The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-05-18
FACTS And FIGURES
FOR THE PEOPLE
What Has Been Done in Other
Cities in Municipal Lighting.
ASTORIA PAID TOO MUCH
Municipal Ownership Proven to Be q BlI
Success by Practical DemOnstratlOn--
Why Astoria Is In Dark
ness.

As 10 whether or not the city council
has acted wisely and for the best in
terests Of the people In refusing TO
longer submit to the extortion Of the
West Shore Mills Company for public
lighting. there can be no question, but
whether the people win be able TO
reap the full advantages Of It's action.
depends solely upon the future action
Of the water commission. That the
rates for street lights have been too
high, that the service has been bad;
that the bid Of the West Shore Mills
Company for a continuance OF the light
service promised no betterment Of the
existing conditions. but made them
worse. no honest citizen will deny.
For the city Of Astoria 10 be at the
absolute mercy Of any private cor
poratlon for public lighting is in it.
self wrong For the city 10 continue
to place itself in the power OF single
corporation and continue to pay that
corporation more and more money each
year for a constantly decreasing ser
vice. would be an outrage upon the tax
payers.
When II comes to the point that a
private corporation can say TO a city:
we win furnish you 40 arc lights on
your streets for 800 per month but re-
fuse to say whether they will be one
hundred or one thousand candle power
Accept our offer or we win leave the
city in darkness" when a corpora
ton has the power to dictate such
terms to a city, surely it is time for
the people to rise in their might and
release themselves from bondage.
And that is what the city council has
done. Our streets may be dark for
week or two, or they may have TO be
lighted for that length OF time at a
greatly increased cost over the ex-
tortionate rates demanded by the West
Shore Mills Company under contract.
but, II the water commission does it's
duty. the people will be the gamers
in the long run by tens of thousansd
Of dollars
Astoria is not a pioneer in
breaking away from the bondage
of private corporations in the matter
OF public service. The water commits
sion meets this afternoon and for their
information the following facts regard
ing lighting in other cities, not as well
situated as is Astoria in the matter
of providing for pubic lighting. are
given.
In starting, let the situation be once
more summed up: The West Shore
Mills Company proposed to furnish AS
toria with forty arc street lights at
the rate of $500 per month and refused
to guarantee the candle-power of a sin
gle light The council refused their
bid.
The city has $4,000 already in ma
chinery and buildings that were bought
and built for the purpose and with
the expectation Of running a municipal
electric light plant Competent en-
glneers say that with an addition Of
$4,000 in machinery to the plant the
city now owns, it can furnish its
streets with any number of arc lights
desired and it's public buildings with
all the lights required at less than half
the present ratio Of cost.
That with an addition of $4,000 to the
amount now invested the water COM
mission can not only furnish all the
street and other public lights required,
but they can wire every house, fac
tory and store in this town and fur
nish them with lights Of more power
and for one half the cost Of lights as
furnished by the West Shore Mills
Company, and If desired can furnish
motive power for city of $4,000 inhabi-
tants, allowing for the usual street
railways and manufactures.
What has been the experience of other
cities with public lighting? Let the
water commission read the following
extracts gathered from newspapers re-
guarding the experiences of other
places:
To start with Mr.. Dow. writing to the
Western Electrician upon the advant-
ages Of municipal plants. says: ITO
sum up: II municipal plant is op-
Grated and managed in good running
order. at such a figure as, added to
sinking fund and lost taxes,
will equal the contract cost Of lighting,
there is a gain to the taxpay-
ers in municipal lighting direct
ly by reason of ownership Of a
marketable asset, free from incum-
brance at the winding up Of the sink
ing fund; and indirectly by the re-
tention Of the depreciation fund In the
active business Of the taxpayers"
Can this be done? Let figures. which
do not lie, answer
Below will be found the cost Of cleo
trio lights, per street arc. per year. in