MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.

Official replies to inquiries relative to action about a municipal gas or electric lighting plant have been received from 182 towns and cities, including all the cities and substantially all the towns in which the population exceeds 1,500 and in which no such action has previously been taken. Except as stated on pages 149, 150, following, none of these have taken action during the year.

Pages 143-148 contain a tabular statement intended to show briefly all action within the State in respect to the municipal ownership of gas or electric light plants prior to 1910. The pages following contain carefully prepared abstracts from the reports of town officers showing, in two sections, the history of this subject during the last calendar year. The first section (pages 149, 150) exhibits the action of those towns which are not engaged in the lighting business, but have during the year considered propositions to undertake it. The second section relating to municipal plants in actual operation contains two parts: the first part (pages 151-177) setting forth certain financial data relative to the preceding municipal fiscal year, with the estimates and appropriations of the current fiscal year, taken from information furnished the Board by various town officers, and the second part (pages 178-195) setting forth certain general financial and physical data relative to the plants from the returns made to the Board as of June 30, 1910. In Appendix B will be found, under date of June 30, 1910, the separate balance sheets, profit and loss and manufacturing accounts from the annual returns of the different municipalities. Appendix E contains detailed statistics relative to the municipal plants, compiled from the annual returns of June 30, 1910.

Tabular Statement showing Action about Municipal Gas or Electric Plants prior to Jan. 1, 1910.

1 The votes stated were passed by the city council.

Tabular Statement showing Action about Municipal Gas or Electric Plants prior to Jan. 1, 1910 - Continued.

Votes favorable to Acceptance of the Municipal Ownership Act.

Votes against the
Acceptance
of the Municipal
Ownership Act.

Remarks.

Under special act. Plant for electric street lighting only,
started Jan. 2, 1889. Plant for commercial lighting built
in 1896.

Investigating committee appointed in 1897. Adverse com-
mittee report in 1899, and a ten-year contract made with
the local company.

Investigating committee appointed in 1892. No report.

District established by Acts of 1909, Chapter 496.
Adverse committee report adopted Nov. 27, 1894. Adverse
committee report in 1895. New investigating committee
appointed in 1901. Proposition referred to a new com-
mittee in 1905.
Adverse committee report adopted Oct. 5, 1891. Proposi-
tion referred by the aldermen to the next city government
in 1899. Vote of Feb. 1, 1904, annulled and rescinded
on Aug. 1, 1904. Adverse committee report in 1906.
Investigating committee, 1891.

Plant began operation November 20, 1909.

Plant began operation April 1, 1907.

Votes of municipal council to acquire gas and electric light plants respectively.

Cur

Investigating committee, 1891 and 1892. Electric distrib-
uting plant purchased from Weymouth company.
rent bought from that company.

Motion to acquire electric light plant lost for want of
requisite two-thirds vote, the vote standing 135 yes and
86, no.

Popular vote upon establishing an electric light plant, Dec.
14, 1897. Yes, 2,540; no, 1,735; blanks, 1,512. Popular
vote in July, 1900, upon the acceptance of a contract
with the Holyoke Water Power Company, under a special
act intended to relieve the city, at its option, of its obliga-
tion under the general law to take the lighting plants of
the company. Yes, 1,926; no, 2,136; blanks, 17. Water
Power Company's plant taken under decree of the court
on Dec. 15, 1902.

Investigating committee chosen in 1906. Committee re-
ported Aug. 2, 1906, and town voted to make a ten-year
street lighting contract with Edison Company of Boston.
Adverse committee reports adopted Nov. 11, 1891, and
March 15, 1892. Town required by decree of court (1896)
to take plant of existing company; possession taken Jan.
15, 1897. New plant put in operation Aug. 8, 1897.
Electric plant of local company bought Oct. 15, 1894.
Electric light plant built in 1903.

Investigating committees appointed in 1893, 1897 and 1898.

Investigating committee appointed in 1893.

Subject referred to a committee in 1906.

Proposition for investigating committee lost Oct. 15, 1891.
Investigating committee appointed in 1893. Report made
with no recommendations.

Motion to acquire an electric plant lost by vote of 109 for,
to 58 against, as statute requires two-thirds vote.
Electric light plant built in 1903-04.

Electric plant constructed in 1894.

Investigating committee appointed in 1893 and special com-
mission in 1895. Adverse report in 1897, and commission
continued.

Town refused to authorize bonds for a plant March 28, 1892.
Began to operate new electric plant in 1901.

Voted to pass over article in warrant, 1891. Investigating
committee appointed in 1895.
Combined gas and electric plant purchased of local company
in 1893.

2, 1891

Hull,

Ipswich,

June
May

28, 1894
27, 1901

Oct.

6, 1894

Sept. 23, 1901

Lawrence,

2

Leominster,

Lexington,

Lowell,

Malden, 2

Oct.

Manchester,

July

28, 1902

13, 1902 22, 1908

Tabular Statement showing Action about Municipal Gas or Electric Plants prior to Jan. 1, 1910-Continued.

Votes favorable to Acceptance of the Munici-
pal Ownership Act.

Votes against the
Acceptance
of the Municipal
Ownership Act.

Remarks.