The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-08-24

verse TO the interests OF the electric
company. and that he was sent for to
do the dirty work Finding the plant
all right. he could not well report it
otherwise, SO, leaving his scientific in
vestigations, he turns To- the contract
and constitutes himself legal adjudica-
tor. Keeling off his opinions, he says
that on the night of March 30 he found
the lamps (this was the wet night gave
90 per cent less than the contract calls
for; and that on the 3lst of March 81
per cent less than the contract calls for,
herein assuming the prerogatives both
of electrician aud legal advisor. Had
he read the contract with more care he
could have seen that no per cent OF light
was called for. 1t merely says that "a
lighting service shall be given from
each of said lamps" and We have al
ways construed it TO mean as near 1000
candle power as the proper machinery
can reasonably be operated. This we
have done. Lamps of contract capacity
have at all times been in use upon the
streets, and have at all times been run
to their full rated capacity, as near as
the most perfect machinery could make
them. The law of contracts requires no
more. We have been assduous and
vigilant in caring for imperfect work.
Not lamp, either upon the streets or
i'm private use, when working imperfect
ly, but has been chased up and adj
iusted at once, if possible, ii new one
supplied, or it was taken to the power
house and repaired. In one instance us
many Us five imperfect arc lamps were
taken from the streets and replaced
with others from the house where pur-
chased. To the uninitiated, the over
sight of generating and conducting cleo
tricity for economic purposes seems
but an easy task; but the fluid is SO sub
tie and mysterious, the machinery nee
essary SO complicated, delicate and SEN
stive, that even the most expert and
experienced operators are frequently ut
fault and fail of success But we find
everywhere ignorant assumption AFRO
eating the position of critic, while phil
osophic knowledge and trained skill oc-
cupy the seat of modesty.
In conclusion we say that, in making
this contract for public lighting, we
were actuated by good faith, and in
good faith we have endeavored to per-
form it, Requiring large amount of
capital to install the necessary machin-
cry, we have spared no expense in Civ
ing to our people the best equipped lit
tie plant in the state. The apparatus
is all new, with the very latest modern
improvements which human ingenuity
and skill could furnish, and has all been
made since the contract was signed; our
water power for running it is the best
in the county; our electrician is first
class operator, having been seven years
with the Sperry electric company of
Chicago; the utmost vigilance has been
exercised in supervising its workings;
nearly or quite every intelligent citizen
of the place is pleased with the service
and only find fault because the board
will not give us more of it; taxpayers
are no grumblers, and consider it the
only convenience and luxury which is
eliminated from the wreck of the enOr
nous waste of money with which this
tax-ridden village is weighted down,
and the only kickers are the village
board and a small per cent of their
more ignorant strikers" Having car
red out our contract agreements, and
satisfying the people, we do most as
suredly expect that the village council
will perform theirs, and we shall hold
them strictly thereto. Should heavy eX-
pense and burdensome taxation result
from litigation, the blame certainly will
not be ours.
PAW PAW ELECTRIC LIGHT a. POWER
COMPANY