The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-05-20
COMMISSION WILL
ACT SLOW And SURE
Not TO Be Hurried Into Making
Mistakes by BOgies.
FACTS AND FIGURES ASKED
cOunell VIII Be Given an Answer at the
Earliest Possible Moment Building Of
q Public Plant Believed to
Be Certain.

The people who want to rush the
water commission into hasty action by
the cry Of dark streets and other equal
ly senseless bogles. will find themselves
fooled.
The water commission is composed
OF business men and while they have
been slow-toO slow. many think. in
acting upon the public lighting ques-
tlon in the past-they do not propose,
now that they have taken It up, to be
hurried into making mistakes.
That eventually the water commits
sion win discharge the duties for which
II was created and give the city its
own lighting plant. II they go no far
ther, is almost certain. but It is not
going to be driven into hasty action
in doing II.
The question Of dark streets in As
toria is one that will be easily and
quickly settled. Just as soon as the
water commission notifies the council
that It has decided to conform to the
state law and give the city an elec-
trio lighting plant OF its own, the
council will provide the ways and
means Of lighting the streets until such
time as the city's plant is in opera
tlon. Just what plan will be adopted
is not known but some one Of the
many substitutes for the West Shore
Mills companys "glimmers" will be
found. and without much cost at
that.
So far as dark streets are concern
ed. have the people Of Astoria forgot
ten the time when they paid a price
per month for arc lights on the streets
double that now asked and the lights
We're under what is known as the
moonlight schedule? Then, when the
almanac said there would be a full
moon, the street lamps were extip-
guished. II the full moon showed up,
all well and good. II it did not. on
account Of clouds or storm, the streets
were left in darkness. On some Of
the stormiest nights, when light was
most needed. the streets were in dark
ness, and yet Astoria lived and thrived
and its citizens were neither sandbag-
ged by footpads nor did they fall off
the wharves into the river on account
of the darkness.
The bogie cry Of dark streets is the
sole and only argument the agents of
the West Shore Mills Company have
to advance against the city building
its own lighting plant.
AS to the water commission, II has
already, it Is understood. started an
inquiry as TO the cost of building, op-
Grating and maintaining electric plants
by other cities. II has also, it is un-
derstood, inquired into the cost of the
latest improved electrical machinery;
of machines of varied capacity, from
those only capable of furnishing pub
lie lighting. to those of a capacity to
meet the provisions of the state law
and enable the city to not only sup
ply its own lights but furnish the in
habitants thereof with electricity for
any and every use whatsoever"
AS to the city water power the COM
perts have told them that the power
is sufficient to run an electric plant
to supply a town of $4,000 inhabitants
with light and power. The lowest es-
innate made, so far as is known, is
that the power is ample TO furnish
100 arc lights and 1000 incandescent
lights with a plant for public lighting
only.
SO far as the profits of the city, in
case il invests in an electrical plant.
are concerned, they are certain. The
plant is certain to pay an interest of
at least 20 per cent on the investment
inside of five years and at the same
time give the city and citizens lights
at less than one-third the price they
are now paying.
Seattle. under public lighting, fur
nishes incandescent lamps for SO 1-S
cents per month, as against S1.25 in
Astoria. Forest Grove, Ore, furnishes
by public lighting incandescent lamps
for 25 cents per month, as against
N.25 per month in Astoria. These are
examples right here at home and the
Astorian has furnished facts and fig
ures, as to the saving to cities and
private consumers by public lighting,
as&against private lighting, in more
than fifty Eastern cities and towns
where the taxpayers refused to longer
submit to extortion by private corpor-
ations and emancipated themselves.
Not only will the taxpayers of AS
toria have better public and private
lights at one-third the cost if the city
owns its own electric light plant, but
the plant, when completed. will in it.
lf-be valuable asset to the eity's
wealth.
If the water commission has any
doubt about public electric lighting
plant being a paying proposition, let
them issue the bonds for the build
ing Of such a plant in small denomina-
tions and offer them for sale to the
citizens here at home. This has been
done frequently in the East and in
every case the people have taken the
bonds as soon as offered. The people
are not fools and they know a safe
paying investment when it is offered.
As said yesterday the water commits
sion and the city council have promised
to move In the matter of public lighting
as rapidly as they can. The citizens
Will not have long to wait for final
answer.
A few nights of dark streets, and