The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-29
The Cost o. Maintaining Electric
Light Plants.
OTHER SIDE OF THE MATTER
JAMES MoFFAT GIVES SOME FACTS
AND FIGURES.
An Important Factor in the Cost is
the Depreciation and Repair
Charges-What it Costs Other
Cities to Operate Plants.

To the Editor of The Herald:
The figures as published in the Trib-
une of today in regard to the cost of
electric light in public and private
plants are very misleading. and require
explanation SO that the public can
judge as to the benefits to be derived
from municipal ownership. The first
Of your public plants you quote Eas-
ton The cost of the light is 1924 The
mayor of that city is quoted as saying:
In Easton the cost is not claimed to
be over $S7 per lamp, but both the city
treasurer and comptroller, who are ia
miliar with the subject, claim that Dhe
cost is far in excess of these figures
and may reach the highest figures of
any city which owns its own plant.
The cost to the city of Easton as
stated by the superintendent Is Acc
per 1000 candle power lamp hour.
The city of Ashtabula is running 56
moonlight schedule. Steam power
plant, costing $4,000, burning 2,l9O
hours, costing, after deducting income
from rent of lamps, 4-10 cents per
1000 candle power lamp hour.
Elgin has 100 arc lights of 1000 can
die power, burned ON moonlight sched-
ule. They run 2,190 hours, costing
9-10c per 1900 candle power lamp
hour. They have been compelled to re-
fit their plant with a new apparatus
after little over six years use.
Aurora, Ill.-LighNs were run 1922
hours, costing AZ cents per 1000 cam
die power lamp hour.
Madison-Cost to the city, 7-10c per
1000 candle power hour.
Bloomington has 220 arc lights OF
1000 candle power, costing 51ac per
1000 candle power hour.
Alexandria has 80 arc lights, l,20O
candle power, cost to the City, BLOC
per 1000 candle power hour. They run
every night all night and claim to en-
ploy only two men, an engineer and
fireman. With only these two men
there 80 lamps must carbon themselves,
as the city say they do not employ any
one to do it,
Bay City, Mich.-Amount as charged
to the city as shown by the sUperin-
the report of the electrical engineer,
who examined the records and brought
in all the items of expenditures for
electric lighting, is SAL. Moonlight
schedule.
Hannibal, Mo-, has Sc arc lights of
1000 candle power, the cost is 5 Aloe
per hour per 1000 candle power hour.
1 trust you will pardon me for max
ing the following long quotation, but l
believe it TO be fair, not only to the
public but to the city, that all the facts
should be published in connection wlth
municipal ownership.
by referring to the same publish
ed statements of the city council, we
find the expense of running plant for
lime months for some time, viz, from
June l, 1894, to March l, 1885, was
SIS, 933 q, add to this the three months
to complete the year at same ratio,
makes 81, 910.S4, as running expenses.
The city has expended S., 594.37 in in
Sailing the plant. Upon part of this
indebtedness they are paying per
cent and part 5 per cent. interest;
waving the difference in rate and cal
culating the interest at per cent, the
lowest rate paid, gives $2,576.74 per an
mum. The collector is paid $40 per
year extra for collecting electric light
bills, which is a part of the expense
of electric lights, but is charged to
and paid from the general funds. If
private company were furnishing the
lights they would have to pay the city
a license fee of 5000, also taxes upon
their property of $3.50. Electric light
apparatus is very expensive and easily
injured, and the best experts of this
country and England claim that the
depreciation is alt least 10 per cent per
annum. The committee of investiga-
ton appointed by congress decided that
10 per cent was correct, and the best
experts in the United States
called upon to testify upon this
subject before the select council of
agreed that 10 per cent.
was a low estimate. After twelve
years practical experience in the bust
ness, the writer has found that 10 per
cent even is not high enough to cover
the actual depreciation.
The statement has been made that
Hannibal was saving "$15 per light
per year as against the contract price
in St. Louis
What are the facts? st. Louis has a
contract with private company at
SIS per year pei lamp. Lights burned
all night and every night Therefore
they furnished lights for 1000 hours at
L cost of 1 9-10 per cent per 1000 can
lie power lamp hour. Applying the
same rule to Hannibal municipal plant
and we find that lights were burned
.,45O hours at the cost Of 2-10 per
200 candle lamp hour.
The fallacy of the statement that
Hannibal is saving SIS per light per
year by owning the plant is apparent,
when the facts show that st. Louis is
only paying S7-100 cents per hour
while it is costing Hannibal 92-100
cents per hour to produce their lights"
The following table shows very clear
Y the comparison between the amount
If light furnished for l cent by NUM-
eipal plants, as compared with that
furnished by private companies. In
his table places from the same state
Are compared and working as nearly
is possible under the same conditions.
This table places the cost of lights upon
In absolute basis for comparison:
Cost of lights where plant is owned
by the municipality Candle power
per hour, furnished for 1 cent:
Alameda, Cal Observation-Disclosures. 1877
Aurora, Ill 447
Bay City, Mich OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 531
Chicago, III Observation-Disclosures. 3S5
CASTOR, Pa 449
1lgin, Ill. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 341
Mo. $40
Madison, N J.. Observation-Disclosures 94
Council Grove, Kan. ............... 154
st. Peter, Mimi. Observation-Disclosures 4
little Rock, Ark. .....,............ S69
Portland, Ore. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 574
Cost of lights where contract is made
With private company Candle power
Der hour, furnished for l cent: