The Fight for Public Power
Seattle municipal power superintendent J. D. Ross defends the controversial Bone Bill in White Bluffs, arguing for cheaper rates through public competition.
The story, cleaned up
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J. D. Ross, superintendent of the municipal lighting system of Seattle, substituting for Homer T. Bone, author of the so-called 'Bone Bill,' who was unable to attend, addressed the crowd at Liberty Hall Thursday evening on the virtues of the bill, which will be on the ballot in the November election as Initiative Measure No. 52. Mr. Ross severely criticized the privately owned power companies and contended that the passage of the Bone Bill, permitting municipalities to sell their 'juice' outside of their boundaries, would create a desirable competition that he believed would be beneficial to the public at large. He expressed himself as being opposed to state control and said that while it was possible there would be no direct benefit to this valley, he believed the passage of the bill would eventually bring about a reduction in the present rates here.
“The passage of the Bone Bill... would create a desirable competition that he believed would be beneficial to the public at large.”
The Bone Bill was a pivotal moment in Washington's struggle for public power. The debate over whether energy should be a public utility or a private profit-center remains a central pillar of civic discourse in the Pacific Northwest today.
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