Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1894-02-01
THE LIGHTS SHINE !
The Citizens Provide the Means

Temporary Arrangements Made for
Three MoAths, Ate: Which it is
Believed the City can Pay the Bill.
After the citizens meeting last week,
in which they stood up for the electric
light company and demanded that the
lights be continued, the light company
put a new phase on the matter by declin-
ing TO furnish the city with lights unless
the citizens would guarantee them for the
lights of the city, and notified their pat
rons that if this guarantee was not Sc
cured within ten days they would shut
down the plant.
Prest Bell therefore called meeting OF
the board OF directors of the chamber Of
commerce for Saturday evening, and one
OF the citizens and chamber for Monday
evening
At the meeting OF the directors the sub.
ject was gone over thoroughly. Council.
man Hood, one OF the directors, had a
carefully prepared estimate Of the expens-
es of the city for the coming year, and
figuring that there would be only four
liquor licenses taken out and that but rs
per cent of the tax roll paid in during the
year, it would be all the city could do to
make both ends meet. There are some
who belive that more than rs per cent OF
the tax roll will be paid during the year,
there will also be some OF the delinquent
taxes paid. and probably the fifth liquor
license will be taken out, SO that from
these combined sources enough can be
realized to pay for the lights. But the
emergency demanded that some action be
taken, and therefore the board decided to
submit the following resolution to the
meeting Monday evening:
Resolved, that this board recommends
the appointment OF committee of tive
citizens who with the light committee of
the council shall see where expenses can
be cut down in running the city, and see
what arrangements can be made with the
electric light company ior the continuance
of the lights.
Monday evening at the citizens meeting
VIM. Anstle was chosen chairman and
w. b. Mack secretary. Chas. Il. Bell
explained the object of the meeting that
the electric light company could not
run without the patronage OF the city,
and the city was not in a position to le
gallv contract an Indebtedness therefor
Remarks were made by Messrs. Kaui-
man, Dabney, Mitchell, Johnson, Mason
CrowtheL, and others in favor of the
lights. j. a. Hood read the statement
he had submitted on Saturday evening,
and the matter was gone over in much
the same manner as at the meeting of
directors.
Upon motion of Linn the finance COM
mittee was substituted for the light COM
mittce, and the resolution was then adopt
ed. The chair appointed Messrs. Kauf-
man, Dabney, johnson, Bell and Grton,
and the meeting adjourned.
The committee met the next morning
and formulated plan to provide for the
lights for three months. believing that at
the end OF that time the city would be in
condition to take care of them altogether
The plan was to offer the light company
800 per month in cash or its equivalent,
instead OF the $l4O.50 general fund war
rants which they had been receiving.
This the light company finally agreed to
accept. To raise this money by getting
the city officials to submit to a ten per cent
reduction for this time, which they did
to raise as much as possible by subscrip-
ton, and to pay the balance out of the
street fund. The committee spent the
greater part of the last two days solicit
ing, ard went before the council last ev-
ening with $S4.55 per month pledged.
Objection was made by some OF the sub
scribers to the city paying anything, and
that if it did they would withdraw their
subscriptions. That these objections
might be overcome, the balance OF the
money was pledged by those present aud
the question settled.