Mar. 13.
"Frankenstein's Monster'' was the name applied by the Chairman of the Council last year to the Electricity Department: and one can hardly avoid a suspicion that the Department is deliberate. ly trying to qualify for the description, with this year's enormous demands asa suitable piece of "frightfulness." The story of electrion! loans during the" past three years is interesting and, in several ways, instructive. In 1912 the ratenavers were asked for Tis, 250,000 for the Department, for capital outlay and balance of cost on the Riverside station, and the tone of the application apologetic. In 1913 the appeal for Tls. 600,000, for two 5 000 kilowatt turbo-alternators and the tone adopted was highly sophiteat and encouraging. Fast the comity voted TMs. 709,090, when the chairman of the Electricity Committee used theat hat "the new plant we stlliaw onaht to suffice for two or three years and your Committee do not anticipate having to raise any further loans for the next two years." Yet twelve months later comes a demand for an immediate Tls. 400,000 and discretionary powers to mise 9 further two millions, which Mr. Aldridge says will he wanted he-fore next year. We should like to he certain that the tone 'n which this application is made not threatening. There is, at least, no doubt, as hinted in yesterday's leader, that the Council is still frightened at the growth of the Denartment and. indging by his renerte now opnblicshed Flectrieal Engineer would seem determined not to let it grow less frightened as time goes on. Therefore, it appears to be said. the only safe course, in view of the fact that there can be no finality in capital requirements. is to turn the Department into a company.
Now we wish, at the outset of what promises to be a long controversy, to emphasize most strongly that we are in no way criticizing the Department. It a splendid institution. It supplies an admirable service light at amazingly cheap rates. Its Engineer has indeed deserved well of the community. But does look as if a screw were being put on the community to make it do something that it does not wish to do; and while this is presumably done with the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.