The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-04-16
BRADFORD, VERMONT, APRIL 16. 1897.
Electric Lighting.

Mr.. W. F. Allen, the promoter Of
the proposed system of electric light
ing for our citizens has met with very
good success in his canvass of the vii
lage and has secured contracts for q
little rising four hundred lights. We
feel it our duty to say that Mr.. Allen
seems to have our interests in common
with his own in the way he has fixed
the rates, they being considerably less
than are usually charged by similar
private corporations. The Village
Trustees evidently are impressed with
his methods, and are satisfied as to his
reliability and stability as they have
granted him permission to set poles in
the corporate limits, certain conditions
to be complied with. Mr.. Allen seems
entirely willing and anxious to put in
the plant, provided there is sufficient
encouragement to warrant even run
ming expenses at first, but in a careful
review of the field it would seem that
the village is not large enough to fur
nish sufficient private consumers to
pay even expenses, consequently in
our judgment, based upon careful in
vestigation covering period of ten
years or more, we believe that in order
to ever get electric lights installed in
Bradford we shall, as an incorporation,
be obliged to vote for street lighting.
Facts must be met, and it is simply
this proposition we must meet now:
Do the citizens of Bradford Village
want electric lights? If so it will be
necessary to vote for them before they
can be realized. What will it cost the
taxpayers if a vote is got to light the
village? We answer ten cents on a
dollar of the grand list. Poll taxpay-
ers 20 cents per year.
Within few years Mr.. E. H. Aliens
fine, new Photographic building was
entirely consumed, the cause being a
kerosene lamp. Within a year both
the Union and Stevens blocks have
barely escaped being burned through
the mishaps to kerosene lamps. Do
the people want to take all these risks,
grovel about nights in almost total
darkness in the streets, besides having
the consciousness of being the only vii
lage of its size and prominence in all
of New England that is so far behind
the times as to be without electric
lighting. We hope not! We believe
not, when it can all be averted by so
slight an expense as ten cent tax.
The following have subscribed for
lights: Hotel Low, c. w. Stevens,
Masons, Odd Fellows, G. A. r., Bank, |
C. E. Clark, L. A. Wadleigh, II. X. |
Prescott, Post Office, j. E. Hunt, A. |
T. Clarke, C. H. Carpenter, Opinion
Pub. Co., L. j. Brown, V. A. Doty & |
Co., Stearns & Jones, o. r. Baker, E.
H. Nye, Mrs. C. H. Curtis, F. W. Ken
yon, O. Corwin, Miss Rowell, DR..
Jones, DIR. Fletcher, Brown & Jenkins,
W. II. Robshaw, II. w. Lowd, Grist
Mill, w. S. Davis, W. A. Libbey, d. |
X. Andross, II. M. Griffin, NJ. A. Da-
Wis, Burnham Cowdrey, w. H. Leavitt,
+. O. Leonard, J. c. Stearns, Geo. A.
Dickey, G. w. Brown, VIM. NJ. Ed
wards, Edward G. Sawyer, E. O. Win
ship, G. H. Curtis, G. E. Clark (house). |
Chas. Jones, B. S. Hooker, n. R. Doe,
and II. E. Parker.
Mr.. Allen went to his home at West
Stewartstown, N. H., yesterday, and
desires to have us announce to those
whom he had not time to call upon to
subscribe for lights, that he has left
blank contracts with B. S. Hooker,
who will be pleased to receive further
orders.