The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-02
THE LIGHTING CONTRACT.
A CITIZEN WHO COMEDIES WITH
THE MAYOR.
Reviews the Situation and Gives
Some statistics-The Question of
Municipal Ownership.
Salt Lake city, June /, 1885,

Salt Lake City. June l. 1896.
To the Editor of The Herald:
Will you permit me to suggest that
the city council should not act hastily
in adopting the municipal lighting con-
tract over the veto of the mayor From
my acquaintance with the facts, 1 be
lieve the mayor has better informa-
ton and is nearer right than the
council 1t is singular thing that the
old company could afford to sell the
city its lights for less than the pro-
posed contract provides, having to pur-
chase coal. while the lights, under the
new contract, are to be furnished from
electrical currents, generated without
cost, excepting for the plant, and
transmitted through the city on a
franchise given to it.
Investigation will disclose the fact
that electrical lighting is to be ma
terially reduced in the near future by
discoveries now being made. Originally
it took one horse power for ten in
candescent lamps; latterly one horse
power will furnish fifteen lamps; new
discoveries have recently been made
to justify the belief that twenty in
candescent lamps can be illuminated
from a singla horse power. The in
vestigations of Mr.. Nicola Tesla indi-
cate that a better artificial light than
has yet been discovered, will soon be
in common use. The illumination will
be better, there will be no wires in use
and the cost will be cheaper.
No two, ,aIy l1-6 ~,
view of these facts, for the city council
to make a long time contract unless it
! is justified by an extremely low rate,
which has not yet been accorded. In
vestigations made by the city of
Evansville. Ind, show that of fifty
eight cities which owned the lighting
plants of their cities the cost per lamp
/ per annum was but s57.SS. The city OF
Keokuk, Iowa, making the same kind
of an investigation found that the cost
per annum per lamp, taking the aver
age OF the various schedules. was but
$57.25 The city of Springfield, ILL.,,
making an investigation as to the cost
of city lighting ascertained that the
cost per lamp per annum was but sos.
| While it has been shown that the cost
of a 2.000-candte power lamp, burning
six hours a night, which is half an
hour longer than the Philadelphia
schedule-the one ON which Salt Lake
has been running-costs only $50 per
year The city council of Boston
adopted a resolution, October II, 1895,
reciting that in the opinion OF the
city council. the city of Boston should
not pay more than $T5 per arc lamp
per annum pending the establishment
of a municipal electric light plant
The report of the city of Marietta,
Ohio, made February %, of this year,
shows that the cost of 10 arc lamps,
2,000-candle power. including taxes,
interest, depreciation, and every pos
sible expense is but $47.24 per lamp per
annum burning all night every night.
All the investiga tons made by cities,
so far as 1 know, show that $40 per
annum per light, where coal is used,
is very liberal allowance, and the
idea of our city council rushing
through contract giving for two
years a local company $102 per an
mum for lights generated by water
power is not in the interest of the city,
and will do no credit to the members
of the council. The city can better af-
ford to be left in darkness until such
time as a plant of its own can be
established than suffer Itself to be
taken advantage of by corporations
which have been accorded the fran
Cll1oC WllilOQL COSl. IL Tile CITY WOulQ
seriously consider the proposition OF
putting in a plant of its own up City
creek, which it could do, you would
find that the lighting corporations will
be very willing to supply lights at So
per month per lighter S72 per annum-
which is more than it costs in most
cities and which should be enough to
satisfy the most avaricious. The fact
that certain individuals, prominent in
financial and ecclesiastical circles, have
interests in these plants should not
count with the city council as against
the best interest Of the tax payer
There is no justification for the con
tract made by the city council, and the
veto of the mayor will be sustained by
citizens generally no matter what the
council may do. 1t will be a rare treat
to have one body Of men again elected
in Salt Lake county, who will endeavo1
to subserve the interests Of the people
1T begins to look as though it is i'm
possible to secure a city council Oh
county court which will do it's duty by
the public. E.