Wichita eagle., 1889-07-11
AFTER LIGHT Darkness.

Ihe Citizens Electric Light company
seem to think they have the final trump
to play in the city council game over the
light question which is set for its last ap-
pearance, positively, next Monday night.
They seem to think that the proposition Of
the Thompson-Houston people to furnish
all night arc light service for eight dollars
per month does not mean profits for the
company doing the business and the prop
osition submitted by them of nine dollars
per month leaves a small margin for per
cent on investment. This being the case
1t Is thought the Citizens company will
not come down to eight dollars per month
| but will play another card. Their con-
tract with the council lasts over two years
yet and according to the company's figures
are getting 1888 per month for half
night service which they seem to
| think is much better thing than IS per
month for all night service. Take even
the contract as understood by the city
| council, being So. 81 per light per month,
| and they consider that better thing than
to give all night service for Sl.04 more per
light per month. With this sort of figur-
| ing member of the company is unable to
see why it would be business to meet the
Tompson-Houston people on the all night
service IS proposition. With this comes
up the question of the contract between
the city and the Tompson-Houstonp eo-
pie, which is supposed to terminate at the
pleasure of the council.
With this state of affairs the business
man in behalf of the city, says to give the
Tompson-Houston people the whole city
on the IS proposition, when it
is replied that the city council
some time ago divided the city
for the companies, giving the Citizens all
that part east Of Fifth avenue, south of
Douglas; the West Side and Riverside.
The part north of Douglas, west Of Fifth
and east to the river to the TompsOn-
Houston and it is claimed the council now
has no right to put mpsonHouston
lights on the citizens territory which IN
case the eight dollar all night service prop
osition is accepted could apply to only
that part of the city which is given over to
the Tompson-Houston people leaving the
other parts of the city for two years to
abide by the present service of the citizens
company. This would give a sort of a see
saw arrangement, but a member OF the
council in relation to the affair seemed to
putting the city in that sort of predica-
ment would be an anomaly and was OF the
opinion that the present council could &C
cept the eight dollar bid for the entire city
if it so desired, but recalled the contract
with the Citizens company, which has
something to do with the two years affair,
and that would enable them to hold on to
that contract, and in order to have all
night arc light service in all parts of the
city some corners Guild be decorated with
two electric lights and the gas lamps also,
which would be a happy and cheerful
state Of affairs for the tax payers. After
all he seemed considerably worried over
the matter and ventured the remark that
he was getting very tired and weary over
the subject.
Aside from the prospect of see-saw
lighting problem comes the old time orig
inal difficulty over what the original con-
tracts on cost of lights mean. The Citi-
zens' people insist that up to October, 1888,
they will fight for S. 80 per month. which is
$500 more than has been paid up to that
date for services rendered. At that date
the affair is changed to a certain extent by
the city serving notice on the electric
llBHC CoiupauleS tuat tHe ConlrdCIS mean
Sc. 81 per month, which will be considered
in it's turn. The Tompson-Houston. ac-
cording to their claim, want 500 more
than the council figures. This is expected
to come up for consideration at the special
meeting on the question.
The construction company putting in
the incandescent lights will commence
work on extending the service to the resi-
dence part of the city in a few weeks |
They expect to expend between forty and
fifty thousand dollars in that work and ex-
tend the service wherever demanded. |
Some more machinery arrived yesterday |
for the plant, which, it is said, will i'm
prove the service.