The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-08-24
Additional Local.
exit Electric Lights" = The Company's
Side.

exit Electric Lights" - The Company's
Side.
Ed. TRUE NORTHERNER: The article
in your last issue announcing the pass
age of an ordinance by the village board
annulling the contract and franchises
granted To the Paw Paw Electric Light
Co., for lighting the streets by electric
ity, we cannot in justice TO ourselves
suffer To pass without giving a full ex-
pose to the public.
We imply no censure to the NORTH
ERNER, for we conclude that the article
was based upon items furnished to the
editor by some of the members of the
board who from the commencement of
the lighting service have been agrees
lively hostile and often mendacious.
1t is fact well known to most of
your citizens, but perhaps not to all,
that in the fall of 1890 ten years con-
tract was entered into between the per-
sons composing the electric light com
pany and the village of Paw Paw, for
lighting the streets by electricity, and
the necessary franchises granted for
carrying out the work The papers
were drawn by Mr.. Goss, the then vii
lage attorney, and duly eXecuted-upon
the one part by the electric light COM
pany and upon the other by all mem
bers of the village board. In article
of this contract, which contains the gst
of the agreements, we find the follow
ing stipulations: The party of the first
part agrees To furnish to the party of
the second part 16 full standard arc
lamps of nominal 1000 candle power
each, of the Western Electric system,
for lighting the streets of Paw Paw for
the space of ten years, for the sum of
$1,000 per year to be paid in twelve
equal monthly payments.
Also to give lighting service with each
of said lamps from early dusk until
midnight during the entire term of this
contract, except when the moons light
shall render the same unnecessary"
Art provides that the village shall
take and use said lamps and pay for
the same, as specified in Art l. This is
the substance of the contract. The
balance of the article merely provides
for the carrying out of the requirements
of Art. for the protection of the
plant and regulating commercial and
domestic lighting.
After this contract was executed one
of the parties interested IN stocking the
plant, believing the Western Electric"
was not a good system, and if put in
would prove unsatisfactory both to the
public and the electric company, and
further that the board had been imposed
upon by the agent of that company
(who 10y the way was one Of the sharp
est men that travel and whose specially
was to ''work" innocent and credulous
boards), went before the next board
meeting and strongly urged them to
strike from the contract the words
Western Electric" and insert in their
place "some standard SYSTEM" which
would allow the company to fully in
vestigate all systems, and when ready
To purchase order none but the best.
This request the board fatty refused
and insisted upon the fulfillment of the
contract. Here the matter dropped,
and the w. +. dynamo and lamps were
purchased against the better judgment
of the company. But the board had in.
sisted and the company was bound by
the contract. This apparatus was of
the lowtension type, a style even then
out of use among many of our best cleo
trcians having been largely replaced
by high-tension goods. The arguments
used by the agent were that high-ten-
sion electrical machinery was exceed
ingly dangerous, while low-tension was
comparatively safe. The board in their
blissful innocence and Jealous of the
welfare OF the people, had become so
fixed in their deluson that no amount
of argument could move them. SO fear
full were they of casualties that we well
remember hearing one of them eXclaim
at the meeting that IF electricity was
TO be used he did not want any wires
on his side of the street" Well, the
dynamo and lamps were put in and the
current turned ON, but the lighting SER
vice proved to be just what the compa-
ny had expected. The light was un-
steady, flickered viciOusly, jumped up
and down, Missed and fried, as that sys-
TEN always does. Our citizens began
to kick" and after several months the
city fathers discovered that travelling
men were not always what they
seemed, and that they had been duped.
But they got what they bargained for,
and refused to have changed when OPP
portunity offered and which they had
accepted from the company by official
ordinance, and with no one to blame
but themselves. Had they listened to
our suggestion and desire, a more mod
ern system at first would have been in
stalled and the public better served.
After continuing the low-tension sys-
TEN five or six months an arrangement
was made between the company and
the board, giving permission to the
company to pull out the Western Elec.
trio apparatus and put in place the
Sperry Edison system, which we con.
sidered then the best in use. Based
upon this permission new dynamo
and lamps were contracted for with the
state agent, to be delivered in 30 days.
Upon sending this contract forward to
the general office we were informed the
machine could not be delivered under
80 days, as they were behind with their
orders Meantime we were temporarily
shut down for repairs, as we had a right
To be under the contract. Immediately
after the news of the delay the offer
was made the village board, through
the recorder, that the Western Electric
would be put upon duty again if the
board so desired until the new one
came; that when it arrived it be placed
on trial and the board could take their
choice between the two. The recorder
subsequently stated that he had laid
the mattpr before the hoard but that no