The Rain Last Week Was A Godsend To

everybody. It would be just as much of aGodsend tohave as ranch more this week. _____ Last Saturday's Free Press speaks of "Ann Arbor University'1. Wel!, here at Ann Arbor we are willing to cali it the "University of Michigan." Occassionally a letter reaches here froni some unheard of place addressed to Ann's Harbor. We snppose the Free Presswill, when it sees this, speak of the U. of M. as "Ann's Harhor's Uuiversity." lTeems probhlft that Mr. Pingree wil! be the rf$blican nominee for mayor of Detroit. In case hej nominated there should be no poïssïbüity of his defeat. Thère can be no doubt that the better class of people are heartily sick of the ring politicians who have robbed the city in such a high-handed way for the past four years. It is high time that the better class of citizens rose to thesituation and elected a mayor and council who ljave some degree of responsibility. President Angei.l has an able article in the November Forum on "American Kiphts in Behring Sea." He tak es the posiíion thát thë right of the United States to control seal-taking in Alaska waters, is, to say the least, a doubtful one. A!so that as England and Kussia are equaliy interested with this country in preserving the seal, the wisest plan would be to come to some understandiog with these countries since we can, without doubt in this way Becure all that we are entitled to in the matter of sealfisheries. A little careful Btudy of tlns question shows that President Angelí has taken the only tenable ground in the controversy, and that the otily course the government can adopt ia order to secure its rights and at the game Üjp,e_.a,Yoi.d trouble is the one he has suggeéted. ." . In a hasty examination of the report of Mayor Wright of Bay City in regard to the cost oflightingthat City by Electricity, extracts of which were read before the council, we observe eome important items of cost entirely overlookd. The item of interest on the investment, estiinated by a resident of Bay City, at 7 per cent. would amount to $2240. but giviüg the city the benefit of t he lowest rate of interest-viz 5 per cent. still the figures reach the sung sum of $1600. a factor entirely left out of the queBtion. The item of depreciation was estimated at 4 per cent. and the total was figured at $1280., but this estímate is altogether to low for at this rate of depreciation engines, dynamos and lamps must last 25 years when, as a fact, 10 years would, undoubtedly, be a long life for either engines or dyaumos conm lering the high speed at which they are run. This would amount to the sum of $3200. for depreciation alone. Giving Mayor Wright however, the benefit of every possible doubt, we will allow that real estáte may not deprecíate, and so cut this general estímate to 8 per cent still we have a healthy total of $25G9. ae an item strangely omitted. Taxes for Bay City were given at .017 per cent and on the total cost footed to $544. This would be an item of income to the City providing the plant was owned by a private Corporation. For Ann Arbor however, this would be an overestimate in two ways. Firsttherate of tazation is about .012 on a dollar and secondly so large a position of the cost of an Electric Light Plant consists in patents which may be valuable to-day, but worthless to-morrow, that the basis of taxation would never be placed at the full amount of cost. However, it would be an item of from $200 to 8250. This was also entirely forgotten. The Plant at Bay City being a new one the item of repairs would show smaller thefirst than during subsequent years. Other miner items could be mentioned but these may be sufficient, yet the pos6ible worthle8sness of electrical patentfi may at any time be an item of no minor importanca. We cannot understand why Mayor Wright should make a report which on account of its errors, would be so misleading. To leave out items which would amount to over $4000., shows either gross carelessness, or an intention on his part to deceive the people by making them believe that he has done more for the citizens of Bay City than he really has.