The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-24
THE CITY,s LIGHTING.
Opposition ina Council to the Erec-
ton of an Electric Plant.

The proposed ordinance to be introduced
in council to provide for the city's put
ting in a plant and doing its own electric
lighting Will meet with strong opposition.
Some of the members of coun-
Gil are pecuniarily interested in
the Brush Electric Light and
Power Company, which naturally inclines
them to oppose any competition on the
part of the city with a private enter
prise, while there are other members of
council having no such interest, who
agree with them on the same principle
of opposition to public competition with
private enterprise.
one of the opponents Of the scheme said
yesterday; Your informant showed a
very slight acquaintance with the opera
uon OF electric plants when he stated that
a $4,000 plant could be operated at an
expenditure of $1,000 year. He left out
of consideration entirely the interest on
the investment, which al per cent. would
amount to 1920 per annum. Then he
made no allowance for wear and tear,
which, with a plant of this size, would
not be less than 5000 10 $1,000 a year.
Then he makes a very small allowance
Tor tuel and labor. To operate plant
of this size would require a considerable
force. Every arc light must be visited
ana supplied with a new carbon every
day. Such emergencies as a storm of the
kind of which he have had two in re-
cent years, with damages to the equip
ment and plant of $4,000 to 1000, are
not included in the calculations of your
sanguine informant Again there is the
certainty of occasional damage suits,
which are always to be expected and
which may run up into thousands in
year. Taking all these things into consid-
GRAFTON, you see that the investment in
and operation of an electric plant by the
city might prove very costly experiment.
In the next place." continued the alder
man, where is the city to get the money
should it desire to establish such a plant.
1t cannot increase its bonded indebtedness,
because the debt already exceeds the con-
stitutional limit. With the demand for
more paved streets, extensive improve
ments al quarantine and system of house
drainage we have too many needful OBJ
jects on which to expend the city's moneys
TO think of investing in costly expert
ments Savannah was the first city i'm the
country to be entirely lighted by electric
ity and II is better lighted and more cheap
ly lighted to-day than any city in this Sec
ton. The people who invested their money
in the lectric light plant here did so when
electricity was comparatively in it's infancy
for such a purpose. They have been put
to very heavy expense to keep up with the
rapid development of the business and
have also suffered several reverses, but
they have always rendered good service
and will continue to do so. Under these
circumstances 1 submit that it would not
be just for the city to enter into COMPETE
ton"
1t is said that the incorporators of the
Edison Illuminating Company have an
nounced that they will be in operation in
time to bid upon the next contract for city
lighting. the expiration of the present
contract being nearly a year off. If a new
plant is established here it is likely that
the project to have the city establish it's
own plant will be abandoned as the COM
petition will be sufficient to reduce the
cost of city lighting.