HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1961-12-07, Page 9.11.11711111.1111111.11111.10111111111111101111
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CostsReduce as
Consumption,
Users Increase
In the days before Niagara
power was available in Sea -
forth, the Seaforth Electric
Light, Heat and Power Com-
pany operated a small steam -
driven plant, PUC Manager R.
J. Boussey recalled, after he
had investigated early records
of the Commission. There were
two generators for lighting sup-
ply, and one for supplying cur-
rent for the arc lamps which
illuminated the streets.
A communication received
from the Mayor of Seaforth,
dated January 7, 1910, request-
ed particulars regarding a sup-
ply of Hydro -Electric power for
the town. An engineer was
sent to investigate conditions
there, as well as in other towns
in the area. It was found that
there was a demand of about
400 H.P. in Seaforth.
Estimates were accordingly
prepared and submitted on the
cost of transmitting and sup-
plying Seaforth at a cost of
$41.25 per H.P. per year for
400 H.P.
Estimates were also made on
the cost of the transforming
station and switching and dis-
tributing equipment. Two by-
laws were passed by the town
in August, 19104 one authoriz-
ing the Town Council to enter
into a contract with the Hydro -
Electric Power Commission for
the supply of power, and the
other authorizing the Council
to issue debentures for $25,000
to cover the cost of apparatus
necessary to receive and dis-
tribute power. A contract was
signed for 400 H.P. at $41.25
per H.P. per year.
Specifications were prepared
covering the substation build-
ing and equipment, and tenders
were called for and received
covering this equipment, and
forwarded to the corporation
with the Commission's recom-'
mendation for their approval.
The contract for the substa-
tion structure was awarded to
H. B. Edge, Seaforth contrac-
tor. The building was construct-
ed strictly in accordance with
plans and specifications prepar-
ed by the Commission's En-
gineering Department. T h e
work was completed and power
turned on December 1, 1911.
Introduction of Hydro result-
ed in a steady reduction in
rates.
Prior to Hydro, Seaforth con-
sumers paid 8 cents per k.w.h.,
plus 25 cents meter rental. In
1960 the cost had dropped to
an average of 1.32 cents per
k.w.h., Mr. Boussey said.
As costs decreased, demand
increased. In 1911 there was a
demand of 84 k.w., ,and by
1960 this had increased to 1842
k.w. Of this total, nearly 1,000
k.w. has been added since 1945.
In 1960 a total of 6,563,259 k.w.
h. were sold to Seaforth con-
sumers.
Customers, too, have contin-
ued to increase. In 1911 there
were 293 consumers, and 50
years later this number had
grown to 876.
As consumers increased it
(Continued on Page 12)
IT WAS A HAPPY OCCASION as members of the Pub-
lic Utility Commission took part on Thursday in ceremonies
marking the 50th anniversary of Hydro service in Seaforth.
Here, shown following the unveiling of a plaque, erected
in the entrance lobby of the Town Hall, and commemorating
the event, are (left) Frank Kling, chairman of the commis-
sion; Rev. Harry Donaldson, who dedicated the plaque;
Mayor Edmund Daly, and Commissioner D'Orlean Sills.
SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1961 — Second Section, Pages 9 to 16
ark Anniversary of
50 Years Hydro Sery ice
It was 50 years ago on De-
cember 1 that Hydro power was
first turned on in Seaforth.
Hydro became a reality after
long months of patient nego-
tiation, of persuasion and of
careful planning on the part
of a group of Seaforth citizens
and municipal officials.
To mark the event, the Pub-
lic Utility Commission early
Thursday evening unveiled a
plaque, erected in the lobby of
the Town Hall.
The simple ceremony empha-
sized the debt which the citi-
LONG SERVICE IS FEATURE
OF COMMISSION MEMBERSHIP
While the Seaforth Public
Utility Commission has been in
existence almost 50 years—it
was formed January 1, 1912—
there have been relatively few
people involved in its opera-
tions.
The original commission in-
cluded: Chairman, D. J. McCal-
lum; W. E. Kerslake, commis-
sioner, and Mayor J. C. Greig.
In June, Mr. McCallum resign-
ed and was succeeded by J. F.
Daly. Mr. Daly continued as
chairman until 1929, but served
two additional years on the
PUC in 1931 and 32, when he
was Mayor.
John J. Cluff served as com-
missioner following the retire-
ment of W. E. Kerslake in 1921,
and in 1930 became chairman
for two years. He served again
in 1937 for a 10 -year period as
mayor.
Senator W. H. Golding, who
had served as Mayor from 1921'
to 1929, continued on the com-
mission until 1935, and was
chairman in 1933.
E. L. Box joined in 1933 and
was chairman from 1934 to
1944, also serving as manager
from 1936 to 1944.
Andrew Y. McLeanwas elect-
ed as commissioner in 1936 and
continued until 1942, when he
resigned. He served a further
four-year period from 1947 as
chairman.
George D. Ferguson was
chairman in 1945 and 1946, hav-
ing been on the PUC since 1942.
Kenneth Campbell, now of Al-
liston, served six years, from
1945.
