The Portland daily press., 1884-03-20
THE EkEOTREC LIGHTS IN THE
CITY HALL.
They are There Under Contract Made
with she Electric Light Company by
Mayor neering.

with fhe Electric Light Company by
Mayor neeTing.
When the Common Council, at its meeting
on Monday night passed an order referring
the question of the removal of the electric
ights from City Hall, to the Mayor, with pow
er' ana sent 1t up TO the aldermen for concur
renee, it was discovered that an agreement, in
the nature of contract had been entered in
to by the city, represented by Mayor Oeering,
aud the Consolidated Electric Light Company,
which contract, it was stated, virtually pre-
vented the Council from removing the light
nntil the period named in the contract had ex-
pred. The contract is as follows:
An Agreement Betsceen the Consolidated Electric
Ltght company Of the first part and the City #
f'oTtd1d, ef the second 0aft, dated jan. 1, Ss4
The Consolidated Electric Light Company. party
OF the nrst part in consider alton of the ments
and pr mis- OF the said party of he second part
hei einaiter cont aimed agrees and promise. to and
win inc SAID party of the second part 10 plac AMI
keep in good order and confition seven lights of
sal comp my in the hall in the ity Buildipo
as The New City Hall, in said Portland. and one
llsnt IN the aldermen's roon, i'll said City building
ana one light in the reading rooms in said CIV
Buhdng, AID TWO lights IL the brary, in said Ci V
Bniding, for the period of six months commencilg z
And the said City OF Portland partv of the seeond
part, IN considera ion of the agreement. and om
ises OF the party of the first part hereinbeore set
forth agrees and promises an with the pay Of the
hrst part to pay said party the first part for each
OF the Seven lights to be place City all six ia the
M nan l'sei and in The corridor) tyfve cents
Tor each aud every night which they are actually
used an for the light to be pa Ell in the Alder
mems en- loom 4 y cents per night which il is actu
~ usee ana Tor the two lights to be placed in the
library hfs cents each er night six MI ms IL earb
Week and for the one light il The eadins room If
" cents per night for Fix nights of each week ALI
tne AFORESAID nights and weeks to be of the store-
said six months,
CONSOLIDATED ELECTRIC LIGHT Co.
BY q. A. Thouas Pres't
j. W. DEERIs @, MAYoR
CHAIRMAN e mmittee on Public Buildings.
witness: Abel Wheeler.
The City Building is in the hands of the
committee on public buildings, of which COM
mitiee the Mayor is Chairman. 1t is. or bas
neen, customary to consider the City Building
IN the custody of the Mayor, but, as we under
stand, no important steps have ever been taken
by him without the advice and consent of the
committee. When the City Building va rem
ovated, last summer, the Electric Light COM
pany wished to put their lights in the build
ing. The committee was called together, went
into the hall, saw where it was proposed to put
the lights, and afterwards the matter was
brought up in committee meeting 1t was
then understood, and, as we are informed. it
was stated by the Mayor at that meeting, Sent
2Sth, that the lighfs were to be placed in the
building as an experiment, to be removed
when the Council chose and the following vote
was therefore passed:
Voted, That the Mayor be authorized to nut cleo
trlc lights in the City Building where in his judg.
meht, ne may deem it necessary.
Inc ilghts were put in, and at the November
meeting Oh the Common Council, the following
IN relation to the electric light took place. as re-
ported at the time IN the PRESS:
November 6. 1883, Mr.. Noyes offered the
following resolution:
Resolred, That the Mayor be and is hereby re-
rested to remove the electric light from the
Council room.
buildings, explained that the light was simply
on trial as an experiment. There had been no
arrangement made to keep it in the room
Mr.. Mari thought the Council was on trial
rather than the light. Its effect on his eyes
was very trying.
Mr. Denson thought the light a nuisance
Mr. Noyes said, If the light was put in as an
experiment, he would, the Council permit
ting, withdraw his resolutions but he hoped
ment had been tried
The Council permitting the resolution was
withdrawn"
At still later meeting the Common Coun-
Gil ordered the light removed from their room
and 1t was taken ont. At the first meeting of
the new City Government of 1884-85, March
11th, Alderman No, es offered an order for the
removal of the light from the Aldermen's
room.
We are informed that no other reference to
the electric light in City Building ever came
up In committee, or in the City Council: that
while City Solicitor Looney drew most of the
city contracts, he was not consulted concern
ing this one, and that this contract was not
put on the O. ntract book until few days be-
fore the old city government went out of
office.
1t appears therefore, the lights having been
put into the City Hall by direction OF the
Mayor, acting under the above quoted author
ization OF the committee on public buildings
III the latter part of September, as an expert
ment, that on the first of January the Mayor
without authority or CONSULTATION with mem
bers OF the committees made contract on be-
half OF the city with the Consolidated Electric
Light Company for the continued use OF the
lights for six months at defnte price, which
on'ract was not entered in the contract book
until few days before the expiration of his
term of Office nor was its existence known so
far as We can ascertain to any other member
OF the committee on public buildings or of the
City Council.
The amount of this contract on moderate
estimate is as follows:
light six nights week at so cents each. 1924
lights in City Hall say week at 70 CTS. 1874
l III zht in Aldermen's room say twice month. 6
s374
Section 2of the city ordinances regulating
contracts and expenditures is as follows:
mo joint or special committee of the City Coun-
Gil or either branch thereof, any board ap-
pointed by them, shall have wer to make any
expenditure from the appropriation provided by
the C1y Council, to an amount exceeding three
hundred dollars, except where otherwise provided
in the laws of the state ordinances of the city
shall have been laid before the City Cou ell. AID
a1thoflN Tor such expen iture be first had and OBJ