The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-18
II Would BRANCH OUT
MANHATTAN LIGHT, HEAT AND
POWER COMPANY WANTS
TO SPREAD
FIELD LIMITED AT PRESENT
1t Wants the Council to Give 1t
the Right to Extend
Its Wires and
Pipes.

! The Manhattan Light Heat and Power
| Company of St Paul is now in the field
| asking for privilege which would seem
| to be of material benefit to the company
and residents of the city. The circum-
stances which brought the new corpora
ton into, at present partial competition
with the st. Paul Gas Light company are
| as follows:
Five years ago in April the Manhattan
| building. at Fifth and Robert streets,
passed into the hands of Smith * Taylor,
who have long been identified with real
estate interests in st. Paul At first for
! the accommodation of their own building,
the firm placed therein an electric light
| plant of quite extensive proportions. Not
! long afterwards they began accommodate
ing neighboring blocks across the streets
not only with light but heat from the ex-
haust steam Of the pant To do this le-
gally, however, it became necessary to So
cure permission from. the city council
This limited franchise gave them the
privilege of supplying six blocks bounded
by Third Jackson Sixth and Minneso-
| ia streets.
Smith & Taylor then increased the ca
pacity Of their plant to the extent of SO,
coo or $4,000. This is now in operation and
| giving the best of satisfaction to its
| patrons.
Two months ago the Manhattan Light
and Power company was Incorporated,
with a capital of $l.O0O,0OO, with /. l.. c
| Brooks as president and A. Wilford Zahn
manager. 1t was in the case of this appli-
| cation for incOrpora ton that Attorney
General Douglas decided that the Man
| haitian company was manufacturing
| concern. Application for franchise CIV
ing the new corporation the same prlYi-
| lege enjoyed by the old company was
made to the city council. A resolution to
| that effect was passed unanimously In
| that branch of the municipal legislature
| The application is now pending in the as
| sembly and has been referred TO the COM
| mittee on streets Of that body.
| Three hundred customers are now be-
! ing supplied by the new company. From
! outside the district to which 1t IS now
confined there are many applications for
! both light and heat. 1t is conceded by
| many that within the narrow limits in
| which the Manhattan Light Heat and
! Power company now operates light is fur-
| nished 80 per cent cheaper than 1t Is by
| the old company to consumers on the OUT
| side of these limits. 1t is due to the new
! corporation to say that arc lights are now
| furnished within the prescribed territory
| of the Manhattan company by both con-
| Germs for $3.50 per annum. Outside or
these limitations the price is $l42 and in
! some sections of the city Sl45 per annum
! 1t is at once apparent that the Manhattan
| company can, unless it should be granted
| equal terms with the older corporation, be
| forced out of the field entirely. 1t is quite
| easy to reduce prices in a small section
| of territory for a special purpose. anu
| when competition Is done away with. re-
| store them again. When the Manhattan
! concern entered the small field against
| the ST. Paul Gas Light company, all buSl-
! ness houses in that section enjoyed the
benefit of it's enterprise. 1t is to extend
| this benefit to the entire city That the
| Manhattan now asks the city council for
a franchise.
The company has recently added ma
/ terially to it's plant in the way OF new
machinery, including a large generator
| and the finest switchboard this side Oh
! Chicago BY disposing of it's exhaust
steam the new company has been enabled
to reduce prices for lighting. 1t has
supplied the neighbors in the six blocks
mentioned by simply crossing the streets
with conduits to the adjoining buildings
and from these to other blocks without
tearing up the streets longitudinaliy. 1t
does not ask to do this in its application
! for a franchise, where there is asphalt
|
! more restraint be placed upon its oper-
ations than is now placed on that of it's
| competitor.
! While the older corporation makes the
! claim that by using water power from
! Apple river it can reduce prices for llght,
| the Manhattan can meet all such compe-
tition by the sale of it's exhaust steam.
! The company, in fact was enabled the
first year of it's operations to save more
than enough to it's patrons to offset a
per cent gross income tax.
| So soon as the franchise is granted
nearly $50 900 will Immediately be invested
in machinery necessary to increase the
| capacity of the plant. Every business
house in the city can be accommodated
! with light at the greatly reduced figures
! charged by the Manhattan company. 1t
! is, therefore, urged by advocates of the
new corporation, many Of whom have
voluntarily petitioned the board of al
dermen and assembly to grant the fran
| chise that a great saving in the price of
| illumination is offered by a thoroughly
reliable corporation, home company
comprising home men whose interests are
and have been for many years in the
city of st. Paul
On favorable action by the council work
will oe commenced and completed within
six months time. At present the COM
pany is considerably hampered in its
I
territory of six blocks. Before it can
| cross a street to perfect a connection II
| is necessary for 1t to secure permit
! by resolution of the council and submit
| plans and specifications for the approval
| of the city engineer. Such restrictions
/ are not placed on the old company and
! the new one asks only for equal priv
! ileges.
In Minneapolis there is a new COM
/ pany seeking the same privilege asked
/ by the Manhattan. 1t is the Interna-
! tional Electric company, with headquar-
! ters in the Lumber Exchange building.
! It's opponent is the General Electric COM
! pany, operated by water power from tn
/ Mississippi river And yet the new COM
pany successfully competes with the old
! one and has greatly reduced the cost of
! Illumination to the consumer.
The Manhattan was the first TO intro
| duce in St Paul the enclosed type" OF
arc light which burns 100 hours. The
old company has adopted the idea and is
now experimenting with it with view
! of introducing it in city lighting. The
first one in use in ST. Paul was at the
| place Of Adam Decker, on Jackson
street, and was placed there by the Man
haitian company and is a success. IT,
can supply them whenever wanted if
| granted the franchise prayed for. In the
Manhattan building the new company
! will be centrally located and enabled to
reach all patrons in the city. It Is not
an experiment, but has given universal
HOODS