St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-03
FOR STREET LIGHTING.


FOR STREET LIGHTING.
If the bids for street lighting in st.
Paul which were opened last evening
are both a surprise and a disappoint-
ment to those who had expected a
larger reduction in this item of mu-
nicipal expenditure, they at least fur
nish an unusually strong illustration
of the value of competition. 1t is not
difficult to estimate from them how
large would be the margin of economy
if the whole city could be lighted at
something like cost plus a reasonable
profit. A cursory view Of the bids
seems to show that the different parties
who are competing for this work had
competition in view much more than
they did cost. There was evidently
great, deal of guessing going on as to
what the other man would bid; and,
not unnaturally, from it's long expe-
rience, the st. Paul Gas Light COM
pany appears as the best guesser
The discrepancies between the fig
ures submitted will not admit of any
reasonable explanation. In the one
district where there was lively COM
petition, the four bids for electric
lighting were, respectively, $69.50, $1O5,
$9S and $780, The difference Of $35 SO
between the highest and the lowest
does not, obviously, represent a diff
ference Of cost. In the same way the
difference between the gas company's
figures in the different districts is in
eXplicable on a business basis. That
it should offer to do work for $69 so in
one district and ask $130 and $147. so in
others near at hand means simply that
it judged rightly about what the bids
in those districts would be. For the
cost of stringing wires and erecting
poles is not so great an item as to ac-
count for this immense variation in the
estimate for maintaining an electric
light for year in two adjacent por-
tions of our business territory AS
far, therefore, as reaching minimum
of cost is concerned, we have only
can be done. The arrangement pro-
posed, even when coupled with fran
chise for commercial lighting, did not
carry with it inducements sufficient or
stimulate competition sufficiently eff
fective to push the bids near to the
bed rock of price except in a single
district of the city.
On the whole, however we cannot
say that the outcome Of the lighting
scheme is unsatisfactory. It opens the
way to a reduction of $4,000 in the
cost Of city lighting, which Is the first
and main consideration. The reduc-
ton of $8.75 per lamp in the estimate
for gas brings the cost of this below
that Of arc lamps in the districts out
side of that which includes the main
business section. This was done advis-
edly, beyond doubt, by the gas COM
pany, because it is to their interest to
furnish gas rather than electric light
in the larger area of the city. The ex-
cessively high figures submitted by
advantage. If, therefore, the board of
public works, the city engineer and
the city attorney, to whom these bids
have been referred, report in favor of
the most economical method, it will
be for the lighting of one district, that
of the business center, with arc lights.
and all the rest with gas And while
this is financially the most desirabl
it will probably not be unacceptable to
the public. Certainly a large number
Of people in the residence sections have
not viewed with satisfaction the pos
sible substitution of arc lamps, with
the necessary poles and wires; and if
the gas company will extend through
out the city the use of the patent burn
ers which they have placed upon a
portion of Summit avenue, they will
furnish a light against which little
complaint can be made.
The vast possibilities of future saw
ing are seen in the fact that the bid
for electric lighting in the central dis
lIlCI Is UuL SOJ9U per uSnL Tor each
year, and that in some of the other
districts the bid for gas lighting is
but half that for lighting by electricity.
These facts show that when the public
receives either kind of service at the
lowest figure compatible with living
profit to the contractors, it may still
further reduce it's bill for street light
ing by a good round sum. In the
meantime, it is satisfactory to know
that contracts under the bids sub
mitted will light the city suitably
within the estimate, cut off $40, 900 from
the sum originally contemplated as
necessary, and enable us to make the
expected saving. AS the contract is
for but single year, we will be in a
position by another season to take ad-
vantage Of what this competition has
disclosed, and possibly to cut off an
other good slice from the street light
iHg bill. The bids justify the plar
that was adopted by the board of pub
. lie works. They have saved a large