The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-01-08
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.
Every City Should Own and OPP
crate its Illuminating System
Frederick Long Ago Found
This Out-Cumberland
to Vote on the Mat
ter in May.

The citizens of Cumberland, Mary
land, will have in May next, an oppor-
tunity of voting on measure which
means more to the town and tax. pay
ers than they realize at present.
Last Monday night the City Council
voted to submit to the consideration
of the people the matter of building
and furnishing an electric lighting
plant for the purpose of Illuminating
the city and public buildings. One of
the councilmen, who was strong adj
vocate of municipal ownership of gas
and electric lighting concerns, read
letters from theN Mayors of several
towns that had experience in furnish
ing their own light. amongst them
Frederick, Md. For nearly ten years
this city has owned and operated an
electric lighting plant at cost of about
$1,000 per annum. AT this figure the
taxpayers are saved considerable
money and at the same time enjoy the
benefits derived from brightly
lighted city. Indeed Frederick en-
joys the distinction of being one of the
hest-lighted towns in the country
The Thompson-Houston system is
used and only recently it was neces-
sary to replace one of the 36-light dy-
namos with another of larger capacity
They now furnish electricity to rs
double carbon arc lamps, which placed
at the Intersection of nearly every two
streets in the town. make MONDAY
brightness throughout the night. The
lights are kept bnrning until about
four O'Clock in the morning, earlier in
the summer and later in the winter,
according as the sun rises early or
late. Three men are required to Oper-
ate the plant, one engineer, one fire.
man aud a trimmer. The corporation
set apart a portion of the market house
in the rear of the City Hall as the
access, and at the same time not an
annoyance to residents. BY thus util
iziag their own property considerable
expense was saved in the first cost.
The municipal ownership of u light
ing system has been source of great
saisiactian and economy to taxpayers.
When the project was first instituted
it met with a storm of opposition and
denunciation. The City Council were
determined to place the responsibility
in the hands OF the citizens and after
explanations galore, put the question
to vote. The measure received the
endorsement of Il majority and work
was at once begun. In short space
of time our city had one of the most
complete electric Lighting systems in
operation that can be found anywhere.
Cumberland is specially favored in
regard to the municipal ownership
of its source of illumination. No
where is coal cheaper,it being about one
dollar a ton lower than it is in this
city. This will effect big saving in
a year. According to estimates given
by electric Construction companies,
$50, 600 will equip the plant ready for
starting. Lighting the streets now
cost Cumberland anout $4,000. With
cheap coal, it should not cost more
than half that amount TO run the plant
per annum. The system now used in
, that place is incandescent, which is
the same as that generally employed in
inside illumination and 1t is not salts
factory for street purposes. The peo-
| pie should vote for fits own electric
light and keep up with their well
known spirit of progress, which has
made Cumberland the second city in
the State in commerce and population.