The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-03-19
A LETTER FROM MR.. WHEELER
His side of This Electric Lighting Prob
lem Now Before US.


Mr.. EDIToR--The articles written
/ for publication by certain well-mean-
ing persons, and others not so we'll
meaning, have been SO misleading and
nisrepresent the truth 50 grossly, that
the writer thinks that the public should
know the history Of the electric light
ing as it is. About the first OF the year
and at repeated intervals since, | re-
ceived communications from different
members of the council, to come to Ke-
nosha and formulate some plan by
which the electric lighting OF this city
could be placed upon the same basis as
the waterWorks. came here very
reluctantly, for | knew that any plan
was loaded with difficulty, but Kenosha
had treated me so handsomely in the
past, that | could not we'll refuse to as
sist in any way | could, in devising
some way out of the difficulty. On ar
irving here [ found that the phenome-
nal financial success of the water works
had induced the council to believe that
an electric lighting franchise on the
same plan was the only one they could
entertain. The contract with the pres
ent company for lighting, has almost
run out, and the council has a new
contract of some kind to make at once.
The proposition obtained from the
present company for the amount OF
lighting the council thought they
needed, was $11 900 per year, on a ten
years contract made a proposition
to do the same amount of lighting for
So, 600 year less money, yet my prop
Osition is attacked as the one that is to
bring immediate financial ruin on the
city. | give the city an option to pur-
chase the plant at cost that | am pre-
pared to prove will not cost the city to
exceed what it would nave to pay for
lighting for about five years. A plant
that will not only be self-sustaining,
but will positively be a source of reve-
nue. 20 the city, besides giving the city
its street lighting free. The calamity
figures which have been lately given to
the public here, are not borne out by
facts. True, this country is full OF
broken down plants, that have been
bonded to death trying to pay interest
on many times their value with INSULT
cient apparatus But there is not q
plant that is reasonably we'll managed
in towns half as large as Kenosha, that
is not paying handsomely.
Beloit, a smaller town than this, sup
ports we'll TWO electric light plants
The one that now has the city lighting,
shows handsome net revenue from
commercial service alone, after paying
all bills and expenses, including the
cost of the city lighting. The other
quite large plant, doing strictly
commercial business, is doing we'll.
had occasion within the last six
weeks, to visit two cities in Ohio, both
much smaller that Kenosha, that own
and operate their electric light plants,
and both are deriving a revenue from
their commercial service sufficient to
more than pay the total expenses of
the plant, giving them their lighting
free One of these operates water
works and electric light together, wants
to sell Its waterworks plant, but will
not consider a proposition for their
electric lighting at all. We are firm in
our belief that all that is needed is a
strictly first class plant, able to take
care of all the business that comes to
it, and you have payer, and if we can
not convince the community at large
as we'll as the city council of this fact
during the sixty days allowed us after
passage of the ordinance in which to
accept the same, it would be entirely
unnecessary for the mayor to veto this
ordinance, for we would do so.
w. Ell. WHEELER.