The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-30
PAYING BIG FOR LIGHT.
6AVANNAHS LOCATING COSTS
WAY ABOVE OTHER CITIES.

WAY ABONE OTHER CITIES.
The Total Expense of Illuminating the
City Last Year Nearly S27, 5oO-The
Cost of Electric Lighting in Other
Cities Compared With Savannah
Figures of Cities Which own Their
Own Lighting Plants-soms Facts
for the City Council to Study.
The popular favor with which the propo-
sition that the city shall own its own cleo
trio light plant is received, renders any in
formation on the subject peculiarly inter
esting AMI instructive at this time, and it is
learned that at an early meeting of council
a resolution will be offered inviting bids for
a plant. 1t is also known that inquiries
have been set on foot to learn upon what
terms suitable plant can be obtained, and
also the approximate cost of operating it.
A gentleman who is interested in the sub
ject informs the MORNING NEWS that it has
been suggested that crematory may be
successfully operated in connection with an
electric light plant.
The attention of the city council has been
directed to the heavy expense of operating
the 100 lights furnished the city, and the
members of that body are considering the
DFdCItCdDlIlLg OF eSDaDllSDlng a pld1l, W
which end all the information necessary to
intelligent action is to be sought after, and
compiled for the guidance of council. As
far as learned the members are in line with
the views of Alderman Harris that the city
should own everything it uses. 1t finds it
profitable to operate its own system of
water works, and it has found that its
scavenger work has been more effectually
and economically conducted since the city
oh ba
the work under the supervision of its own
employees.
WHAT THE CITY IS PAYING NOW.
The expense of lighting the city under
the contract now in force is stupendous.
The city pays $25, 800 per annum for 100
lights, or $255 per light, and in addition to
this it pays 81 200 per annum for the use of
the electric light in the market building. To
this should be added the expense Of gas for
illumination in the city buildings, which
for last year was as follows:
Engine houses ...........,...........S2 57 26
CITY exchange OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. w q
Police headquarters. .................... 3l9 %
Making a total of $3.50 GA. Adding the
$26. 700 for electric lighting, swells the an
nual cost of illuminating to 1927, 459 Ga.
The city of Scranton, Pa, using 1922
lights on an all-night schedule, pays only
nah pays, and the two councils of Scranton
felt that 800 was so far in excess of what it
should be that on April / last a special COM
mittee of three from each body was APP
pointed, in conjunction with thu mayor to
report upon the matter of electric lighting,
and the researches Of the committee were
so far reaching and thorough that it will
make the work of investigation compare
lively easy for the Savannah aldermen.
Not only has the Scranton committee
embodied in its exhaustive report reports
from ninety cities that contract for their
electric lighting, and from sixteen cities
which own their own plants, but the COM
mittee also submit the cost of plant and
they add that ian appropriation of 10 to 10
cents per lamp per night will pay all operat-
ing expense wear and tear and interest on
the investment, and they recommend that
the councils take early action looking TO
ward the city'S owning and operating its
own plant.
WHAT THE CITIES PAY.
It's interesting to note the figures of the
ninety cities which are lighted bv contract
for the purpose of comparison with the cost
of lighting Savannah. There is not one
city OF the ninety which pays as much per
light as Savannah, the highest being in Bos-
ton, where los lights are burned all night,
where the outside circuit is much in excess
OF Savannah, and yet Boston pays but $3.50
per light. There are but five cities out of
the ninety that pay as high as $3.50 or over
per light and twenty-nine of the cities pay
less than 500 per light. The lowest price
paid is at Cortland, N. Y, where fifty
lights are burned all night at an expense of
$50 per light, and Lafayette, Ind. pays
5000 per light for GA lights burned on
the Philadelphia schedule. o. all night
OF the sixteen cities which report owning
AMI operating their own plants, there is but
one city in which the lights cost as high as
500, the city of Easton, Pa, burning sixty
four lights at an expense of 800 per light.
The next highest is Topeka, Kan, It's 1874
lights, burned all night, costing but $72 GER
light, and $54 per light ii burned eight
hours.
Chicago's 292 lights burned all night, cost
$65 per light.
Bay City. Mich, uses 1874 tower and in
tersection lights all night at a cost per light
of $780,
Ypsilanti's Mich eighty lights, burned
until midnight, cost but 1923 81 per light
CITIES THAT OWN THEIR OWN PLANTS
In short, of the sixteen cities that own
their own plants the cost per light of one
half of them is under $50, only one reaches
500, and not one of the remaining fifteen
reaches SIS.
Joliet, ILL.,, which was paying 1920 per
light for eighty lights, made new contract
for 200 lights at $50 per light
From Richmond, Va, which pays at the
rate of SAG per light for its 1873 lights, the
authorities write: "Our city is just now con-
sidering the erection of our own plant.
which will not cost us over $40 per light per
year. am not counting lights we NAV
sell at profit. Buy your own plant.n
Mansfield, o., authorities write that their
seventy-seven lights cost SIS per light, and
they significantly add, own your own
plant"
Springfield. Mass, which had been
paying $219 per light per annum for
its 300 lights, reports that it has now
got a contract at $S3 50 per light, and
says: These figures are the result of con-
tract arrived at with the local company
here, to whom we have been paying S2l9
per year. The struggle has been a long
one, and this is the result as above stated. y
WHAT NEW YORK PAYS
New York City reports: 1--WE have !. 357
lights. In response to an advertisement for
bids number of bids have been received.
the lowest of which is 25 cents per light
We have not yet accepted any bid. Our
contract expired May l." This Is at the
rate of about $9l Is per light
Little Rock, Ark, which owns its own
plant of ITO lights reports: "Our lights give
complete satisfaction. They are on mast
arms hung to intersection of street, and the