The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-02-03
STREET LIGHTING AGAIN.

As sample Of the impudent assump- |
ton Of our morning contemporary, an |
article appeared in its columns on
Thursday, in which the suggestions Of |
The Herald, made several weeks ago.
are dished up as a novel idea bordering
Oh the sensa tional. The Tribune claims
the proposition as its own and endeaV
ors TO create the impression that it is
something new, and for which it ought
to secure patent and receive the
thanks of the city council and the graf
itude Of the public. But the truth is.
the matter was discussed last fall and
the city engineer made a survey of the
ground and examined into the feasible
ity of the plan, the cost, the saving and
all the rest of it.
The street lighting question has been
discussed repeatedly in The Herald for
more than a month. The project to
light the streets and public buildings
by plant owned BY the city was
placed before the public in these col
unns, and the various propositions Of
the city council on the subject have
been explained and commented upon
by The Herald amid silence and dark
ness from our neighbor. The present
squirt is an assumption characteristic Of
its methods.
As to the main questionable lighting
of the city by a municipal plant. there
is difference of opinion among men
who have given the matter long con-
| sideration. Some think with The Her
aid that the city could establish its
Own plant, as it owns abundant water
| power, and could utilize it at a cost
Which would soon be covered by the
amount saved from the present rate.
| Others, and with a good show Of rea-
son. think the city can secure a cheaper
and better system than that now IN
| operation without the outlay necessary
| 10 procure the plant.
There is much 10 be said on both
sides of the argument But the great
| public buildings efficiently at as low a
cost as possible. If that can be done
by a private company. there are good
reasons why it would be preferred,
In the first place the city has no
money with which to buy and erect
the plant and has reached the limit of
its borrowing power. To obtain the
, Necessary funds it would have to close
down all street lighting for months
and leave the city in total darkness at
night
| In the next place experience shows
| THAI public works of all kinds cost
more to operate than private works.
That ought not to be, but it is.
! Further, the city could not go into
the business of furnishing illumination
but could only provide light for public
! purposes, and a private company which
/ furnishes house illumination could af-
ford to supply the city with lights for
! public purposes cheaper because of its
extensive operations and supplies
under the one plant
Then there is the prospect of more
| than one or two competing companies,
| the introduction of natural gas and the
utilizing of great water power for cleo
tricaI purposes, all Of which may
change the aspect of affairs and give
as ample illumination at a much less
cost than the present rate.
The reduced price, so per lamp, is
still too high. But that is a step down.
ward in cost. It may be lowered still
further. It certainly will be when COM
petition sets in. Perhaps even now, if
the proposed 300 lamps are contracted
Cor, better rate than $40 can be OBJ
! tanned.
In view of the lack Of money and
the absolute need of public lighting,
we favor, as a present proposition, con
tracing for limited period at as low
a rate as can be obtained for 300 lamps,
the amount agreed upon not to be due
until the fall AS soon as the law al
/ lows, assess a special tax for street
/ lighting on the whole city, making it
one lighting district, or include the nee
essary sum in the general tax for the
year.
That viii keep up the lighting Of the
streets which is a public necessity, it
viii do away with the need to push
some very unpopular methods in con-
temptation, it will provide the money
when the taxes of 1895 come in, and it
Will give the city council time to settle
upon some definite plan for the future,
whether it be by a plant owned by the
city or by obtaining proper rates from
a private company
We hope the city council will not con-
tinue the present poor policy of leaving
large part of the outer regions of the
city in outer darkness and that there
VIII be no clinging to crotchets or in
disposition TO adopt what is best be-
cause of previously expressed opinions
The city should be lighted. That is a
public need It is a public expenditure
and should be supplied out of the pub
lie funds as it has been from the be-
ginning. Let us have light!
THE DONOVAN CASE.