The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-26
IN AND ABOUT THE CITY.
CAN ITS OWN LIGHTING.
The City to gave Money by Owninl
an Electric Light Plant.


The City to save Money by Owning
an Electric Light Plant.
The suggestion of the MORNING News
that the city should take steps to establish
its own electric plant for lighting the city,
Is meeting with popular approval. On
every hand the argument is that there is no
good reason why the city should rush into
a new contract with any private corpora
ton to light the city for term of years.
when the present contract does not expire
until Jan. l, 1891.
Among many who have pronounced
views on the question thereof, II. P. Smart,
WHO las returned from trip north, seems
10 be In line with tue general concensus of
public opinion. Mr.. Smart says that he
can see no reason why tire city should not
as well own its electric light plant as its
system OF water works. If the city lighting
can be done by private corporation at a
\ pront, 1t can be done by the city
a. saving, and then lights can be extended
from time to time as the city builds SOUTH
ward, with little aided expense. Electric
lighting, MIR. Smart says, is no longer an
Experiment, but the electric light is being
| cneapened by practical operation, and 1t
would be highly injudicious in the city to
enter into contract for electric lighting
| some years hence on a basis of what it costs
now to furnish electricity for illuminating
| purposes Certainly it would be acting
| hastily TO enter into new contract now.
when the old contract has yet fifteen
months to run. The city. Mr.. Smart thinks,
should get the benefit of any caeapening
IN the cost which may bs DEVELOPED IN tuat
time, and if the city requires additional
| lights for the time yet 10 ran it should uro-
vide for them and no more
Mr.: Smart says that as It is PROPOSED 10
establish another water works plant on the
Springfield plantation, it affords tae city
most excsllent opportunity to attach an
electric plant which csuld DO operated will
pretty much the same motive power and
w4tn but lite additional help, and what
ever profit is derived by contractors for
ilghuog the city would be saved 10 the CITY
oy tne latter operating It's own plant.
lighting the streets and lanes and Its public
buildings. 1t could derive q revenue, too.
II thought best, BY furnishing motive
power Tor elevators, etc., for which water
city.
Many cities of the north have found it
more satisfactory, and much more econo-
| nlcal TO own their own plants, and some
cities have been cited where electric light
companies have put in a plaat taking their
pay IN lnstallments, which, with the cost of
the operating did not amount to as much
annually as the price heretofore paid to gas
ana electric light companies
| A gentleman conversant With thu facts
told how Portsmouth, O., city of $4,000
| population, came to establish It's own ele,-
Uric light plaat four or five years ago. The
city council and the Gas Light Company
were at loggerheads; the council wanted to
lower the price to point which it held.
aIt9r investigating the subject, would at
FORA tne gas Company fair price. The
| COmnanV ~
as the dispute lasted until the contract had
expired, the gas company threatened to
turn eli the gas, but it did not do so at once
and sent in bill for the gas for the month
at the price of the old contract, which
the council refused to pay, and
at the next meeting of council when
tAe Janitor came to turn on the gas, there
was none there, and the mseting had to be
held by the dim light Of tallOw candles
The annual reunion of the Society of the
Army OF West Virginia was about to be
| held In the city, and one of the members of
the city council rendered the Thomson Hous-
ton Electric Light Company the use of the
machinery Of his wooden factory to put I'm
a dynamo to light the big tent and the line
OF streets Tor the wesk during which the
reunion was held. The electric light took
at once, and the city kept the dynamo and
ordered another, put them in their water
works building, and by annual installments
has been paying for the plant aud lighting
the city at reduced cost.
The main objection to making auv nav
contract now for lighting the CITY is that il
IS conceded that electric lighting is uot as
expensive as it was believed to be when the
contract now in force in the city was made.
and 1t has been said openly by members of
council that under new contract the fifty
additional lights desired could be included
among the number now supplied and at no
additional cost, If a new contract
is made for term of wears, tt ia
argued, however, by those who oppose ea-
tering into new CONTRACT more than wear
before the expiration of the present con-
tract, that this is conclusive proof that the
c9st OF electric lighting has been materially
cheapened, and they argue further that as
electricity as an iLluminator and
motive power is in its infancy. and
continually developing it is not
good policy for the CITY to hurry
into another contract upon the basis of
present cost Of electric lighting, as three
years hence it may be paying too much In
proportion to tia cost. Ga the contrary it
is held that the city should own its own
plant, know just what candle power it gets
and be able to take advantage of the
improvements and discoveries which will
cheaper operating expenses and enable the
city from time to time to locate electric
lights wherever and whenev yer the neces-
sites of the city require.
The matter is being investigated by gem
tlemen interested in the subject, who ex-
pect to present their views before the CITY
council, which has invited bids upon the
basis of present cost
Lantern Thieves Work.