People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 January 1895 — Goodland Electric Light. [ARTICLE]

Goodland Electric Light.

“Goodland has been forced to exchange their 600 light dynamo for a 1200 lighter, as the town could not supply the number of people wanting the lights. They are already pulling 700 lights with their small dynamo, which is more than it will easily .--tand. The commercial rate in Goodland is 30 cents, residence lights 20 cents. Their indebtedness, including the annual bond, -s $800; interest on same, §4BO, cost of coal, §4OOI engineer’s salary, S6OO. Total, $2,280 per /ear. Their receipts at present from the 700 lights, would be in a year, $2,100. They also have 22 arc lights on their streets which on the above basis costs he town but §l2B. They have .00 more lights spoken for and /hen they are on, this will increase the revenue of the plant it least $350 more, which will allow them to pay off their debts as they come due and leave $122 for incidental expenses and repairs. Goodland has her electric plant on a paying basis and will pay for it without any addi- • ional tax on her citizens, besides the city being lighted for practically nothing. The least thing the people there can do would be to give a vote of thanks to their town board who have so well and economically managed the business. Their action stands out ? n bold relief when placed against the record of another town board we might name, and we also notice in their expense account that the town paid the expenses of its board /hen they went any place to inpect electric plants or appara- ■ us. There were no . favors to ■ eturn and Goodland got the Lest.” The above is taken from the Oxford Tribune, which paper strongly, intimates that Oxford Las been badly swindled in the installment of its plant, and charges incompetency of management in fixing rates so high that but a small portion of the citizens are patrons, causing a heavy deficit in operation. A new management is at the helm now and promises to put the plant on a paying basis. There is not a valid reason why a city cannot operate such public institutions as economically and more satisfactorily than private corporations.