The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-05-18

Fulton, ". Y......... 500 600
sil,,,,s,,a sils,; niss ~ ,ssS seS ,,am 70 ~
Gsliss. Tex si1 ..'...' 800 100 %
Galveston, Tex 5000 a73f
chilieoiho, o;.........B 1900 800
Alameda. Cai...-... -B0O0 sos
'Th includes ~ per cent for interest and
fThis includes per cent for interest and de-
probation.
Under private ownership the citizens
OF Bessimer. Mich, pay S1.0O per
month for incandescent lights. Under
public ownership the citizens Of Stan
ton. Mich. pay 50 cents for the same
service.
The citizens Of Greenville. Mich. pay
a corporation 81 per month for each
incandescent light they use. In Mar
shall. Mich. the municipality receives
80 cents for the same service.
Citizens Of Calcaska, Mich. patron
ize a private company and an incan-
descent light costs them s2.50 per
month. At South Haven. Mich. the
municipality Owns he electric plant
and furnishes the same service to cit
izens for 81 certs per lamp per month.
The electric lighting plant Of Muske-
gOn, Mich. is owned by corporation
which charges 81 per month per in
.candescent light. At Three Oaks. Mich.
the municipality owns the plant and
charges IS cents for the same service.
A private company furnishes eonsum-
ers Of electric lighting at Ironwood
City. Mich. with incandescent lights
at 81 each per month At Shelby.
Mich. the city owns the plant and
incandescent lights cost 30 cents per
month.
Waterworks and electric light plants
Of Wapakoneta, o., have paid 13 per
cent on the investment since the town
took them four years ago. Besides the
cost to users has been constantly de-
creasing.
Princeton. H.. has lately changed
from private TO public lighting.
Lancing. Mich. population 1900.
bought out the private plant and has
reduced rates in two years over 40 per
cent. and makes a prifit of $1,000 year
ly. and in addition to this. the citi-
zens save $4,000 per year.
Elgin. ILL.,. population $1,000, paid
private company $2s2.42 per light for
80 lights per annum. In 1890 the city
entered upon It's first year of munici-
pal ownership, and in 1891 she was
using seventy-seven lights at a cost
OF 1924 If to this be added interest,
charges. etc, the cost is about $S5, or
about one-third what the private com
pany charged.
Allegheny, Pa. population 125.OO0.
has reduced the operating expenses
from S61.24 per light in 1895 to $4s.56
in lSaS. She paid prior to 1880 pri-
vate company slSO a year per light.
Detroit. Mich, population about SOO.
OeO. paid $1SO.SS per light to private
company in 1892. The cost for 1898.
under municipal ownership, including
interest and taxes. was less than $S5.
Chicago, H., population 100000. be-
came the owner of its electric lighting
system in 1887. Today the city owns
1902 are lamps of 1000 candle-power.
Their average cost, including all items.
is $3.50 per lamp per annum.
The Astorian could continue and give
hundred additional instances of the
saving to cities by municipal owner
ship if it had the space to spare or
if it were necessary to add to the
overwhelming amount of testimony in
favor of that proposition.
And the water commission and citi-
zens are asked to compare the rates
charged by private corporations in
other cities, which were thought to be
too high, with the rates charged by the
West Shore Mills Company to both
public and private consumers.
Once again the Astorian asserts that
the fight for better and cheaper lights
is in the interest of no corporation,
company or individual. 1t was not in
stigated by any hope of private gain or
any desire to do anything but serve
the people The cause is just one.
1t pleads its own case with every
thinking man. What the people want.
what they ask, aye. what they demand.
and they have the right to demand.
is that the water commission of As
toria do as have similar bodies in other
clties-save the peoples money, give
them good light and plenty Of it at
a reasonable cost.
This the water commission can do.
IL il will, and while it is doing it the
taxpayers will not grumble If the
lighting Of the streets costs treble what
the West Shore Mills Company asked
in its bid.
Liberty has always cost something
and the citizens will gladly pay extor-
tionate rates for street lights for
few months if. at the end Of that time.
they know they own their own light
plant and are free Of corporation con-
troll.