Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-24
PRICE OF LIGHTS
Captain Derby Makes a Report On
the Question.
STREET LIGHTING TOO EIPENSIVEBERE,
Efforts to Get Conditional Bids
Proved a Failure.
LEGISLATION rs NECESSARY.
LEGISLATION Is NECESSARY.

With an idea Of obtaining for the District
the cheapest and best system Of street light
Ing, Congress at its last session passed an
act providing:
That the Commissioners Of the District
OF Columbia shall investigate, ascertain and
report to the first session of the Fifty-third
Congress what deduction may be made for
gas and electric lighting. beth for annual,
hve-year and for ten-year contracts, and
that they be .authcrlzeu to invite proposals
TOT supplying said light at reduced rates.
and In this they are not limited to any one
system or consreny.''
CAPT. Derby, the engineer officer in oh arge
OF street lighting. vas gwen charge Of this
matter. and. as stated from time to time
in The Star, has been conducting investi-
cations.
At late hour yesterday afternoon he
submitted his report upon the subject which
Is both interesting and instructive, and
which Is given in full. as follows:
AS first step toward complying with
this proviso, q circular letter was sent to
the two gas companies and to the electric
companies furnishing light in the District
of Columbia, quoting the language OF the
art, and asking for any suggestions these
companies might wish to offer that would
reducing the cost of lighting the streets of
the District of Columbia To thess letters
no answers were received other than. in
one or two inste noes. a formal acknowledge
ment Of their receipt.
Bids Asked.
Specifications were then drawn up and
broadly advertised asking for bids for the
lighting Of the streets Of the District of
Columbia for periods of one. five or ten
years. The specifications were carefully
framed with a view to leaving the greatest
possible latitude to the contractor as to
the method Of lighting, consistent with
rendering good service: 1t was hoped that
the electric companies might be induced to
compete with the gas companies and that
the oil and naphtha lighting companieswould
do the same. or that an opportunity to Sc
cure a ten-year contract for lighting all the
streets Of the District Of Columbia might
prove sufficiently tempting to capitalists to
JUSTIFY the establishment Of new electric or
gas companies to compete with the old es-
tablished ones.
Except as regards the oil and naphtha
lighting this expectation proved to be un.
founded. Bids were opened August / and
no tender was received for either gas or
electric lighting.
From much direct and indirect informa-
ton have received on this subject / am
satisfied that the failure to obtain bids ID
due to the following causes: "
l. 1t was well understood that the Com
missioners had no authority to enter into
contract for ten years lighting, but that
all they could do was to recommend to Con-
gress. Few capitalists would care to go to
all the expense and trouble Of organizing
new company on sufficiently large scale
to light the whole Of a large city with
nothing to encourage them but a prospect
Of favorable recommendation to Con-
gress.
g. The present year is an unfavorable
season for attempting to launch any such
large undertaking, 1t being exceedingly diff
1cult to raise large sums Of money for any
purpose In the present financial condition Of
the country.
g. The existing electric light and gas
companies have no inducement to compete
with each other, because under the system
that has existed up to date Congress has
appropriated certain definite sum of
money for electric lighting and a certain
petition can exist each company having
only to demand whatever price they choose
for the light they furnish subject only to
the maximum limit prescribed by Congress
In the appropriation act.
4. The companies have a firm faith in
their ability to perpetuate this system. and
being confident that they can secure higher
prices by dealing direct with Congress
than they can by subjecting themselves to
the laws of open competition in dealing
with the Commissioners they very natural
ly declined to bid at all.
Prices Too High.
II.
the prices paid for light by all the cities
In the United States Of over 900 inhab-
itants; and C9, the prices paid in the cities
Of over 5000 Inhabitants, where gas is fur
nished to consumers for domestic lighting
at prices less than those charged in tie
District Of Columbia.
These tables show conclusively that the
prices paid In the District both for street
lighting and for domestic purposes, are en-
m hi0tr tc to 1~tt1 ,ytar1
as regards electric street lighting, for which
service the District pays SlS250 per annum
Tor what Is furnished elsewhere for much
less.
only be found in new legislation by Con-
gress, and would strongly recommend that
every effort be made to secure legislation
covering the following points:
Liquidation Needed.
LIST. That appropriations for street light
ing be no longer divided by Congress into
separate sums for electric and gas light
Ing. but that the appropriations be made in a
single sum "for maintaining, operating and
extending the street lighting service" leav-
ing it to the Commissioners to use this
money in whatever manner they can Sc
cure the best results.
I'd. That the Commissioners be authorized
to enter into contract for street lighting
for period of ten years or less, as may, in
their judgment. be most advantageous.
Sd. That, in the event of its being found,
after due advertisement, impracticable to OBJ
tain reasonable bid from contractors, the
Commissioners be authorized to sell bonds
and establish street lighting plant and
light the streets Of the District Of Columbia,
dispensing with the services of contractors
when their employment ceases to be- a MI
tual benefit. The mere existence Of this
power could do more than anything else
could to secure fair prices from contrac-
tors.
Municipal Plants.
The establishment Of municipal plants for
street lighting Is being canvassed in many
Of the cities Of the country, and have actu-
ally been adopted in many Of them, giving
excellent results. The District of Columbia
has special advantages for carrying on its
own municipal work without a contractor
as an intermediary, because Of the non-par-
tisan character Of its government and the
almost absolute freedom from political M
fluence In the choice of its employees. 1t is
roughly estimated that an electric plant to
give a service far better than that now ex-