Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-12-06
rIessage from the Burgess.
To the Common Council Of the Borough CT En-
Doriunn, Pa.

ON''''''~'N 49,
poriunr, Pa
GENTLEMEN: = Since sending you my message
on the subject of street lights 1 am informed
that quite number of our citizens are in favor of
installing an Electric Light Plant.
am most heartily in favor of this plan gentle
men, and it so happens that have given this
matter some study. 1t had not occurred to me,
however, that our people would be willing to in
cur the preliminary expense, as the subject has
been agitated several times euring the past ten
years and fallen fiat each time. Electric light is
the best artificial light in existence and the
cheapest all things considered. II the munich
pality owns its own plant. am unalterabIy
opposed however, to granting any right of way,
or entering into any contract for public lighting
with any private corporation. No private COM
pany will enter into any such contract unles they
are sure of a nice profit, and that profit rightly
service. I can give you, gentlemen, complete
statistics of large number of towns that will
prove to your satisfaction that any municipality
with few honest officials in it, can furnish its
own electric light at about one half the price
the taxpayers would have to pay private corpo-
ration for the same service.
Fifteen arc lights would light Emporium
streets, much better than they have ever been
lighted. One arc light would be equal in light
ing capacity to eight or ten of the large torches
corner Broad and Fourth streets. plant of
fifteen arc capacity, would however, be too ex-
per arc as the e for labor
principal part of the operating expense in a
small plant.
present prices for wire, labor, etc. the borough
be wired for electric street lights at cost of
not over 81 400, for wires, pulleys and all acces-
CINE, dynamo. etc, should not bring the cost for
complete fifty plant ready for business
to over 900. Carbon costs three cents each or
about 81 90 per year per lamp.
With good steam coal at 81. as per ton delivered
coal per year should not cost over $685.. Six
hundred dollars per year is n fair estimate for
makes total for operating expenses of 81 900 per
year. To this we must add per cent. interest
on S. 900 bonds which is $3.50 per year, and $780,
payment on bonds each year which would pay
for the entire plant at the end of ten years and
would bring the entire cost per year to 81 ,75J
This amount would pay for fifteen street arcs
and 30 arcs in reserve Now. one street arc
equals about ten incandescent lights in operat-
ing and consequently we would have $50 incan-
destants to SELL If we can be assured that pri.
vate individuals will these $50 incadestants at
25c per month each, which is about one half
what many private companies charge and one
fourth the price charged by others for the same
service. then we can at once reduce the cost to
300 per year for 15 arcs, and the $500 per year
will be the total amount the borough will have
to pay and at the end of ten years will own its
own plant free of debt, and from that time on
the incandescents will pay all operating expen-
ses and insurance on the plant and the street
lights will cost nothing. 1t should be remember
ed that while the borough is paying this 500 per
year, she is paying it for street lights at s4s66
per arc, while Philadelphia is paying under re-
cent contract with a private company Sill per
arc for the same light
TO REcAPITULATE.
DR..
To cost of plant complete, s., 900 90
Operating expenses der year, r,............ 900 90
Interest on 5000 per year: :..,....... $50 90
Payment on bonds, LILO principal, year. 800 90
Expenses per year for plant principal
and interest in ten years. 81 $50 90
CIR.
BY $50 incandescents at per year. 05O 90
By l5 street arcs at siG.66 per year,. 700 90