The Saint Paul globe., 1897-11-06
IL ONE BIG SYSTEM
THAT is THE COUNCIL COMMIT
TEES FAvORITE CITY LIGHT
ING SCHEME.
GAS cOMPANY'S PROPOSALS
SHOW THE CITY HOW 1T CAN
GET INSIDE OF
100000,
fR. ALBRECHTS OBJECTION

That the Plan Would Shut Out Com
petition Is Given Scant Cour-
tesy by the Committee.
If the action of the joint council COM
nittee on gas at its meeting last night
is concurred in by the common council,
bids will be requested for single con-
tract for lighting the streets with cleo
tr1city and gas. In other words, in
stead of subdividing that portion of
the city now lighted by electricity and
gas into Districts, the committee will
recommend the letting of a contract for
the entire city. This is practically
an acceptance of the proposition sub
mitted by the st. Paul Gas Light COM
pany at the previous meeting Of the
committee, with some changes in the
matter of the price Of the proposed ad-
ditional eighty-five arc lights and in
the conditions formerly imposed con-
corning the city's payment Of interest
on the cost Of the dead gas lamps.
Eight members of the joint commit
tee were present last evening, as were
F. w. NJ Cutcheon and Supt. Ellison,
of the st. Paul Gas Light company.
In order to make the proposition of the
gas company perfectly clear to the
committee in it's financial significance,
Mr. Cutcheon submitted two tabulated
statements, which are published here
with. The first one compares the pres
ent expense of lighting the entire city,
including the gasoline district. at the
present contract price of $11.85 per gas
oline lamp per year, with the proposed
cost if eighty-five arc lamps are add
ed at $S5 per lamp per year, and the
new gasoline bid of 1924 per lamp is
accepted. The first statement was as
follows:
Present Expense
12O Arcs ...............at $3.50 $S,34O 90
1862 Gas Lamps ......... at $500 6l,220 OO
1854 Gasoline Lamps -. at $11.85 1884 30
Total present cost .....-..... $1OG,s4O 80
s. Arcs .....:.........at $500 1925 60
average, $75.93.)
1862 Gas Lamps at $23.D 6l,2z6 w
26S7 Gasoline Lamps at 1924 24,S27 IS
Total proposed cost ............ $40, SIS s.
Totai saving under new contracts. ,322 w
Note-The above saving can be used to add
$40 new gasoline lights, or to add 1856 addi-
tional gas lamps (after replacing corre-
spending number of gasoline lamps in addi-
ton to those above provided for.
If the S5,322.02 were used to add 576 new
gasoline lights, the lighting system would
consist of: 205 ares, 1852 gas lamps. 5,26S
used to add 1856 additional gas lamps, the
lighting system would consist of: 205 arcs,
S,O4S gas lamps, 2.193 gasoline lamps.
The second statement compares the eX-
for wit pQS
only 1924, and no additional arc lights, with
the proposed cost as before of $lO1, 1888. 1t
is as follows
120 Arcs ..............at $3.50 $3.50 90
1862 Gas Lamps ..........at $1,000 61,226 90
1854 Gasoline Lamps lat 1924 29,142 96
Proposed cost, as before. ........ .si0I ,sls Ss
Increase of cost ....................$2, 81 ,909 %
For this the city will secure the lighting of
146 books with electricity in place of gas,
and the lighting of fifteen miles Of streets
with gas, instead Of gasoline.
After studying the foregoing figures.
the committee resumed the discussion
that took place at the last meeting
regarding the interest on the dead
lamp posts, which the council has di-
rected the comptroller not to pay. In
the event that the council refuses to
TeScl1lu lHlS dCIlOll, MI. CulCiSOH ut-
clared that the gas company would
charge $1O9 per are light for the addi-
tional eighty-five arcs.
Aid. Sanborn met this proposition
last night with a suggestion that the
gas company and the city split the
difference between SS5 and $103, by
agreeing upon $94 as the price per arc,
and allowing the question of the gas
company's right to the interest on dead
1NA Il INrt tIon ff-t-
At first Mr.. Cutcheon declined to en-
tertain the proposition, but, after a
moments thought, he said:
Il see. If the gas company puts in
the arc lights for $94 and wins it's law
suit against the city for the interest,
it will be SO ahead on each lamp, and,
if it loses, the city will be ahead 50.
I'll accept that"
AS the proposition of the gas COM
pany also contemplates the displace-
ment by the eighty-five arc lights of
467 gas lamps, which gas lamps are to
displace that number of gasoline lamps
or to move to such localities as the city
may name, Corporation Attorney
Markham inquired whether the gas
company would share equally with
the city the expense of removing the
gas posts. That, Mr.. CutcheOn said,
the gas company could not afford to
and charge the city only the actual
cost thereof and guarantee that the
cost would not exceed $4 per post
In reply to this Mr.. Markham eX-
pressed his confidence in the gas COM
pany's promises under it's new man
agement.
After some further discussion, Mr.
Kirke moved that the committee rec
ommend the adoption of specifications
in conformity with the new PROPOSE
ton of Mr. Cutcheon, which may be
stated as follows:
120 arcs at S9650 Observation-Disclosures. $3.50
80 arcs at $94 ..............-........... 1890
1852 gas lamps. at s23 ................ g., ,226
Total ............. ......... ....... .SU ,o06
Adding to the above s24, ,S27. S. the cost OF
gasoline lighting under the new bid, would
make the total proposed cost $102, ,3S3.SS.
At this point Mr.. Albrecht, who had
said very little during the entire even
ing, interposed an objection. He re-
garded the acceptance Of such a propo-
sition unWiSe and improper. 1t was
calculated to stif1e all competition, and
that the council had no right to do,
under the charter. 1t was asking the
gas company in advance what it pro-
posed to do, whereas it was the duty
Of the council to first ascertain what
the city wanted. 1t was a vicious
principle to anticipate bids and de-
stroy competition.
Mr.. Cutcheon admitted that Mr.. AL
brecht's argument was logical, but he
contended that the council was justi-
Dc I15 IN,