THE MAYOR’S PROPOSALS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 18, 12 May 1914, Page 4

THE MAYOR’S PROPOSALS

We are glad to note that His Worship the Mayor (Mr W. P. Kirkwood) has taken the very earliest opportunity of moving in the direction of carrying out his promise to introduce proposals for the municipal acquirement of the electrical lighting supply to the Borough of Stratford. It has been time and again stated that the town would be infinitely better off if it possessed control of its own lighting and power supply, but up to the present time the Council and the Company have been unable to come to anything like an amicable understanding on the first principles which must affect such a transaction. Mr Kirkwood’s proposals, which were well received by the Council last evening, and which, on the face of them, bear evidence of a good deal of care and thought in formulating, were briefly that the consent of the Company be obtained for a valuation of its plant by a qualified electrical engineer and that this valuer he asked to advise the Council as to any alterations in the Company’s system of generating electrical energy that may be advisable, and what additions and alterations would be necessary to the present plant, with the cost of such alterations and additions, to bring the plant up to the requirements of the town. Further, that an estimate be obtained of -the cost of instituting a new standardised plant, suitable for Stratford’s requirements. After these preliminary steps, Mr Kirkwood proposes, when such information referred to above is available and has been properly before the Council, that an offer be made to purchase the Electrical Supply Company’s undertaking, but that it be a condition precedent to the Council’s offer being made that an agreement be arrived at between the Council and the Company on the vexed question of goodwill. After some comment and discussion regarding the Mayor’s proposals, the motion was carried unanimously, and a committee duly appointed to take the necessary steps to make it effective. We certainly trust that whatever attitude may have been adopted in the by those who may be opposed to, or, on the other hand, interested in the Electrical Supply Company, every effort will now be made to arrive at a fair and equitable conclusion, so that a final proposal may be brought forward which His Worship the Mayor and his Council may feel thoroughly able to recommend the burgesses to accept.