Morning journal and courier., 1886-12-17
THE oOmm1rTEE ON LAMPS.


 Their Annual Report to the Hoard of Aldermen-A Reduction i'm the Cost of the Electric L1ght-The ExPendf. lures For the Year-Thirty-Six New Electric Lights.
 The report of the Committee on Lamps for
 the year ending December 1, 1886, is sub stantially as follows:
 There was appropriated for the year 1886 the sum of fifty thousand five hundred and one dollars ($50, ,501) to which three was add ed, in the month of September, the sum of fifteen hundred dollars ($1, 800, transferred from the appropriation for bath house in Fair Haven; and your committee was in structed to locate, erect and maintain twenty (2O) or ruore electric lights in response to 8 great number of petitions for the same. At the beginning of the year there were S99 gas lamps, 487 naptha lamps and 51 electric lights, making total of ], ,427 street lights, for which the city has paid the New Haven Gas company at the rate of $2S per 1 light per annum; to Thomas Brennan, who has a contract with the city for three years from January 1st, 1886, at the rate of SEQ per annum the same being for naptha lights; and to the New Haven Electric company, at tue rate of $219 per light per annum; or six ty cents per light per night for electric lights, for tS . sas. usn'' 4s-1Oo cents per light per night for naptha, the price paid being the same for gas that the city has paid since and including the year 1884. The price paid for nsptha is $6 per lamp per year less than the city has paid since and including the year 1883; the price
 paid for electric lights is $1S.25 less per light
 per year, or five cents per light per night less
 than heretofore paid. Thirty-six additional
 electric lights have been erected during the
 last two months of the year. These lights give on the main throughfares excellent sat
 isfaction, and will in all probability require
 that the city continue and extend this ser
 vice as the finances of the city will permit.
 Your committee have during the year To- cated 35 new gas lamps, "A new naptha lamps; they have also discontinued 118 gas lamps, 35 naphtha lamps, making at the close of the year sos gas lamps, 476 naptha lamps and ST electric lights.
 The committee have arranged with the New Haven Electric Light company for still further reduction in the cost of electric lights for the ensuing year of SIS per lamp or five cents per night per lamp.
 The committee have expended for the year 1886:
 For gas street lights. $24 906 S3 For naptha street lights. 10067 64 For electric street lights. ............. 11O57 25 For gas and electric lights for public
 For remoTing or resetting lamps etc ss4 g For services of inspector r.-.....-....... 1000 % For new lamp posts lanterns, sockets,
 street signs, painting. repairs, freight,
 carriage and other incidental expenses,
 including use or team TOT lnSpoctOr...... Ilo ol
 Making a total of $50, ,625 57 expended, leaving balance of $1 ,375. .43 in the treasury appropriated, but not expended.
 The report says further: Colonel John G. Healy, the very efficient clerk and inspector of lamps for number of years past, re- signed his position to accept g government situation at Washington, D. O., on the first day of January, 1886. The vacancy caused by his resignation was immediately filled by the appointment of MT. Upson, and at sal ary of two hundred dollars per year less than was paid Colonel Healy. Your committee feel that MT. Upson has performed the duties of his position with great fidelity, zeal and promptness, and that they are under obliga- tions to him for the successful operation of the lamp department during the year.
 Our street lighting service within the next year will require great extension, as nearly all the suburban portions of the city in sufficiently and poorly lighted, the naptha light being at its best poor light. As the city expands new streets are laid out, many new dwellings are erected, many new mains are laid, petitions are numerously presented for entirely new gas and naptha lights, for the substitution of gas in place of existing naptha. and much new work must be done. This must be intelligently supervised and looked after; the lamps must be systematic ally and properly located, and the service generally looked after, improved and perfect ed.
 Our estimates, based on the average in crease of lights in past years, and the peti- tions now on file, will necessitate the erec- ton of not less than one hundred new lamps.
 Your committee desire to call the attention of the Board, and through them to the Board of Public Works, to the necessity of a more careful and studied trimming and thinning out of the shade trees all over the city, with the view of obtaining better and more per of very many street lamps being very much impaired and the light badly obstructed by trees and limbs of trees; which obstruction of light might be easily removed of the Board of Public Works direct their attention to the trimming of the trees with this object in view.