats doeen't believe that the city can savs money by run ning ita own llahting and paving plants. lie said yeater.Uy that so long as hs Is in oiikjs -no win tviw "" nlclnal nwnerahlo schemes. He Is sat' lariat from renorta of the coat of run ning ths lighting plants that the city already has In operation, and af Such municipal ownerihlp experiments as ths Staten . Island fsrry. thst , muntclpsl ownership In thla city costs mora than It comes to, "Borough President -Ahearn wants a inir-inat aanhalt tiavlng Dlant and the trustees of ths New York publlo library wsnt sn electric lighting Plant lor me new library building. Mr. ; Meia, 10 wham the applications nave peen re ferred, will aot report -either of them unleas ba Is compelled to do so by ths m.lorlfv of the board. . Ha Intimated that in refualnf to bow to the munici pal ownership retlsn re naa in mayor behind him. He aays that with Its own plant for lighting tha Museum of Nat ural history tha city psvs mora than flva times what 'It would cost to buy tba current. ,. - - fi- ' - i'1: ' "'A private company can get better resulta' Mr. Mets said, 'than can.be obtained out of a municipal pianiti la not bouna flown ty any pwn iw tinnm mm (ha alvht.hour laW. the Offl ctals of the company sea to It that there la no waate or loafing, because It Is a commercial project there la more srn Clancy, and aa a result any of tha light Ing companies of this City can aelj us liVil rheaner than ws can make It. Ther la proof ' In my own office hers thst It i-osts ths city mora to oo us pubi ness than If it were a private concern If thm finance department was a com- tnavAlat hiMiaa. aa It raallv ought to ba and wss under tha system which pre vails In large financial houses the da rt men t would cost tne euy just awui if what It costs now.' Tmmm imaM.n HaHI annlV tA COndl- tlons ss they sxlst In Portland aa wall as in New York, Syracuse and numerous atner American cities wnion mmj urn mentions To-rar.y President Portland Railway, Light A Powsr Company. EC IA PAWIT AT ULC J. TODAY Missionarj- Bible Will Speak on Present Conditions 1 in the Orient. Ths msn's meeting at tha T. M. C. A, this afternoon at 1:10 Is to be addressed by F. W. Bible of Hang Chow, China. Mr. Bible is one of tha men who baa cast his lot with that great empire of tha east and la helping to plant Chris tian civilisation there. His subject Is the Resurrection of China." .His ad dress will not be given over to the tell ing, of extraordinary Incidents but he will aneak of the great problem that -. . . . . w , - . ... are Per ore the people oi wnina, ana win suggest some of the most advanced Ideas ss to thslr solution. At ths close of Mr. Bible's address, ha will conduct an half hour open par liament. During this time any one may ask any question that may coma to his mind, concsrnlng China ana tne work being done there by missionaries. Besides the address oi tns arternoon, children's chorus choir of SO voices of the First Chrlstisn church Hunflsy school, ur.der tne direction or miss May Vaia will ain some special Easter songs, and Charles H. Gray of Chicago 111 Sing a speciaj eoio. Ths Eastern sTtoakBolaen Of ths Reed French Piano Manufactur ing company have authorised me to buy 10 or 20 seres of unimproved land with in the city limits suitable for Immediate subdivision, nee kit. nwo, Tt at the company.' at Sixtn ana. rn- elds. - I IIISULT, CRY PEIWIIS t ' ...'.. Development League' Adopts Vigorous Denial to Mc-; : , KennaV Statement, t I f At a meeting of the Peninsula Devel cpmsot league held last Thursday even ing, tne ronowmg resolutions' ware adopted: - , . ' ' - . ' '"' Whereas, There recently appeared In the columns of The Journal a oommunl cation, signed by Francis L McKenna, In which the statement waa made, In Commenting on tha recently proposed improvement of Portsmouth avenue, that There wss not a man who had dona anything for the peninsula worthy of mention, who wss in favor of the proposed improvement,' and "whereas. The said improvement was thoroughly discussed by all the com mercial bodies on the peninsula, and by tne remnsuia ueveiopment league, a federation of all such organisations, and was unanimously indorsed by them, and ""Whereas, The said organisations are composed entirely of home builders and property holders, who pay taxea for aiica pudiio improvements, tnereiore, be It , "Resolved. That the statement of Mr, McKenna Is basely false and a direct Insult to the taxpaylng residents of the peninsula, all of whom favored tha Im provement of Portsmouth avenue, ex cept sir. Mcsvenna ana a lew otner sel fishly interested parties, whose Inter ests In the community are limited- to their own personal holdings' "Resolved. That a copy of these reso lutions be spread upon the minutes of :ms meeting, and mat tne preaiaent and secretary be and they srs hereby In structed to forward to The Journal a rlgned copy, accompanied with a request that tney oe puoushed. "femnsuia Development League, , "WILL