The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-11-27
Will Not Wait Longer for She
New Company.
Electric Light War May
Be Renewed.
Manager Brown Says His Conn
paDy Viii BE Ready Dec. LIST.

lie lght ever the mailing OF contract
for tre Citing OF Portland, which was
apparently ended wien the Portland Fec
trio Light company YVES vote! the con-
tract by the CITY council. threatens to be
renewed at the p,xf meeting OF the city
council, on December Alb. This fact was
devel6 cpd Saturday Afternoon at a meet
lag OF the committee on lights with the
directors OF TIE Consolidated Electric
Light con plny. MAJ or Robinson was
present at this conference ty Invitation,
and the whole matter was carefully gone
over.
1t will he Iemem cred that the original
contract with the Consolidated Electric
Light company ended on October S1st
Py the contract WITH the city, TIE Port
land Electric Light company was to as
sumo the city lighting on this date, but
owing to the fact that tAe Cons oiidated
cou piny refused to accept the lighting Of
one half OF the city aud the entire city
was thrown upon the Portland Electric
Light ompapy mn extension of time I'M
til November 3oth was granted the new
company by the vote OF the ely.
III bLG hCtbNibiet " ASA WIZ ~
November, tie Consolidated company
agreed to take the ctr lighting at tbs
rate of SOS per arc light anu a contract
with tuem en- ttese terms was N ads.
The managers o. the Portland Electric
Light company were positive that they
could lie ready u teRin the lighting of
the city by NnvembIr 3Jtn. 1t was nee
essary however, under the law to obtain
locations for. their poles on nearly every
street ia tbs o!tT ana tlere was delay If
ter delay until over half the time allowed
them by the extension has elapsed and
the rev company Is yes far from 70.
sitiou " hen they can fulfil their contract.
In fact, 1t has been commonly reported
that Il new company could not get its
lines in condition to do this work before
January first; but Manager George w
Brown stated last night that he would
lie ready o start In the lights by the first
of re,sm ber Experts who have tteu
waite ing the work, have assured the
committee on lights that &c will b. utter
ly Impossible for the new company TO
take up is contract ON November 30, and
this Is tie condition of affairs which led
to the meeting on Saturday.
The conference was asked for by the
directors OF the Consolidate company.
who a SO asked the Mayor to be present at
the meeting. Tie Consolidated L ett,io
Light oomrany's directors were frank
in their statements of what they were
willing to do and what they intended TO
do After the expiration of their present
contrEc with the city. which ends on
Noyepbar Goth, the Cor dated COM
pany will not lie willing to renew It's cen
tract for short term. The directors toll
tie committee en- lights that their ma
chinery is only sufficient at present tn
care for the large amount of local light
ing they Gr1 doing and IN order TO carry
on the sity lighting they mus. Increase
the power of their plant. For this rea-
son they viii not renew their contract
fer Il short term, but aye willing 10 re-
new it for one year ut thu rata of S95 for
An ara Iisht or for tern of i've years at
the rate stat, d in tdeir prtplsition TO
this oi,y whsa the bids for this term were
called for. Unless tie city renews its
contract with tie Consolidated company
fer one year they WILL in othe' wcris,
shut eff thtir lights on November 30th.
and If he Few company Is not prC p red
at that tine 10 begin the city lighting,
tie city, as a whole, win not be ligLtel.
Fult her than this t, CONSOLIDATED kleo-
TITO Light company warned the repre-
seatatives OF the ely thas they would
hold tie city re ponsibie for any injury
inftoted en- their lines Or machinery by
coming i1to contact with the high vol
tage syslen which tAe Portland kle>'rle
L'Ctt cempany proposes to use. Ihey
said that the new 60 opany wolld use at
less 5000 volts which, tine dlr1c-
tors Of the Cons: lidated company constd-
er dangerous. Ihey said that this amount
of voltage was not allowed to be carried
through the streets of any other city in
the country and that IL WI uld be done at
great risk.
Ihis, then, is the situation which con-
fronts the city officials who have this
matter In charge. In the first place an
inve t'gstion of the safety OF t1s trans
miSi1n Of high voltage through Port
lands streets will be made at an early
date by order of the committee on lights
or of the city council. On Monday, the
committee and the Mayor are to meet
with the manage: Of the Portland Elec-
til, Light company AMI ascertain what
he intends to GO. II the manager of this
company, Mr. Brown, says that he can
not tegiE the lighting of TIE whoe city
or November goth, some CT the members
-
Recommending to the city council that
tine contract with the Portland Electric
Light CON pany. whioh will. then 90 veid,
should be revoked aud o nav contract
with the Consolidated corp ny entsred
into for one year. This reconmendatlST,