In 1951, D. Sills was chair-
man, being succeeded in 1953
by Frank Kling, the present
chairman. Mr. Sills has con-
tinued on the commission since
I951.
Other Mayors who have serv-
ed included: William Ament,
1914-15; H. Stewart, 1916-18;
Dr, F. Harburn, 1919-20; R. G.
Parke, 1930; A. D. Sutherland,
(Continued on Page 12)
HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER has played a large role in brightening Seaforth streets
as a comparison between streets as they are today and the picture above will show.
Typical of streets 50 years ago were the long lines of stark poles carrying electric and
telephone wires. The lower picture is a view of Goderich Street looking west from Main
Street. The large buildings on the right were the D. D. Wilson egg storage facilities,
where a service station is now located. The upper picture shows Main Street, looking
south from Goderich Street.
zens of Seaforth owe those citi-
zens of 50 years ago, who by
their foresight did so much to
raise the standard of living in
the community.
The plain brass plaque bears
the words: "Fifty years of
Hydro -Electric service in Sea -
forth, erected in commemora-
tion by the Public Utility Com-
mission." Also on the plaque
are names of the commission of
50 years ago and now. As
shown on the plaque these are:
"December 1, 1911: D. J. Mc-
Callum, chairman; W. E. Kers-
lake, commissioner; J. F. Daly,
commissioner; J. C. Greig, May-
or; E. Mole, superintendent—
December- 1, 1961: F. Kling,
chairman; D. Sills, commission-
er; E. Daly, Mayor; R. J. Bous-
sey, manager."
Commission chairman Frank
Kling, in calling on Commis-
sioner D. Sills to unveil the
plaque, said we are today able
to enjoy the many benefits
which Hydro provides, because
of the foresight of the men who
served the municipality 50 years
ago.
"This plaque is a memorial
to those men," he said.
May'or E. Daly, in accepting
the plaque on behalf of the
town, extended congratulations
to the PUC for the high stan-
dards of service which had been
a feature of its history in Sea -
forth. He pledged that the
plaque would continue to be
held by the town as a remind-
er of the benefits which the
community had received as a
result of the introduction of
Hydro.
Rev. Harry Donaldson, rector
of St. Thomas' Church, dedicat-
ed the plaque and led in prayer.
Anniversary Dinner
Former members of the com-
mission, the. town council and
commission staff were guests of
the Commission at a dinner in
the Commercial Hotel following
the ceremony.
Reminiscing during a short
program which followed the
dinner, Dr. F. Harburn, who
had been a member of the coun-
cil in 1911 and Mayor In 1919
and 1920, recalled the doubts
that existed concerning hydro,
and the problems council faced
in gaining support for what was
regarded in many quarters as
a new-fangled and silly idea.
"They would tell us that power
would never get here," Dr.
Harburn said, "it would be
worn out before it got to Kit-
chener. Others warned us
bringing power from Niagara
would kill all the bird Life in
the country."
Looking out at Seaforth's
brilliantly lighted Main Street,
Dr. Harburn said it was a far
cry from the arc lights that
flickered at infrequent intervals
50 years ago.
Others who spoke briefly were
Dr. E. A. McMaster, Mayor from
1951-57 ; Kenneth Campbell,
commissioner from 1945-50, and
A. Y. McLean, commissioner
from 1936-42 and from 1947-50.
Ex -Mayor J. E. Keating express-
ed appreciation to the commis-
sion and extended anniversary
congratulations.
The chairman, Frank Kling,
read a letter from Senator W.
H. Golding, unable to be pres-
ent because of illness.
In his letter, Senator Golding
recalled several of those with
whom he had served: "I be-
lieve I served on the Commis-
sion for some 15 years and I
can never forget my associates,
especially J. F. Daly and J. J.
Cluff, two of the best municipal
men that any municipality
could hope to have. They were
strictly honest in all their deal-
ings and had one ambition,
namely, to serve their town ef-
ficiently and well.
"The late Ernest Box was al-
so a very capable and efficient
(Continued on Page 12)
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PUC Chairman To
Retire This Year
A member of the PUC.
since 1952 and chairman since
1953, Frank Kling has announc-
ed he will retire from the com-
mission this year.
During the years he has been
chairman, the Commission has
completed several extensive
programs in both the electrical
and waterworks departments.
Reconstruction of primary
lines throughout the town was
carried out, as well as the in-
stallation of modern street
lights on main streets. The
commission offices and facili-
ties in the Town Hall were re-
modelled and enlarged, and a
program of replacement and
extension introduced in the
waterworks department.
Hydro Third Power to
Serve Seaforth Users
Seaforth Public Utility which
last week observed the 50th an-
niversary of the introduction of
Hydro in Seaforth, was estab-
lished on January 1, 1912. The
by-law establishing the commis-
sion was approved by ratepay-
ers with a majority of 26. There
were 163 votes favoring the pro-
posal, and 137 votes against it.
