The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-11-05
AZ tosthe Electric Light Business
Plainly Shown.
THE ELECTRIC COMPANY SHOWS
The weakness of that Papers POSI-.
tIen in,thO siatsor--Ani Interesting
sxsIbIs oftho Prices Charged for
Electric Lighting In ot,,or Cities as
Compared wish wheeling.


bat with. your permission desire to
point out 10 tho pubii. how they work
eli thcis scth,nes 70 thaldatriment otthe
tar payera. Ttey, answer none, Of our
main points, becguEe they cannot DO
consradicted, excepting in the style Of
argument used by that paper They
still claim that the lights can be oper.
died for SG4 each per ycnr. but they
make no attempt to explain how the
wages, Salaries. and coal itetpa Of the
gas works .aresso mut h moro hlan they
were before the 81 eGtric plant was
staStcds.
We ind that the % Innate OF the gas
works trustees OF exc enses for 1904 rs
adopted on Anrfl 81 Il 04, RlIows . def.
cency amounting 10 S3I,5l9 90. Now,
II only costs about $4,000 to operate
Observation-Disclosures wiz . this iasge def.
cency espedally, wht the gas work
could earn. more, tran $4,000 above ali
exnenses previous 10, starting the cleo.
tffc rlant. with STOOD less. revenues
than,they, hadin 1894. How long could
private party do bus mess under such
management? Toany one W no Will study
the question, u solution will be found
why thescity canaIot operate ap, electric
plantor anH ottSor warits % oheaplp %
private parties can.
They claim that it you'd not be good
management to operate the dynamo at
full load. was tttereason why the city
was compelled TO. purchase, an. addi-
tioual dynamo. Wien che truth IL that
to operatei dynamo ethclentays "A must
DO run ut full load, and with each lamp
taken off the efficiency decreases. The
dynamos, bought bY the eiEg to operate
eighty lights each, were not large
enough tod the work., and the Register
knows it, II it knows anything about 1t.
The Register wants to know why we
fear com peti.iaa. and wedoRt hesitate
to give Tie cause. II they were oper-
atinp an incantLsscent plant they would
charge to the, gas worlis,, % To- come
other accouut.. eftoueh OF the expense
10 make it appear that the plant. was
profitable, and in this wayimpose upon
tho tax PAYERS OF the city. and make It
impossible for us to do business, and
after We are forced out OF the bushes
they would advance prices. to con-
sumcrs.
Tho Register states that the now dyn-
amo was also needed 10 operate addi-
tional lamps being put up. We know
where several lamps " ere taken down,
hut do not know wheres any additional
lamps were placed, and they cannot
give the locations.
Tho Register states th,t tho business
men arc paying us Is per cent more
than they would have to pay the city.
As we said before We have paid our
stockholders but 8 per cent on
their Investment in scy,sn years, be.
cause we are selling light at u low price,
and because We were undnr heavy ex-
peuse in introducing the business.
First We had to wire the buildings at
our own expense; after year or more
we could got 81 per light for the wiring,
and it has only been within the last
two years that We could get cost for this
work.
Tho placing Of the wires 10 the build
inrs costs from g to So aud even more,
according to the character OF work done.
All OF tho wiring done by is belongs TO
tho owner or renter OF the building
and OF course this expense was charged
to profit and loss.
Here are the prices charged for in.
candescent light at other places, aud
the people can Judge as to whether we
are charging high price.
ZancsvIlle, O, 500 per luo ampere hours No
Toledo, O., 90 cents per 100 ampcre hours.
Discount 10 per cent when paid before the 10th
and per cent. extru on b!lIs over 10
Dayton O., 75.ccnb per 100 Hmpcre hours' NO
Salem O.. 60 cents to 81 per 100 ampcrc hours.
No discount
seripgaeld, g., Is cents per 100 ampeFe hours.
No discount.
hours. Discount 10 per cent. 90 bills over S8
aud under SO twenty pGr cent, % bills over $50
aud under SIS thlrly-three mud one'thlF1 per
USarieston, W Va, 81 per 100 ampcre hours.
Discount from 10, 70 % per cent, according 10
quality consumed.
couuts pr cent. on Bills exceeding SO and less
than so bet month. 10 p0r cent on bills exceed.
ing 80 aud lcsS than SO per month, 10 per cent.
on bills exceeding 80 and less than $50 per
month, % pcr cent ON bills exceeding go per
month with o 5 per cent. extra discount when
bills arc paid before the 18th.
Canton, o, 81 per 100 Amperc hours Discount
10 10 % per cont. according 10 quantity con.
Sumcd.
In some OF these places they use Watt
meters instead Of ampeSe meters but
We have given the rates in ampere'a in
order TO save confusion. II we are cor.
rectly informed one OF tho managers OF
the Register Is stookholder in the
Charleston plant, and knows well that
our rates arc not high.
We furnish renewal lamps without
cost which Is saving to the consumer
OF about 10 per cent.
The city already has the right 10 got
US out OF tue way, in the same manner
they did with the old gas company, by
buying by arbitration which 10 the only
fair way for the city to treat their citi.
Zens,
Tho Register has answered none OF
the questions we put to them, while We
have shown up all their misrepresenta.
tionsand we could show many more cases
where the Register has materially mis-.
represented matters connected with this
subject.
At tho time the city granted the old
gas company franchise they reserved
the right, so stating in the ordinance,
that after twenty years the city should
have tho right to purchase the plant at
an arbitrated value, aud q. tho end OF
the twenty years the plant was go pur.
chased.
TnE WHEELING ELECTRICAL COMPANY,
J. II. Horns, President
EPhwliHO Notcniber 1.
Mr.. Hobba's signature as president
was appended TO tho company's last
communication 10 the lSTELLIGENCEu,
but wac by accident omitted from the
card as printed.
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