The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-26

GELS the Weisbach. and 10 continue their
hold on the world fl Ii expected that they
via In the future show marvellous improve
mem,s In their work. HiiTs company. were
ii TO get the city contract, could not, II Is
said, establish the weisbaeh light in the
city because it's mains do no, extend TO
some parts But that will oe overcome.
II has been stated. hey the company agree
nag TO light the districts where there arc
no mains with gasoline lamps.
Setting Ready for the Fight.
The light companies of the city are get
ting ready To bid and the Hill people,
II they get the contract. will FIRST have
severe fight on their hands. Yesterday q
acknowledgement reporter endeayored to
ind Ur. Chapman. chairman OF the council
committee ON lights But he Is hard
man TO find. Other couneiImen were seen.
but did not care 20 discuss the lighting
proposition In detail. They said. however.
that they were prepared to make the light
ing companies come down in their price
and consent 10 give the city much better
light than the pTesen; one.
Councilman j. A. James has been In the
council for four years and has two more To
serve He has taken great interest in
the lighting matter and In past years led
the fight for reduction The voiiey or
questions which he threw at the officers OF
the light companies when the lighting con-
tract was under discussion last year was
one Of the features Of the many council
meetings. James. when seen at his resi-
dence last night said.
Yes. we are preparing to see what we
can do to let the contract for lighting for
the new year, beginning January !. The
board OK public works is advertising for
the city lighting and the bids will be
opened at 10 o'clock next Monday. Juds-
Ing from our experiences with the light
Ing contracts In the past years fear that
we will not get bids on the first returns
that will be satisfactory. As matter of
fact. municipal lighting II now being done
In this city at much lower cost than in
former years. a short time ago, when the
mayor and other city officials OF Spokane
we're here on municipal business. we
learned from them that Spokane Is getting
2.e10-candie aii-night arc lights for "a
month whereas we are paying over 81
To be sure. Spokane has reason TO expect
lower bid from the fact that that city
has water power which reduces the cost
OF producing electricity. But no such diff
ference as / have mentioned should exist
with the other members OF the city
! council. / have given this matter some
thought and | am satisfied. after read
! ing different authorities on the subject Of
lighting, that the paper read by Hon.
John MacVicar. mayor OF Des Moines. Ia,
before the convention OF mayors and couu-
eiimen of all cities In the United States.
held at Columbus, O. last September. gives
the condition Of affairs as they actually
exist In this city. His paper had refer
ence TO the subject of municipal water
i works and city lighting. as tt Is found In
Des Moi:ses. i not only wish To indorse
all he says in the matter, hut I commend
It's consideration 10 the managers of our
| lighting companies and ask them whether
IL II not better for them to be reasonable
/ I'm their charges and In the kind of serv-
ice given. before II Is too late.
some Statistics.
Mayor Macvicar's paper Is one of the
finest and ablsst / have ever read In II
he says that when he first started to i'm
yestigate the subject ne knew no more
abont II than did the farmers good wife
i who told her husband to bring home some
electric plants that they might. by rails
Ing their own lights, save kerosene. When
started in I was just as ignorant. but
have given and am giving the matter
careful study and hope 10 have sufficient
useful Information In hand to guide my
movements when the lighting matter
comes before us. Mayor MacVicar shows
that he has studied municipal lighting
In his article he published among othet
things an interesting compilation of sta
tissics on street lighting by electricity. IS
sued by the American Society of Municipal
Improvement, showing among other things
that III cities In the United States CON
tain ~ public and private electric light
ing plants and operate 3o,ee 29n-eandle-
power and lisa .ro-candie-rower are
lamps and 81 9-esndie-power Ais a3-can
dle-power and 5.o2s is-candle-power incan
descent lamps, lighting asa miles 81
streets. or these cities operating munich
pal plants Tacoma shows the highest price.
Sla9 per anuun for 2nnl- ca naie- povc
lamps. The average rates paid for soa
ie-power arc lamps by contract Will
private company for all and every nigh
service In twenty-nine OF the cities Il
a6ss; by municipal plants In nine cities
SsRss.
Important Local Feature.
"A very important local feature NJ thes
statistics Ia the fact that iigh; conlpanie
have always told this city that we are got
ting "a cheap. II not cheaper. light tha
Tacoma. which owns it's own plant Now
as a matter of fact. these statistics prov
that Tacornn's lights cost her more tha
any other Of the III cities mentioned
Mayor MacNfcars paper IA replete wit
important matter. He shows that he
Moines. Ia. was for n time In the sam
condition that Seattle "a today enncernir
It's street lighting. The tight cofnpaule
were charging high prices and refused {
reduce them, The city was growing an
spreading over a large area and needle
/ more lights. Under she enormous charge
Of the companies II Was impossible for IN
city to eSpend any more money for ileht
ing purposes. Mayor aaeVicar too
ssffs Nss,-Ss