Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-12
Municipal vs.. Private Electric Lighting.

i viii first select points OF agreement SO that
they may be excluded from further notice:
First. The question is purely one of public
! policy and is to be discussed as such, void of
personalities and without regard to existing
private interests.
Second. Whatever may be proven to be for
the public good should prevail
/ Third. Every taxpaying citizen is interested
and has right to discuss all such matters. and
the citizen or the paper which has facts bearing
on these subjects and not generally known
should make them public in order that citizens
may be informed. Dodge
Will Mr. Dodge agree to the proposition that
| public good is based on the welfare Of citizens?
/ As Mr.. Dodge charges me with taking ex-
ceptons to his statements to the relative
cost Of electric lights furnished by municipali-
/ ties. as compared to the cost when furnished by
/ private companies and with irving to avoid
essential that we at once agree on
/ what constitutes tie cost of lighting
when the service is furnished by municipality
on its own account. When the service is fur
nished by private company, the cost to the
! municipality Is what 1t pays to the company for
/ the service rendered. This cost is matter of
contract and admits OF no argument. When
| the service is rendered by municipality the
question of cost. so far the cost is quoted to
the public, is one of municipal bookkeeping
4 JUST HoW court Is IRVING 10 determine some
items of cost for the city Of Brooklyn, N Y,
pertaining to the Columbian celebration last
fall The cost quoted to the public BY the CITY
| authorities is not deemed satisfactory by inter-
ested citizens. the taxpayers. Mr.. Dodge pro-
! poses to give a statement of cost for 155 towns
L wish him to state how the cost is determined
so that all taxpayers may know that the &C
counts are satisfactory.
To illustrate my view of the necessity of
having an agreed system of accounting as
basis OF agreement as to cost 1 will quote from
a letter addressed by myself ITO the Members
OF the American Economic Association jan
uary 2. 1891:
"A condition precedent to the settlement of
this question Is an agreement on what consti-
tutes cost of service under municipal owner
ship. 1t was to establish this agreement that
offered the resolutions:
Resolved. first, That q committee be ap-
pointed to designate the divisions Of accounts
and the items to be included in each that
should be kept by corporations performing
quasi public services.
Resolved. second, That said divisions be so
made that the effect Of each essential economic
factor will be shown. to the end that correct
statistics may be obtained through a uniform
method OF accounting as basis Of intelligent
economic discussion and legislation.
we must first agree on what items consti-
tute cost. then we must to it that these
items are honestly included in all statements of
cost. This done, We are in a position to take
intelligent action, and then NAV award the con-
tract to the municipality or to the private enter
prise. whichever, in the light of the facts SO OBJ
tanned, may appear to be to the best economic
advantage of the greater number of people,
those who toll and are poor
offered these resolutions after Prof. Henry
| c. Adams, statistician of the interstate COM
merce commission. had read paper on ''Sta-
tistics as a Means of Correcting Corporate
Abuses" In acknowledgment Prof. Adams
fOllOUs
1--WE need facts which can be recognized as
authoritative and final to both parties to the
dispute before We can come to q satisfactory
| conclusion with regard to municipal ownership
of quasi public works.
As Mr.. Dodge is to furnish facts of cost, I
| request him to state his own views as to what
items constitute cost If he will formulate his
statement as indicated by the above resolutions
he will enable the public to decide which of us
may be right in case 1 take exceptions to his
statement.
While on the question of cost / will ask Mr.
Dodge to read my letter of the 9th carefully to
see II ne cannot understand from it that gave
no figures which | adopted as correct and that
the witnesses which he saws l called were all
first called by those favoring municipal owner
ship and were simply recalled by myself and
Mr.. Foster for a gentle cross-examinatior. Did
Mr.. Dodge read this sentence in Mr.. Fosters
article in the Electrical Engineer March 20?
1T must be borne in mind that all the figures
from
data as stated in Mr.. Finley's paper
Review of Reviews February. Electric
Street Lighting in American Cities: The Cues
ton Of Municipal Private Supply BY
Robert j. Finley.
In the light of this statement does Mr. Dodge
wish the public to understand that Mr. Finley 9
paper was proposed in the interest of private
companies. and no doubt by one of that class
Of men whom The STAR so appropriately
describes as plausible liars hired for the pur-
pose?
Just here let me say, hope Mr.. Dodge will
agree with me, ridicule, abuse and wrangllng is
not argument.
This dismisses all that part of Mr.. Dodge's
letter pertaining to my witnesses, by him so
called
Mr.. Dodge SAYS he understands ..that the
terms amDeres. volts and watts express the
strength. volume and electromotive force of
electric currents viii he kindly state the
voltage and amTerage of the arc lamps (com-
mercial rating used for street lighting in the
city Of Washington. ID. c., and those SO used in
the town of Peabody. Mass? / will then saw
something more on the subject of ''candle
power if he desires.
have not seen the list of street lighting
costs published by the Advance Club of Provi-
dence Il. l.. to which Mr.. Dodge refers.
hope he will publish all tine figures he has or
can obtain. / assume he will. as he saws 1.-THE
citizen or paper which has the facts bearing on
these subjects and not generally known should
make them public in order that citizens may be
informed"
Mr.. Dodge saws a club similar to the ''Ad-
vance Club of Providence is lust what the
District needs more than anything else ."
Agreed. 1t is easier got than a municipal | ght-
ing plant and cheaper to run. Those many
citizens who have given Mr.. Dodge expressions
of COMMUNICATION for the stand he has taken on
the municipal lighting question can, | should
think be organized into such club under his
leadership. If he will effect the organization
and it will accept ''non-resident members" |
hereby apply for n membership in it. There
are a number of such organizations that will
furnish most excellent models and render the
work of organization easy. Notably the .'Citi-
zens' Municipal Associations of Philadelphia"
the ''Cltv Club" and the Good Government
Clubs of New York. | wish it understood
however that this discussion is TO be con-
Quoted In the committee of the whole in the
public press for the benefit of every tax
paving citizen.
To return to the subject, the official report
of the electric light committee of the town of
Peabody. Mass. states total cost of plant.
S4S 1862. Under head ''cost of lighting" an
item is given. 'depreciution. per cent on
$4,000" Will Mr.. Dodge explain why depre-
citation Is calculated $4,000 instead of
SIS. 900. and from the experience of what plant
that has been operated five years 5 per cent for
depreciation is assumed to be sufficient?
II Mr.. Dodge wants ME to accept the cost of
lighting given by the Peabody committee as