New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-27
CHEAPER INCANDESCENT LAMPS.
A QUESTION OF GREAT PUBLIC INTEREsT-sTILL
LOWER PRICES PROBABLE.

LOWER PRICES PROBABLE.
To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: In your Sundays issue you published tee
gram from Chicago which is worthy Of more than
pa ssing notice, for 1t refers to agreement en-
tered into between THE Edison. Thomson Houston,
Brush Schuyler, Fl. Wayne. Jenney and one or two
others" in order to squeeze small concerns mak-
ing incandescent lamps out OF existence. for the
implied reason that they ARE tired Of the slow pro-
ceedings OF law TO protect them from infringe
ment" and from the cost Of which they are losing
much money In their efforts to clean out small con
Germs"
II will be within the recollection OF your readers
that the above-n named companies members OF the
Electric TRUST. relying upon the idea that they
could control the manufacture and sale OF mean
descent lamps, undertook, by means OF separate
bids differing but little in the aggregate amount TO
secure 81 1900 OF the Exposition Companys money
for the lighting Of the Worlds Fair Buildings and
Grounds or nearly four times the amount that was
actually paid for the service. The agents or THESE
same companies made extraordinary efforts 10 pre-
vent the award OF the contract to any competitor
by alleging they could prevent the successful car
rying out of the contract II awarded by refusing
the use OF the Edison lamps.
Ever since its failure to secure so large contract
from the Worlds Fair the Trust has pursued the
policy OF forcing upon all Of the small concerns
and numerous users OF their eectrlc lamps the
most expensive kind of litigation with the nowcon
such small concerns would be squeezed out OF ex-
istence' and It must be gratifying to the pubic
TO learn that the cost of these proceedings 10 inc
Trust has caused 1t TO lose much money IN us
efforts to clean out its competitors ana that mere
after at least until the cleaningout process Is COM
pleted incandescent lamps can be purchased AT 'he
greatly reduced rates named
The success Of the SawyerMan two-part or Stop
per Lamp used for the Worlds Fair lighting ana
the low price OF 30 cents per lamp with substan-
,,al reduction for the return of the glass parts ana
tho recent reduction TO rs cents has probably had
oreat influence in determining the Trust TO substi-
tute for It's policy Of attempting to monopoliZe the
lasp trade by means OF patent suits the more "a
t,onal one Of meeting the case by reducing It's price
This question Of the price Of incandescent lamps
60 ono Of more than ordinary importance to the
nubc for a supply Of cheap lamps means great
reduction In not only the cost OF the lamps out IN
tho current used to operate them
A sixteen-cande-power lamp Of Edison form lasts
about 600 hours, and when new consumes electric
energy At the rate OF about three and one-fourth
watts per candle power per hour after 1t has been
IN use a quarter of that time 1t consumes over -FOUR
watts ner candle-power per hour, and the average
use Of current is not far from four and one-hali
watts per hour
Customers pay for the current to operate these
,smns at the rate of about / cent per hour for
ooch ,amn or at the rate of one-hftieth of cent
nor Watt so that light from lamps is much
cbeaner than frcm old ones, and thus follows that
:, ,ho cost Of lamps be reduced and the customers
o,,ven the privilege OF making their own renewals
benever they please there will result great econ
onv in current, with a consequent saving In cleo
trio light bills.
.,oc,ric lamns have not yet been named.
a SMALL. CONCERN.
Newyork Dec. &c. 1893