The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-03-05
FURNISHING FULL POWER.
The Electric Light Company Willing
That a Test Should Be rlade.
1t Is Willing to flake a Reasonable
Contract With the City.

The city'S answer in the Injunction
proceedings to restrain it from issu-
ing what is claimed to be illegal bonds
asserts that the Mankato Gas and
Electric Light Co. is furnishing only
!, 200 candle power arc lights and 20
candle power incandescent lights, in
stead of 1000 and 80 candle power res
pectively, as called for in the con-
tract. The FREE PRESS asked Supt.
r. E. Brown about this today. Mr..
Brown stated that the company is fur
nishing the full amount of light call
ed for in the contract. The arc lamps
are the standard 1000 candle power
lamps, the same as the city would use
if it owned a plant, and the current
is turned on to the full capacity OF
the lamps. Mr.. Brown said that he
was willing that test should be
made any night by any person who
understands how to make one &C
curately, and was willing to wager
that his assertions would be found TO
be the exact truth. The same applies
to the incandescent lights.
Two or three years ago Prof. Shep'
ardson made test OF the lights. At
that time the machinery was not in
good condition, and whenever the cur
rent reached the maximum it broke,
thus making an alternating bright
ness. Mr.. Shepardson averaged this
light, and the showing was conse-
quently not up to the standard. Since
then the plant has been perfected,
and the current runs steadily at the
maximum.
Mr.. r. D. Hubbard was seen, and
said that there was not city in the
country which is receiving a better
light than 'Mankato, or where a
higher current is used. He said that
the full 1900 CANDLE power is being
afforded
Mr.. Hubbard was asked whether
the company's offer to furnish lights
at $75 year for five years was still
open for the city to accept, and while
he did not say so in that many words,
he gave the impression that it was.
He said that whenever the city came
to the company with a reasonable
proposition, the company would meet
it in spirit of liberality.
The electric light question is not
causing any great amount of interest
this spring, and those who have
referred to it have generally COM
mended the suggestion that the bond
question be submitted again at the
coming spring election in order that
there may be no doubt of their
legality if they carry: and that at the
same a proposition be submitted
authorizing the council to contract
for 1000 candle power arc lights at
not to exceed S75 light, for term of
five years. This latter, while it would
not be binding, would show the desire
of the people, and the council would
probably follow the desires of the
majority Of the voters.
About month ago the city council
at Charlotte, Mich, called an election
to decide whether the city should own
it's own lighting plant, to be operated
in connection with the city water
works. A public meeting was held to
discuss the matter, and the people
listened to arguments for and against
municipal ownership for three and
half hours. When the election took
place, 457 votes were cast against
municipal ownership and SO for it.
|. The New York Sun, one of the lead
ing Democratic papers in the country,
does not have good opinion of NUM-
cipal ownership of lighting plants, as
the following from it shows:
The municipal ownership of gas
plants is sOcialistic experiment
which has attained some success In
one or two small foreign cities, under
totally different circumstances from
those prevailing here Wherever at
tempted in this country it has result
ed in poor gas, jobbery and scandal.
Every intelligent Philadelphia ad
mits that the municipal ownership of
gas in his city has been public mis-
fortune.
w. A. Whsle, of Good Thunder,
has come out as candidate for post
macfar q fhot ploco Ho uoo in tho