The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-10-14
DEERING CITY FATHERS.
The Question of Light Again Discussed
and that Order to Remove the Poles
Rescinded

last evening, the row of seats just be-
You'd the reporters table was filled by
Westbrook men, sure Indication that
there was to be much talk about lights.
Light, more light" was to be had if
possible on the question of lights, and
the Westbrook company was not to yield
without fight. To be sure at the last
meeting of the city council an order had
been passed directing the Westbrook
company to take down their poles with
in sixty days, but the company was not
even admitting that it proposed to take
itself out of the field as the light furnish
er of the city. There was to be hearing,
long hearing, a full hearing, and then
victory for the company, and their poles,
but all this is anticipating the story of
the session.
The fight was on when the following
order was read by the city clerk:
Ordered-That the vote passed October
9, 1898, ordering that the poles OF the
Westbrook Electric Light company be re-
moved within sixty days be re-consldered.
Mayor Sawyer said that the Westbrook
company would like to be heard, and he
introduced Samuel d. Warren, Esq, of
Boston, the president of the company.
Mr.. Warren is a lawyer by profession, and
is ready and interesting speaker. What
he had to say was to the point, and he
suggested good deal more than he put
in direct terms Mr.. Warren distinctly
disclaimed all desire to keep other COM
panies out of the field, there not being
profit enough in the business to make it
worth while to make strong effort for
it. He believed that one company should
have the lighting of the two cities of
Westbrook and Deering, in order TO make
money enough to pay to continue the
service. He said that as it is the profits
are smaller than the rate at which the
Bank of England will loan money, and
that institution asks less than any
other in the world. He did not believe
that there is citizen of Deering who
would.loan any amount OF money at the
rate of profit made in the past by his
company on their Deering contract.
There are fixed charges, as in the case Of
railroad, that must be met, and they
are not so very much increased by an
increase of business, therefore it is self
evident that in order to make it pay for
any company to light the city of Deer
ing, there must be an increase in BUSH
ness. Under the circumstances it is i'm
possibleto do. small business success
fully. Mr.. Warren called attention to the
fact that his company is about to under
take an, additional expense of about $4,000
in putting in incandescent lights, and
that over half of twill be called for by
the Deering part of the service.
| Mr. Warren took up the much discussed
! question of rates. In 1892, his company
obtained the opinions of electricians en-
ployed to inspect local stations, and
from comparison of the rates OF 30
companies, mostly. if not all in New
England, it was found that the average
rate for.house lighting was $12 light,
while the rate of the Westbrook company
is but Sc for the same service. Mr..
Warren claimed that when it comes to
street lighting, it would be found by
comparing the rate of other companies
| for the same branch of service, that the
Westbrook company is below the average.
| He called attention to the fact that 1T
| will not do to pick out some one COM
pany, in some one city, and take their
| schedule as the rate of comparison. A
| company offering to furnish electric
| lighting, may also have some other SER
vice to perform for city. They may be
! H. %a,..~ VOW,
| company, and be willing, and able to
make exceptionally low lighting rates,
and make it up in some other way, but
| in this case there is nothing offered by
way of inducement. He did not envy the
competing company the contract they
seemed likely to make with the city OF
Deering. In the long run they will find
| that they will be as glad to get out of it,
as you are to have them go IN
| Mr.. Warren then took up the order
passed at the last meeting OF the city
council, ordering his company to re move
their poles within sixty days. HescaIled
the attention of the council to the fact
that before. takingssthe contract from the
city of Deering, the Westbrook company
took all the necessary legal steps to pro-
tect their own interest. He admitted
| that it might be within the power of the
| council to order any one pole to be
| changed from one location to another, il
the public service required, but denied
that it could order the poles to be re-
moved. He believed that his company
| would be full protected in their legal
rights blythe laws of the state, but he
did not believe that itwould benecessary
for the question to be brought before
any other tribunal Mr.. Warren said he
did not for a moment believe that after
their attention had been called to the
matter, and they had given it due consid-
GRAFTON, the members of the council
| would be willing to order SO complete g
confiscation of the property of his COM
pany even if they had legal right to dc
it, and that he denied. Touching on the
legal side of the case, he said that he was
ready to cite cases if the council desired
the general trend of the decisions outside
of Maine being in one direction, the
protection of the companies, although
the point might not have been directly
raised in this state.
No profits his company had made out
of their contract with the city of Deer
ing, would repay the loss sure to follow
the. carrying out of the order. The number
of street lights originally "a, and now 2S
is not enough. His company was ready
to give Deering all the service it might
require Within ten days it would b.
ready to supply the citizens of Deerine
with all the incandescent lights they