The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-04-16

darkness last night. Inc Salt Lake
and Ogden Gas and Electric Light
company carried it's threat into execu-
ton and refused to turn on the lights
as a result Of the action of the city
council in refusing to renew contract
for lighting at an advanced rate.
The situation is becoming more seri-
Gus than at first was anticipated. The
company yesterday afternoon had its
men out taking down the arc lights
and is apparently determined to have
its price from the city or furnish no
light.
On the other hand the members of
the council are prepared to meet the
company to a bitter end. They main
tain that the old price of $3.50 per
month per light is a fair compensa-
ton and that the new bid of $1,000 is
nothing short of extortion. The city
will not stand it, and that is simply
all there is 70 it. If the company re-
moves its lamps and refuses to furnish
the light at the old price, steps will
Immediately be taken to compel the
light company to remove its poles from
the streets. One councilman said last
night that unless the company will
axe the contract at the old price, a
special meeting of the city council!
would be called and the company
forced tc cut down its poles.
WHAT COUNCILMEN SAY.
at is simply an outrage" he con-
tinued. This company has gotten
into a position where it assumes to
force its own price upon the city, and
we are not going to stand it. Com
pared with the rates in all eastern
cities, Salt Lake is paying far eX-
cesSive amount. The old rate was
steep enough, but the proposed rate is
far more than the city can stand. 1t
would mean an increase in the expen-
ditures of $1,000 per year, and all tax
PAYERS well know that our treasury
will not warrant it.
In California cities, it is true, rates
are higher than here, but it must also
be taken into consideration that the
people there have to pay nearly three
times the price for coal that we do.
In most eastern cities where coal is
cheaper, il is true, the rate paid is so
far below ours as to more than make
up the difference in the cost of fuel
and labor"
FROM THE OTHER SIDE.
Secretary Moffat of the Salt Lake &
Ogden Gas and Electric Light company
said he did not believe much in fight
ing a case in the newspapers, but felt
that the public was entitled to know
the company's side of the situation.
Yes, the lights will not be turned on
tonight" ne began. The committee
from the council has not approached
us on the subject and requested that
the lights be left until the matter in
some way might be adjusted. We do
not wish TO enforce an unnecessary
hardship upon the public. The whole
situation in a nutshell is that we can't
afford to furnish lights at the old rate.
I'VE have been losing money, and 1
wish you would emphasize the fact
that our books are open for inspection.
If the city will take the trouble to APP
point a committee to investigate our
books they will find our assertions cor
rect.
1T has been advanced that the rate
at which we propose to furnish light
is excessive. Now just let me show you
what some of the eastern cities are
paying"
SOME STUBBORN FACTS.
Mr.. Moffat here showed the reporter
a schedule of the prices paid by some
of the cities in other states. The rates
given are per arc light per year, and
IN all these cities the number of lights
exceed the number used in Salt Lake.
The schedule is copied from the Janu-
airy, 1895, annual report of the board of
gas and electric commission of Massa-
chusetts. 1t is as follows, all being of
1000 candle power straight:
Cincinnatil moonlight SCHEDULED. S "a 90
Cleveland moonlight SCHEDULED. SS 60
Atlanta Gall night 12O 90
Boston (all night 146 90
Brooklyn Gall night) 1872 so
Cambridge (all night ... lis 90
Il = a y N Mir., 1sr-a@A m
Lincoln, Neb. (moonliggt) .. 100 90
New Bedford, Mass (moonlight). LAG 90
Philadelphia (all night ......... 152 90
Springfield (moonlight) ..... 1877 90
Wflliamsport (moonlight) ...... so 90
Bangor Me. (moonlight). .. 104 90
The above table is fair average.
In some cities the rates may be lower.
while in some they are higher
CONDITIONS COMPARED.
But" continued Mr.. Moffalt, you
must take into consideration the diff
ference in the price of labor Take |
Bangor, Maine, for example. An cleo
trician there receive from $500 to $500
per year Our electrician gets $125 per
month. The assistant in Maine re-
ceives $45. our assistant SIS. Their |
linemen S12 per week our SIS. The |
trimmers there receive s12 per week, |
we pay $50 per month In Bangor the |
carbons are delivered for $14 per thou
sand, while We have to pay SIS. Be
sides, there is great difference in the |
cost OF coal Many companies in the |
east buy their coal for % cents per |
ton, and we have to pay $225. Take |
the globes, for instance. They are
bought in the east for 25 cents apiece,
while delivered here they cost us
$125."
PLANTS OWNED BY CITIES.
Mr.. Moffat, what do YOU think of
the city owning it's own lighting
plant?' was asked.
The experience of other cities in
This respect are not at all encourag-
ing In fact, they go to prove that
the city canI4ot furnish light any
cheaper than private corporations. The
rates charged in most cities are down
70 the minimum and very little margin
left as profit
Chicago has its own plant The
ofi1cial report shows that the cost was
Sl6S per year. or s14 per month. Chi
cago rents $50 of her arc lights, for
wnica she receives S137 each per year"
IN TINS connection Mr.. Moffat show
ca an extract from an article of Pro-
Iessor w. j. Myers, published in the |
March number of the Political Science
Quarterly. relative to the much vaunt-
ed municipal lighting of Chicago. The
article referred to reads:
wltnouf in any wise attempting to
throw doubt on the ability or the
Integrity OF the personnel of the Chi
cage municipal force, the author of
9nls art'cle has no hesitancy in show
ing tnat each arc lamp supplied by the
Guy HseI cost no less than $i6S per