The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-01-27
w. G. BUsHNELL's OFFER.
Desires Voters of Wallingford Borough
to Seriously Consider 1t.

to Seriously Consider 1t.
To the Freemen of the Borough of WAL
lngford:
Gentlemen:-Yo voted last night to
proceed with the installation Of your
own electric lighting plant without ap-
parently considering very seriously the
offer I made to furnish for the sum of
seventy-fve dollars per arc lamp per
annum fifty to seventy-five arc lamps of
twelve hundred candle power to be
burned from dusk to / a. m. on moon
light schedule.
AS you have not yet voted on the ap-
preparation required, 7 beg to remind
you that my offer is still open and
worthy of your careful consideration for
the reasons stated in the statement ad
dressed to you on the Dist Of January.
Please note that I have not criticised
the electrical or mechanical plans of
your engineer, but 7 do most definitely
question his guesses as to the money
your borough plant will make out of
commercial lighting, and I. go on record
with the prediction that your borough
nue. of $11 800 which your engineer esti-
mates. My conviction Is based upon the
definite records from other plants.
Take a few for example:
Meriden, Conn, with a population of
probably thirty thousand pays twelve
and one-half cents per one thousand
volts of current and the total revenue
from some fifteen hundred incandescent
lamps. including also current for sta
tionary motors, does not exceed six
thousand dollars per annum, or about
one-half what your engineer predicts
from your borough plant with your pop
ulation of one-quarter that of Meriden.
The Peabody, Mass, municipal plant
has been in operation five years. and re-
ceives less than six thousand dollars an
nually from commercial lighting in a
population about twice your borough.
Again, Jewett City, Conn, population
twenty-five hundred) received last year
less than two hundred dollars income
from commercial lighting by it's munich
pal plant
Marblehead, Mass, population 5000
received last year a total of 1921 in
come from commercial lighting by it's
municipal plant.
Wakefield, Mass, population $3.50
received last year s4,S11 from CONNER
cial lighting.
Such examples to prove the excessive
estimates of your engineer can be re-
ported by scores.
In brief, gentlemen, you cannot ope-
rate your own plant for public arc light
ing as economically as seventy-five dol
lars per lamp per annum, because you
cannot make anywhere near the sum of
ST. 800 from commercial lighting.
My proposition is to install for you a
new plant and to give your warden
that / will have the plant in operation
within ninety days from date of con-
tract for public lighting.
In closing / beg to assure you that I
am not interested to the extent of one
dollar in your old local gas company,
but on the contrary have risked a live
ly contest with it, There can be but
one result of such competition in your
borough. Either you must buy the old
gas company to protect your investment
of forty-five thousand dollars, or you
must sell out to the new capital, which
will otherwise inevitably acquire your
old gas company, and certainly enter
into a ruinous competition with your
borough electrical plant
Before you finally vote to spend forty
five thousand dollars it will BE- good bus
mess foresight to consider whether my
proposition from an independent COM
pany is not after all the best for you to
accept, and if you think not, then you
should certainly accept the offer of your
Mr.. Hassett, who last night guaranteed
to give his bond that he would take the
new borough electric plant off your
hands any time within two years at cost
without loss to you.
His Is the offer of a public spirited
man, and as it was made in good faith,
you can afford to accept his offer If he
can legally execute it.
Respectfully submitted,
w. G. BUSHNELL,
New Haven, Conn.