The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-22
ELECTRIC LIGHT COST
SOME POINTS COUNCILMAN LITTLE
HAS OBTAINED.
Prices at which Private Concerns
Furnish Incandescents--Mr. Per-
RVS Side of the Question.

Councilman Little has received communi-
cations with regard to an ordinance he in
troduced in Councn last Monday evening to
regulate the charges for electric lighting.
He says a number of his correspondents,
who pay by the meter system, inclosed their
monthly bills to show that the charges were
exorbitant. One man has five burners in
his residence. One month but two of them
were used. The months bill was the same,
he says, as if all burners had been used.
Mr. Little says that the proprietor of a
hotel told him he had placed q small electric
lighting plant in his hotel at a cost of 1850.
The saving in light rates the first year was
sufficient to pay for the entire plant.
1t costs the city $50 a year for arc lights.
In the Stevenson building, where Mr. Little
has his Office there is a private plant Arc
lights are furnished to the Progress Cloth
ing Company at rs cents week, Mr. Little
says; or about 500 a year Incandescent cleo
trio burners Of sixteen-candle power are
furnished the same concern for about 10
cents each a month. Private consumers
pay about double rates for arc lights than
the city, it was claimed. Mr.. Little says
that it is undoubtedly true that the COM
panies want to continue operating under
the meter system, but he thinks it should
be abolished and a fixed rate charged. He
does not believe there is much in the claim
of electric companies that the meter system
is necessary to prevent an extravagant use
of electricity. For that matter, he says,
the companies could place private residences
and offices on circuits where no power was
turned on during certain hours of the day.
C. c. Perry, of the Indianapolis Light and
Power Company, said yesterday that he had
81 Io1 70 ,fv,n he
dinance so far, and was only acquainted
with it's provisions through what he had
read in the papers. He regards the ord1-
nance as unreasonable. He said that Gus
toners are furnished electric lighting power
by meter, and under this system pay for
what they get. 1t would be just as rea-
sonable he said to require the indianapolis
Gas Company to furnish illuminating gas to
patrons at so much month for each burn
er without regard to the amount of gas con-
sumed as to place such restriction on the
reasonable to say to a grocer that he should
supply all his patrons with all the sugar
they wanted to use at fixed price month,
although Ole man might use one pound and
another ten. The meter system is the only
fair way of determining prices, said he.
IF fixed rate were charged there are some
who would keep their lights burning all
day. Our current is on all the time IT we
furnished power at only certain hours, like
or if the conditions were like they are with
regard to city lighting, where we can figure
out just how many hours a given light Will
be in use, it would be different"
Mr.. Perry was not prepared to say just
what course will be pursued with regard
to the ordinance until he knows more about
it. Mr.. Little said thatSit is his intention
to investigate the question very thoroughly.
ut is not the intention to place any hard
ships on the companies said Mr.. Little.
The ordinance is simply intended to fix
rate at which the companies can have
fair margin of profit and still not charge
the citizens an exorbitant amount for the
light"