The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-21
THE STREET LIGHTING.
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP NAY BE
CONSIDERED TONIGHT.
The Mayor Will Probably Send in ~
Message-A Card From the Com
pany Stating the Facts Regard
ing the Lights Being Turned Out.

At tonight's meeting of the council
the city fathers will begin to wrestle
with the electric light problem. The
question may not be Of such great mo-
ment as the gravity sewer proposition,
put II VIII Tor the next few months
1urnlsh ample ammunition for lively
discussions in the chamber
Inc aH-abosorbing question now is,
! what Will the council do in the prem
/ Uses?
/ That prompt action is necessary is
4 conceded by all The city cannot re-
] main in darkness. regardless of the
financial stringency confronting the
municipality. The city engineer, Chair
man Doremus of the board of public
works, c. r. Mckay and others who
are capable of computing such mat
terS nave been Investigating the fea-
slb1llty of erecting a plant on City
creek. Just what their conclusions are
will not be definitely known until the
council meets tonight. 1t was ascer-
tanned that yesterday afternoon there
was quiet meeting in the mayors
office, with several interested city off
Gals present.
The result of this conference was
learned to be that the mayor will to-
night send in message to the council
recommending that the city at once put
in its own electric lighting plant on
City creek.
1t is difficult to make a close forecast
of what reception this recommendation
will meet with at the hands of the
councilmen. A few days ago the
majority of them were favorable to
any proposition that would be a slap
at the Salt Lake and Ogden Gas and
Electric Light company. Scarcely
q nv N x-iay
plant, however, and this proposition
may not be expected to meet with any
prompt action
One of the strong factors against the
city erecting plant will be encoun-
tered in the element always talking
retrenchment. Salt Lake is credited
with being a fairly progressive city;
still there are some members in the
council who are slow to vote for any
thing that involves the expenditure of
few dollars, even though the invest
ment will be great benefit to the
city and it's taxpayers. The electric
light company says very little, but
there are semes who believe that this
apparent calmness is due to an assur-
ance that municipal ownership of
street lights has not sufficient friends
in the council to carry.
A few of the councilmen were ap-
preached by a Herald representative
yesterday, but they were unwilling to
place themselves on record for or
against the proposition until it has
been thoroughly ventilated.
Just now the following, clipped from
an eastern electrical journal, will be of
considerable interest to the people of
Salt Lake:
1T is proposed that a joint investiga-
ton be made-by the National Depart
ment of Labor and the bureau of Ia
Dor statistics in the various states as
to the economy of municipal ownership
of gas and electric light plants. Ev-
cry electric and gas lighting plant in
the United States which is owned by
the municipality will be reported upon.
ard a sufficient number of private es
Establishments to afford basis of COM
parison between the two plants.
Full statistics of the cost Of plant,
the interest on plant, the cost of ma
terials, the wages paid, the cost of SUI
perintendents, and the quality of light
ing furnished will be given. The bal
ance sheet for public and private estab-
lishments, indicating whether the pub
lie establishments pay a real profit,
make UP deficiency from tax
alton, or pay a nominal profit by
ignoring the cost of plant and bonded
indebtedness incurred for it's esta blish-
ment, will be presented in each case"
If such a move is inaugurated it
would be of great assistance to the
cities contemplating the putting in OF
such plants.