The San Francisco call., 1896-06-12

shortage of funds is the great increase in
the number of lights during the past year.
We have been putting them in very rapidly
by order of the City. We knew the appro-
priation could not cover it, and remoE-
strated, but still the order came, and at
Since March we have shut off two extra
lights each month, but still the FUNDS
were not sufficient to meet the rapid in
crease in the number of the lights.
sIt would be anuisance of course to turn
out the street lights" said 2. ]. Healy, the
Powell street book-dealer, "but this talk
about its offering a premium to crime is
all moonshine. The lights have been
turned out before in San Francisco under
similar circumstances, and while it was
inconvenient and disgraceful and reflected
severely upon our City Fathers. it did not
cause any unusual increase of crime"
Il think" said the Rev. DR.. Flawith,
pastor of the Fourth Congregational
Church, that the understandings of men
who can deliberately advocate the putting
out of all our street lights for two weeks
must be dark indeed. Ii should never be
permitted to be done, for we have little
light enough now in San Francisco, and to
extinguish the gas and electric lights
would be to plunge the City into total
darkness"
"To turn out the street lights" said
Deputy School Superintendent c. B..
Stone, "would be an outrage upon the
public and a premium to highway rob-
berry. Rather than put out the lights the
Supervisors had better cut down the sal
aries of some of the sleek and welI-pald
City Hall chiefs and deputies. Why, we
need gas and electricity on our public
streets even upon moonlight nights and
to DO without it altogether for two weeks
is as preposterous as it is absurd.
II cannot understand" said jeremiah
Deasy, the Sixth-street shoe merchant and
president OF the knights of st. Patrick,
why the people of this City should be de-
prived of light even for one night. Surely
there must be bad management some
where when the large tax rate OF last year
is not sufficient TO run all the departments
of our City Government But il we must
economize l think it should be in some
other direction than street lighting"
S. II. Tacy, manager of the Manufact-
urers' ana Producers Association, in dis
cussing the proposition of shutting off the
street lights for half month thinks that
such proceedings as these lead many to
believe that San Francisco is Jay
town. He said:
Nowhere in the East would this condition of
affairs be tolerated for a minute. In New
York City the street lamps are lighted by sun
down and they remain until sunrise, summer
cisco the darkest nights are frequently when
the moon is full, but totally obscured by the
Jog. Well, the money is gone and we viii be
without street lights for while. There is one
thing that the Supervisors can do to remedy
the evil They can pattern after the old New
York City law.
Before gas came into use for street lighting
the city officials passed a law or ordinance
compelling every property-holder and tenant
to suspend a lighted lantern from pole in
front OF the street door. These burned until
the tallow candle was consumed and by that
time nearly everybody was in bed. Now the
San Francisco Supervisors could pass similar
ordinance. 1 am sure that the effect would be
very unique even if this system of street light
ing is little antique.
J. Richard Freud, secretary of the Mer-
chants Association, thinks it is by just
such disagreeable occurrences showing the
faults of the present City government that
The provisions of the proposed new charter
will be more impressed upon those who
are not already ardently in favor of its
adoption.
1.-The new charter" he said Yesterday,
provides for twenty-four distinct funds,
which must be expended for specific pur-
poses There can be no deficiencies such
as this present lack of funds for street
because the appropriations for a
specific purpose can never exceed the
amount of the fund provided for it.
Article 2, chapter 3, section Z, of the
new charter, says: No contract for light
ing streets, public buildings or offices
shall be made for a longer period than
one year, nor shall any contract for gas.
electric light or any illuminating material
at higher rate than the minimum price
charged to any other consumer be valid
San Francisco is paying an average of
$1,000 night to light its streets. Does
any one doubt that the same amount of
lighting could be obtained more cheaply
by private personsP