142 Chicago Bureau of Public Efficiency 



produced by any steam plant, the Park Board, disregarding the 

 alternative of enlarging their present plant, on February 16, 1906, 

 instructed their consulting engineer to employ an architect to 

 draw plans for an entirely new central power plant. 



The new central plant which was erected was put into opera- 

 tion January 31, 1908, about the same time that the Sanitary Dis- 

 trict began furnishing power. Wilkinson, Reckett, Williams & 

 Company, certified public accountants, in a report submitted to 

 the president of the Park Board, April 20, 1909, said with re- 

 spect to the total cost of the new plant, transmission lines, and 

 undistributed material : 



"Of this amount, $319,492.22 is the investment that would not have 

 had to be made were the Commissioners to purchase all the current used 

 over the South Park system." 



In 1908, after allowing $8,091 for salvage on old machinery, 

 the old plant, valued at $99,562, was written off the books. 



The new plant supplies heat and power for the Washington 

 Park buildings and electric current for the entire South Park 

 system, except Calumet, Palmer and Grant Parks. The cur- 

 rent for lighting these parks is still purchased from the Com- 

 monwealth Edison Company. 



The operating cost of the Washington Park power plant for 

 the year ending November 30, 1910, was $31,913, and the con- 

 sumption of electric power therefrom was about 2,100,000 kilo- 

 watt hours. The cost per kilowatt hour was, therefore, $.01559. 

 Published reports of the South Park Board show that the 

 old plant produced power at practically the same cost. 



Prices on power were quoted from time to time by the of- 

 ficials of the Sanitary District, but no positive action was taken by 

 the Park Board until April, 1911, when a five-year contract was 

 concluded for electric current to be delivered to sub-stations at the 

 various parks for lighting the parks and boulevards. The price 

 named was three-quarters of a cent per kilowatt hour for the cur- 

 rent, measured on the secondary side of the transformers in the 

 several sub-stations. The South Park Board agreed to maintain 

 part of the steam plant, which is to be operated at the expense 

 of the Sanitary District to supply current for emergencies. 



The belated decision to purchase Sanitary District power is 



