The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-10-07
New Company Will AS
sumo City's Lighting.
Consolidated Company Refuses
to Lease or Sell Its Poles.

troSersy which has stirred the CITY to Its
depths for the past year or more. Yester-
day afternoon the directors OF the Consol-
idatetd Electric Light company held a
meeting and decided not to accept the
city's proposition to light one-half of the
city. The letter which the directors sent
to Mayor Robinson was worded as fol
lows:
10 the Hon. Frank W. Robinson, Mayor,
City vf Portland, Me.
Dear Sill THE order of the City Coun-
Gil OF September Goth, rendering to this
company contract for 800 arc lamps, at
$3.50 for contract for one year, with
sundry options ON the part of the city for
renewals for varying periods thereafter,
has received our very careful and serious
consideration.
The price for lamps, viz: $500 per
year, is so much below she actual cost of
operation, that it would simply result
that this company would be paying the
city for the privilege OF lighting Its
streets. in addition to the large sum it
now pays to the city for taxes.
This fact, together with the other burd-
ensome conditions imposed in the option
rendered us, compels Us for the present TO
decline to accept the proposal. We sha II
mold ourselves in readiness however, TO
serve the city in any proper and reason
able manner, aud to BID again on this
street lighting when the contract expires
next year, as provided In Jour option.
Respectfully yours,
Consolidated Electric Light company of
Maine, George X. Raymond. Gen. Man
ager.
The Consolidated company having re-
fused to accept the proposition of the city
the lighting committee will now make
u contract for the entire city with the
Portland Electric Light company. This
Will require the erection of over six hun
dred poles and the stretchingyof an i'm.
mense amount of wire before November
LIST, IL the new company Ia to assume the
of the entire city. Manager
trio Light company told a PRESS report
er.yesterday that he did not believe his
company could assume the lighting of
the city by November LIST. The part OF
the city which was allotted to his compa-
ny, north of Congress street, MIR. Brown
says he will be prepared to light on No
vember LIST. The southerly side of Con-
gress street the new company will not be
able TO light for three weeks later. In
the first place it will be necessary for tine
new company to petition the city coun-
Gil for permission TO erect the necessary
poles on which to string his wires. This
will require the usual notice Of fourteen
days to begin with anu then the poles
will have to be placed In position. The
Portland Electric Light company will
place an auxiliary steam plant in their
Woodford's station and this, Mr.. Brown
says will be ready for use by November
10th. Work on erecting poles north of
Congress street will commence Monday
morning.
In the meantime while the Portland
Electric Light compay is erecting its
poles on the southerly side of Congress
street the Consolidated company will
light that portion of the city at the con-
tract rats for the past year. They offer,
in their letter to the mayor to be at the
city's command at any time that they
may be needed ana So viii furnish lights
while the rival company is making ready
to supercede them.
Following is the correspondence be-
tween the Consolidated Electric Light
company and the Portland Electric Light
company with regard to the use of the
formers poles by the latter concern.
Portland, Me October 5th, 1890.
Consolidated Electric Light company,
oity.
Gentlemen :--Inas m UGH as the Portland
Electric Light company has accepted the
proposition of the city with regard to
lighting the 3ity north and west of Con-
N n MN rts.a n faf L.
coed with its construction work to carry
out the contract undertaken, we desire
to know whether, in order to prevent
duplication of poles in that section of the
city, We cannot enter into some equitable
arrangements with you for pole rights
upon such OF your poles as we may wish
within tAls district. 10 this end we will
make the following alternative PROPOSE
tions:
First--We will buy outright from you
permanent right TO place upon any of
your poles which we may desire to use,
one six pin crOss-arm with such wires
as we may desire to attach thereto. For
this privilege We will pay TO you one
half the cost to us of pole and setting to
accomplish the same purpose, said cost
to DO determined by vouchers for poles
and contract price for setting same and
attaching eross.arms thereto as made to
us in the contract already entered into
with Id. X. Kendall g. Co, Of Boston,
for doing this work.
Sscond-We will pay for such use of
your poles as hersinbefore designated, the
sum Of tsn (l0) per cent of the aforesaid
cost of poles and setting to us, to be de-
termined as aforesaid, as annual rental to
you.
. Third-We will leave the due compensa-
ton for attaching cross-arms and wires
aforesaid to arbitration, We to select one
arbitrator, you Co select another. and these
two to select third. This proposition
for arbitration tn carry with 1t the right
to attach such crosg-arms and wires from
he date of acceptance of the proportion
| for arbitration. InaEmuch as we have
entered into q contract with IL. K. ken.