The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-05-09
THE TAXPAYERS
"STAND PAT"
-
Support Action Of City Council
on Lighting Matter.
PRESENT EXPENSE TOO HIGH
Reasons Why The Water Commission Il
Being Blamed for the Present Condition
Of Ailalrs..New Plans for
Cheaper Lights.
PRESENT EXPENSE TOO HIGH

As was stated yesterday. the streets
OF the city OF Astoria viii probably
be left in darkness for time after
May II, owing to the fact that the city
council refused at its last meeting 10
again contract for electric lights at
.he extortionate rates demanded by
the West Shore Mills Company. Not
only ala that company demand high
er rates per light than was just and
equitable, but II wanted 10 increase
the price paid per month s25, while de-
creaslng the number OF lights ten and
IN addition refused TO guarantee that
any Of the lights should be OF a given
candle power, refusing 10 even guaran-
tee 1900 candle power per light
The people. the water commission
and The city council have known for
months this light problem was bound
TO come up'for a final settlement when
the present contract with the West
Shore Mills Company expired. II was
also known that the citizens were
against paying the rates that have
been paid In the past. let alone in
creaslng the rate and decreasing the
service. and weeks ago II was gener-
ally understood that the water com
mission either had plan OF It's own.
involving municipal ownership and
the use OF the almost completed wa
ter power of the city. or had received
from private parties a bid for the
furnishing OF city lights. a plant 70
be constructed and operated by the
city's water power.
While the fact that the water COM
mission has done absolutely nothing
In the lighting matter, so far as any
body knows. was disappointment to
the council and the citizens generally.
stlll II did not keep the council from
doing It's duty when the time came and
when confronted with the situation of
poor lights. few in number. OF no
guaranteed power at extortionate rates
or no lights at all, the council was
brave enough to at once decide upon
no lights at ALL
After all. there is nothing particular
ly alarming in the proposition OF TAX
ing the electric lights out OF the streets
OF the city. The situation is not such
a terrible one.
In the first place. the lights have
been cut from sixty under the original
contract at ss25 per month to fifty
under the existing contract at 1915 per
month. and the bid OF the company
offered at the last meeting proposed
to cut the number of lights to forty in
future and. as stated. to raise the
price to the city from $S75 to 500 a
month.
In the second place the West Shore
Mills Company refused to guarantee
that the forty lights they proposed
to furnish would be Of any specified
candle power. thus leaving the COM
pany at liberty to furnish any sort
OF lights 1t pleased
A half dozen cities in the state OF
Oregon have been confronted within
the past two years with exactly the
same situation and in every case the
authorities have simply thrown out
the electric lights and let the streets
go dark until some other system OF
lighting was introduced. None of these
cities suffered In the least, but on the
contrary are better lighted at less cost
today than ever before.
It will be so with Astoria and the
citizens Of Astoria are heartily in ac-
cord with the councils action and most
openly approve OF 1t. Last night the
Taxpayers League, than whom no or
ganization in the city has a better
right to speak for all the people, en-
dorsed the councils action in doing
away with the West Shore Mills Com
services in street lighting and
suggested the adoption of gasoline
lamps in the place Of arc lights.
This is only one of score Of sub
stitutes for arc lights that the coun-
ell has ready at hand. Acetylene gas
has proven splendid substitute for
electricity, being much cheaper in pro-
portion to the candle power Of the
lights. Benzine lamps of the pattern
now in use in all the larger Eastern
cities in the suburbs. are also rec
as much cheaper and bet
ter than West Shore Mills Company's
electric lights,
Even If the streets are left in dark
ness for a week or two, the citizens
would prefer that state of affairs to
under the extortion 'practic-
ed and attempted to be increased by
-u.--u.uu-su-u-v-,rv--