In addition to approving the
formation of a commission, the
electors agreed on the person-
nel of the first commission, and
chose D. J. McCallum, who had
been mayor in 1911, and who
played in previous years a
prominent role in bringing
Hydro to Seaforth, and William
E. Kerslake and J. C. Greig,
who was the mayor -elect in
1912.
In June, 1912, Mr. McCallum
removed from town, necessitat-
ing his resignation from the
commission. He was succeeded
by John F. Daly, who continued
as chairman until 1929.
While the by-law establishing
the commission placed within
its charge the waterworks sys-
tem and sewage, as well as the
electric light system, in the
early years the commission con-
cerned itself primarily with the
operation of the hydro system.
Waterworks, which previously
had been in charge of a com-
mittee of council, continued
much as' before for a number
of years.
Decision to use hydro power
in Seaforth was taken by coun-
cil in May of 1910, but prior to
this negotiations had been un-
derway for some months. A
public meeting, held early in
April, indicated that there ap-
peared to be a majority of the
ratepayers in favor of changing
to hydro power from power sup-
plied by a privately owned sys-
tem.
It was not until August 7,
1910, however, that the matter
was finally resolved. At that
time a vote of the ratepayers
indicated that a substantial ma-
jority preferred the changeover
to hydro -370 voting for, with
42 against. There were 23 bal-
lots rejected. At the same time,
electors indicated that they fav-
ored the issuing of $25,000 in
debentures to provide for hydro
costs. The vote for the deben-
ture was 354 in favor, and 53
against, with 28 rejected bal-
lots.
In the weeks preceding the
vote, interest reached a high
peak in the community, and
issues of The Expositor at that
time indicate that leading citi-
zens took sides one way or the
other. The letters to the editor
column was filled with com-
ments, either for or against the
proposal. Public opinion in
favor of the change to hydro
received impetus at a public
meeting, which was held on
August 1, when Adam Beck ad-
dressed a crowded Cardno's Hall
and explained the proposal. Mr.
Beck, who later became Sir Ad-
am Beck, and who is regarded
as being the father of hydro,
had little difficulty in indicat-
ing to Seaforth ratepayers the
benefits that existed in a hydro
association. As soon as formal
approval to the changeover had
been given, work commenced
to erect a pole line from Strat-
ford to Seaforth, and construc-
tion of a sub -station behind the
Town Hall was begun by Sea -
forth contractor, H. B. Edge.
The first Hydro power distribut-
ed in Seaforth was on Decem-
ber 1, 1911.
Introduction of hydro power
resulted in interested comment
and met with great favor among
the Seaforth users, a story in
The Expositor describing the
light being furnished as "nice,
clear and steady". What par-
ticularly interested those con-
cerned was the fact that en-
ergy, which originated over a
hundred miles away, had been
transported on a thin copper
wire. The story went on to Say:
"Next to the telephone and tiie
gramophone, it is one of the
most wonderful achievements
of modern skill and ingenuity,"
It is interesting at this time to
realize the order in which these
marvels were listed. The graro•
phone was placed first.
Early Plants
Seaforth had had the benefit
of electric power for a good
many years prior to the intro-
duction of hydro. For a num-
ber of years, power was furnish-
ed from a plant located in what
is now known as the old water-
works building on Coleman St,
and which also housed the wa-
terworks system in use at that
time.
Difficulties in operating the
plant and the obvious necessity
of providing substantial addi-
tions and improvements to the
system led to discussions in
1893 as to the merits of con-
tinuing the operation as a pub-
licly -owned utility, as opposed
to selling or leasing the plant to
private interests. The council of
that year gave consideration to
the matter as early as its first
meeting in 1894, and by March
of 1894 had entered into a ten -
(Continued on Page 13)
DR. F. HARBURN (left) who was Mayor of Seaforth in
1919 and 1920 and during those years served on the Public
Utility Commission, is shown with PUC Manager R. J. Bous-
sey, following the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in
the Town Hall Thursday. Dr. Harburn, who is 84, was a
member of the town council when the decision to bring
Hydro to Seaforth was taken 50 years ago. (Expositor photo
by Phillips).
We've Core
A Long Way
since 1911
It was just 50 years ago that. the first electrical energy
came over transmission lines from Niagara Falls to Sea-
- forth.
Let's look at some startling facts
In 1911 power cost was 8.6c per Kilowatt Hour.
In 1961 power cost is only 3.0c per Kilowatt Hour.
Our average monthly peak rose from 84 Kilowatts in 1911
to 1845 Killowatts in 1961.
Number of customers' increased from 293 to 885 in 50
years.
Yes, we've grown . . . we've expanded . . . we're
bigger than ever. Why? Because more and more people
—each and every day—have discovered the many advant-
ages of Living Better Electrically. Hydro is clean, safe,
modern, no flames, no offensive fumes, and no sooty film.
Some things, however, don't change!
HYDRO still belongs to the citizens of Seaforth.
HYDRO still is non-profit, operated for and on
behalf of the citizens of Seaforth
OBSERVING 50 YEARS OF HYDRO
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Seaforth Public Utility Commission
D. SILLS
F. KLING
Chairman
Commissioner
E. DALY
Mayor