O. 8TEEI,. President. "OEOKQE J. PERKINS. Sec-y." QUITS RAILROAD WORK; TOO MUCH GRIEF IN IT Bon of Prrsldent of Rock Island Srstcm Gives I'p Ambition of Years. Denver, Colo.. April 17. "I have given up my ambition to become a railroad man," said Benjamin L. Wlnchell Jr. son of President Wlnchell of the Rock Inland road, who Is In the city. M father talked me out or It. - HS convinced ms there Is too much grief connected with a railroad man s lire." Young Ben has abandoned plans which hs has cherished for more than 11 years. He took a course In sn engi neering school, worked In the Baldwin Locomotive works six months, and spent the greater part or his lire on the rail road lines learning tne ousiness. "Of course." eald Wlnchell Jr.. I had always planned to be a railroad man. But I am going to be connected with the sales department of a wire com pany." There la a story that Wlnchell Jr.. gave up his smbUlon to be a railroad man because of unreasonable and exas- f crating demands frequently made upon he elder Wlnchell by politicians. The weavers' union of Fall River, the largest textile union In America, has withdrawn from the United Textile Worwers of America because of tha In crease In the per capita tax from lei cents to 16 cents. 11 mi fci il ti ; V V These charming silk suits emphasize thd fact that" our styles are at- , ' ; ? ;s . '.V solutely correct, representing the best tailoring; that our goods are" ; .. ,;V ;;..,; of the most superior quality, and our prices extremely moderate; r ' '; :y ; J ;: ,jin fact, emphatically low," considering the high quality-standard we v r? ' ,f , 7. ! resolutely maintain. , - ' " ' ' : ' Klodish Liiieiis In these beautiful suits rational economy is combined with artistic designing in inter preting the early summer modes. They are in all the new shades light green, blue, tan, linen, brown, lavender, etc. prettily trimmed m contrasting linen bands and embroidered collars. There are jacket suits, over blouses or jumper suits," and princess effects. Prices $60.00 down to f $10.C0 RIcwcsl SiHiS The tailored jacket suits and the overblouse or jumper styles, are particularly attrac tive in the new rajah, taffeta, Maria, messalines, etc, effec tively trimmed in satin bands, the new passementaries, braids and laces in all the lovely new color tints, stripes, mingles and cream. Prices. $75 down to $18.00 CREDIT IF DESIRED You have the privilege of having all your purchases charged to our account, remitting in weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly payments, as convenient. EASTERN OUTFITTING CO. CORNER WASHINGTON AND TENTH Thm Storm Whmrm Ymur Crmdlt It Good j s asasesBSBBBBaaaBBjaBpejaTfj 'ft'Jsaeg SlCS swtjpsxep-i --a i "AS GOB AS WHEAT" Is generally accepted as a guarantee of highest quality but AW ME KTTE1 TMA m mum II A I t I II II I I a V V J A 10-acre tract set to apples or. pears, under irrigation, will pro duce unusually big profits. These profits increase steadily after 4 or 5, years, giving a home and, independence. : This has been proven repeatedly in-the famous Hood River, Yak ima and Wenatchee Valleys, and now land prices are "way up" there, but even with high Valuations, the orchards are returning large profits. There was a time when land in these valleys sold for very low prices, but that time has passed. Now is the "beginning of things" at "PALOUSE ORCHARDS," in the Washtucna Valley, Whitman county, Washington, in the heart of the famous Palouse wheat country. The price today is $150 per acre, with perpetual water right. ' We have abundance of water sup plied by gravity flow. Soil and elevation are peculiarly adapted to rais ing fine quality fruit. ' - Transportation, fs by the O. R. & N. R'yand will be increased by two more competitive railroads,, thus giving unusual shipping facilities in three transcontinental lines.' v ' ve " WITH WATER AND RAILROADS the tapid development of the Washtucna Valley is assured. ' , , The new townsite of PALOUSE FALLS is being platted and will s become an important commercial center. We know what the future has in store for this community and back up our sales with the following guarantee. Read it: , , "At the end of one year, if this property has not increased in value at least 33 1-3 per cent, we will cheerfully refund the money paid,, with 8 per cent interest." - ' If we can do this, and we can! . How can you afford to let the op portunity, slip by? Grasp itl There's big money for you, even if you only buy to hold,. and don't. improve your purchase. , i The land must increase in value as improvements in and-around the community progress. : "J" MM OUR PRICE WILL BE ADVANCED SHORTLY, so if you want to benefit by present figures, get 'irf NOW. " ' ' -lS ' v We have beautifully illustrated booklet, free for the asking. ,.Call'. or write for it. ' " : - , 1 v ,r. I J; --Ml The.Paloese (rmatiorand PowiS-Gd. Lobol Office, Hooper, Whitman CounsHI 1:1 pijLTLAlME) -:24f Stark Strc WWiX -v VGroiiiid FIcg?