The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-03-16

aar ororinc in postponing the ordinance 70
.,,,ro,,,;a,a si25. 600 of city bonds to the pur-
.,o.. 81 orect,ng an electric plant for the city.
And now that our people have breathing
snou lot us look calmly into this matter and
see lust what IL means.
Tho claim is this: Those who advocate an
electric plant for the city say that the streets
and public places must DO lighted by electric
LIGHTS. that the city can create her own cleo
tric plant sufficient for furnishing light for
these for sl25 900, and that it is for the public
interests that she should do so. The first
term If the proposition is conceded; both the
others are denied.
The city has just concluded contract with
the Richmond Electric Lighting Company oy
| which that company undertakes to light the
streets for $40. 700 per annum for two years
1t is believed that this large sum to be ex-
pended annually in lighting the streets by
electricity terrified the Council into passing
the ordinance appropriating Sl2j'OOO 10
plant for tho city. But the oouncn
took an unnecessary fright Tho Mayor 8
message. published yesterday. SHOWS
that We used s76.GSS.9O worth OF gas
during the past year in lighting the streets
and public buildings. Certainly as nucn "a
$4,000 of this was spent IN hghtlhg .he
streets. so that the contract now maze WIFI
the electric company for lighting the streets
will cost the city no more than Lighting them
nv pas now costs her. and they will receive
the incomnaraby better electric lght-
Further that G,Gs3. 30 worth Of ges IA
about ono-third of all the gas generated
~ tho cas- works. rs the Mayors
MASSAGE shows That IS his message shows
there were generated at the gas works during
the wear 21g. CSC. 700 cubic feet Of gas and he
saws the streets and public buildings used
SIS es3 90 worth of this The city ordinance
requires gas to be charged to the streets ana
nublic buildings at cost, which it fixes at II
ner thousand cubic feet. We therefore know
that the streets and public buildings used
1868. 800 cubic feet, or about one-thlrd Oh all
that was generated.
Now. generating this immense quantity OF
gas had 10 be paid for by some one. VINO paid
for it? The private gas consumers IN the CITY
paid for it. They are charged Tor their gas
sum per thousand feet that would pay for
the manufacture OF all the gas generated. and
leave q profit over all to the city OF -4l,3lG.69.
The gas consumers then, in the city pre-
sented the city with the lighting of the streets
and the public buildings. and burden that
should have been placed equally on all the
people of the city was sadded exclusively
upon those who use gas.
The present electric contract, then, costs
the city no more than she has been spending
in lighting the streets by gas, and 1t places
the cost where it should belong. on the whole
CITY. instead of on part of its citizens.
I'd. Ii is estimated that the city can con-
struct an electric plant for S125. 900. which
will furnish light enough for the streets. We
have made inquiries about this, and we be-
lieve private concern could construct such
a plant for that amount of money. We also
believe that our City Hall could have been
built for about $500 600 by private concern
about what it was estimated it would cost
when undertaken. But, being built by the
city il has already cost 1868. 437.11, as the
Mayor informs US in his message.
and he states that the estimates are
that it will cost S546471.26 mOre-that Is,
almost three times as much as il was estimated
TO cost 1t is safe. therefore. to assume that
our SIPS 900 electric plant will cost the city by
the time it is completed very nearly $500, 000'
We have also investigated the cost of fur
nishing electricity for the streets after We get
our plant constructed, and we are enabled to
say to our readers that in the present develop
ment of the art il is not reasonable to expect
that we could furnish it for the streets at less
than $50 per night. Private companies can
not furnish it for much less than that. and it
is not to be expected that the city can fur
nish it as cheaply as private companies.
Suppose, then, we build our plant at its
estimated cost Of Sl25, 900 and furnish light
at the low rate Of $50 per night. The cost
Of electric light for the streets per annum
would be 365 nightsxS 15O=S5i. $50. Add in
terest on SIPS 900 bonds at $4,000, and we
have an annual cost for lighting the streets Of
S59. $50, as against $40 100 which we now agree
TO paw tho electric company. But $3.50 per
NIGHT is what it would cost us to supply
street electricity if we ran our works upon the
economical methods of private corporations.
while we know perfectly well from all past
experience that it would cost us at least one
third more. The case would then stand thus:
Street electricity per night, S2OOx365 nights
$4,000; interest on 100000 of bonds at 4
slG. OO0-SS9, 600 in all per annum, as against
S49, 700 per annum.
We earnestly recommend the committees
of the Board Of Aldermen, to which this mat
ter has been referred. to investigate it tho
roughly. 1t will find the facts to be all as
they are herein stated. Besides, there is all
possible force in the suggestions made by
Mr. Gray. The science of electricity is in
its infancy. We shall very probably be able 10
construct five years hence for $4,000 plant
which would now cost as Sl25,O00 and the
plant which we would construct now would
probably be entirely worthless 1--WE years
hence.
THE TEMPLATE MANUFACTURERS.
The noisy claims advanced before the