Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-09

riunicsiion on this subjec. have received
many expressions from citizens, both oral and
written, and almost universally comneadatory
From the remarks Of q very few infer they do
not like t. have the facts made public. Now ]
beg to assure these latter that have desire TO
iujure any mans business or do any one an in
Justice i recognize the fact that they, ike the
gas companies, the street railroad COM
paGies and al similar corporations
are doing Just what we would If in their place
seeking 20 make the most they out Of the
IubAc And secure the largest possible dividend
with the least Dos-i5s3 Investment Of capital.
Tia. I. wPa5 sG-n corporations are organized
q S7lt a. IN oppCa0at. Lr F9ote. admits.
t-.re /. !" lis rnA5ts= question Of iyolicy a.
to winch course l. 6eSt For the public interests,
and IL IL in thai view OILY that have said or
N5h -&T snrthing. for or course all bo1est citi-
SEQ I'll AMT tha- sHste yer il for the public
snSsEcs.s . re..e:o- sS0vN -A5za@ Irs-z.. 1ve2
,lozgh some pliya.e interests should safer
there
Every ta&-payiug citizen is interested ard
has q right to discuss ali such matters. and the
citizen or the paper which has facts bearing on
these subjects and not generally known sho1ld
make them public, in order that citizens may
be informed
Mr.. Alien R. Foote takes exceptions to nv
statements to the relative cost of electric
lights furnished BY municipalities compared
to the cost when furnished by private comps-
nies and tries In various ways to avoid the facts
and figures given
For his information will say that I UNDER
stand well he that the terms amperes.
volts and watts are used BY electricians to ex-
press the strength, volume and electromotive
FORCE Of electric currents, but talking
about the quantity and cost of light or illumi-
nation, and for that reason l insist that candle
power Is the unit of measurement IL he will
examine the century dictionary any techni-
cal authority he will find that candle power is
the unit OF measurement i n estimating the lu-
80.
my statement strictly correct
All his talk about amperes. volts. watts, &C.. and
his quotation from Prof. Thomson has no bear
ing whatever on the question at issue and is
designed to befOg the mind of the ordinary
reader so he shall not know what the real facts
are.
Then he SAYS: "The term 1900 candle power
has little significance in indicating the illumi-
mating power of the arc"
Does he mean to say that a 1000 c. p. arc
light gives no more light than our 1000 c.. p.
hghn IL so. why are these terms used at all.
and why does the law and the contracts specify
light OF so many candle power? II it be true
that the one IS equal to the other then it fol-
lows necessarily that one of our 16 c. p. mean
descent lamps gives just "a much hight as the
1000 C. p. street lights. Perhaps the public can
be made to believe such nonsense, but doubt
It.
Now. having cleared away the rubbage which
he has piled up to hide the plain facts, l pro-
figures be cites.
The list from which quoted is one published
BY the Advance Club Of Providence. X. l., an
Association Of intelligent, philosophical Cit
liens organized for the purpose of improving
the management of their municipal affairs, ir
respective OF politics, just what this District
needs more than anything else.
In answer to my figures, he cites part of an
article published in the Electrical Engineer.
which had read before as we take that and
Ala lrr1lt ira. Int aa hav
stated that that article was proposed in the in
terest Of private companies. and doubt by
one OF that class OF men whom The STAR SO
appropriately describes as 1.-The plausible liars
hired for the purpose"
Now. in that list of cities in which the munich
palities own and run their own plant he has
carefully selected those in which the cost Is
highest OF the twenty-fOur named in the list
to which | referred he cites but eight, emitting
the others altogether.
But call attention to the fact that even
then. according to his own figures and with his
selected list, admitted by Mr.. Foote the
light furnished by private companies costs
more than when furnished by the MUNICH
palities That's the point.
Now that ought to settle the question, for
when party brings a witness on the stand he
"a bound by his testimony and is estOpped from
denying or contradicting his statements. But
seeing that the evidence is against him, Mr.
foote seeks to dlscredlt his own witnesses, first,
ev doubling the correctness of the figures
given by the municipal authorities, which. OF
course, amounts to nothing, as the presump-
ton Is that they are correct. and must be SO
taken until the contrary Is proved. They are
official, the money being appropriated by the
municipal an thOrities in public sessions and the
accounts kept by sworn officials.
Surely, we may consider them fully as relia-
bic and trustworthy as the specially prepared
statements Of interested parties or paid advo-
Gates. To which Of these classes Mr.. Foo,e be-
longs do not know, but presume the former.
But no matter about that, facts are what the
public wants, no matter from what source they
come, only that il Mr.. Foote questions the cor
rectness OF the official report he must not COM
Statements of interested parties.
But to return to the article in the Electrical
Engineer. In that even Mr.. Foster saws:
In fact the costs generally are rather high,
psniss considers s250 per lamp sufficient for a
complete and fir .t-class installation"
At that rate the cost OF plant to run 121
1000 C. p. lamps, the equivalent Of our 2i2
1000 c. p. lamps, would be $50, $50, though the
larger number Of smaller lamps would cost
relatively somewhat more, because Of the
greater number Of posts and of lamps used.
Again. Mr.. Foster in that article says: IF it
Is possible for municipality or any other cor
poration to run lamps for .Ol09 per lamp
per hour, as is indicated by the figures for
TitusvIlle, Pa, it is quite time the owners Of
private plants knew it and Just how it is done"
eupposing the lamps at Titusville to be run
twelve hours each night and every night in the
year. thai would make the cost Si7.74 per lamp
per year against our S1S250l No wonder
both he and Mr.. Foots omitted Titusville from
their list! II was not in the list to which re-
ferred. as neither the parties who published
that list nor / knew Of it, but Mr.. Foster it ap-
pears, did know Of IL. Why then did he omit
IL IL his intention to make full and fair
comparison? / leave Mr.. Foote to answer why.
Second. He tries to avoid the result pro-
duced by the testimony Of his own witness by
saying that immunity from taxation" on the
part Of municipalities will account for the
difference. Perhaps SO, but if We are to Judge
by the amount Of taxes paid by the electrical
companies in this District think he will get
very little help for his argument from that
source, for on that very point the electrical
commission. appointed by the President, IN its
report made October %, 1891, on page 9, says:
The electric lighting company pays S225 of
taxes. in all q trihe over the receipts upon one
and half arc lights" and that 1.-THE aggregate
annual tax for 1880 OF all the telegraph electric
lighting and telephone companies Of the Dis
trict Is sI.05750."
No wonder they add, These facts need no
comment" In this opinion I think the tax
payers OF the District will agree with the COM
mission, especially when we take into account
the value OF the franchises enjoyed by these
companies, their occupancy Of the streets. &C.,
for which they have never paid farthing