The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-02-15
THE LIGHT QUESTION.

at the Saulpaugh between the Elec-
trio Light company and members OF
the city council. The company sub
mitted it's proposition for contract
to light the city for a period OF i've
years at $50 per light for 1000 candle
power arcs, at the end of which time
the price shall be fixed by arbitration
for like period of time, making the
contract cover ten years with a re-rat-
ing and at such price as may be
agreed upon at the close of the first
half of the period named. Incandes-
cent lights of Is candle power are to
be furnished small consumers at l
cent per light per hour and to large
consumers at of cent.
The company purpose putting in a
new cross-compound engine of 25O
horse power or more, will extend their
power house and in fact remodel al
most in it's entirety their present
plant. They claim it to be their pur-
pose to provide Mankato with as fine
and complete electric light service as
can be found in the country, and to
give no one the slightest chance to
complain, Their desire for an early
settlement of the question is well
founded. If the city is to continue
to do business with the present COM
pany it can as well be settled one
time as another, and if atfirmatively,
it will give them time to make needed
extensions and added improvements.
1t will take about four months to
make such changes as they cOntem-
plate, and if left until fall or late
summer the expense will be greater
than if commenced at this time or
very soon.
The city is at present paying Sll5
per arc light per year of 1000 candle
power. There are forty-four of these
now in use and sixty-six incan-
descents. 1t is proposed to do away
entirely with the present light and
substitute one hundred 1,20O candle
power arcs. This will give US the
best lighted city in the state, and
will cover an area equal to three
times that now served or covered,
with infinitely better satisfaction. AS
now served, only the central portion
of the city is well lighted, while
portions of the outlying districts
which really need light are not
served at all and others
meagerly so. The present expense
aggregates about $1,000 per annum
while under the proposition as sub
mitted Saturday night the aggregate
will foot to So, 500 annually, and as be-
| fore stated three times the present
| area will be splendidly lightened.
| There is no reason to believe that
| this expense need be increased for five
| years as the lamps can be so distribut-
| ed as to give needed service to all por-
tiOnS of the city, even though our
| municipality shall grow to the eXpec-
tations of the most sanguine.
We now have, as stated, siXty-fOur
32-candle power incandescent lights.
The city is paying $50 per year for
each of these. One / 200 candle power
arc will equal about eight of the 81
candle incandescents, therefore we
will get light service for $500 that
is now costing US $240. On the other
hand, we are now paying S1l5 per
year for forty-four 1000 candle power
arcs which it is proposed to cut down
to 200 candle power at saving of
$50 per year each, while the illum-
mating results will prove SO nearly
equal as to require an expert to dis
t1nguish the difference at distance
of half block.
To one who will look at this mat
ter with an unprecedented mind it is
not easy to discern why the PROPOSE
tion is not fair, the price reasonable
and the change most desirable for the
city. Under the present lighting ar
rangem ent we get an aggregate OF
10000 candle power. Under the pro-
position submitted to the council Sat
urday night we will get an ggregat
of 1901 900 candle power or an increase
of 338 per cent in light SO distributed
as to give us more than double the
present lighting service, while the
additional cost to increase Of light is
a little over twenty per cent, leaving
reduction to the city of about Ii
per cent. in cost as compared with
the existing contract.
Another conference between the
council asa committee of the whole
and Light company will be held Fri
day night and it is quite likely that
the two bodies will get together on a
basis satisfactory so that some official
action may be taken Saturday night.
If such be the case, the city should
annul the present contract SO that
the new one may go into effect at the
date of it's confirmation.