Waterbury Democrat., 1901-10-28
LIGHTING THE CITY.
Large Amount of Money Paid Out
 Yearly to Traction Co.


 The five years contract entered into between the city and the Waterbury Traction Go, now the Connecticut Lighting and Railway Co, during the ma!oralty Of Thomas D. Barlow, will expra next March, and those who keep an eye upon such matters are wonder ing if there will be any reduction in the price Of electricity after that date. Willie t!lis is something no one outside tht. directors of the company ls ln a po- sltion tt know anything about at this time, still it is not likely that the com pany will care to reduce the cost of lights. seeing it has no competitor. The trolley men took good care of the petition sent to Hartford from Water Dury asking for permission to install an electric lighting plant of it's own, so that the coast is just as clear for the Connecticut Lighting and Railway Co as 1t was for the old Waterbury Trac- ton Co. There is no competitor, thanks to the Hon George l.. Lilley and his colleagues in the general as sembly, most of whom laughed at the impudence of Waterbury asking per mission to do it's own lighting, al- though the fact had been established beyor,l a reasonable doubt that the city could save it's taxpayers thou sands of dollars annually by manufac- turing its own electricity instead of buying 1T from corporation that is in a position to charge what it pleaSes. Tie house reporters kept clos } watch upon Mir I4illey, but if he said anything in favor of this measure 1t must have been delivered in an aside, or perhaps all the scribes were taking nap at the time and nobody told them about it after they woke up.
 According to the contract now exist ing between the city and the trolley company, the lights in use OH the city streets are ''of at least nominal 1900 candle power, the same being standard lamps, using 6.S amperes per lamp. The incandescent lights are of p eau dle power. The full arc lights cost S1C0 q year and the incandescents $20. These arc to be maintained and kept lighted every night from dusk until dawn A clause in the contract pro- yldes "that if any of the lamps in ac- tual uae under this contract shall fail to operate for more than two hours on any night, then a proportionate part of the amount to be paid for such lamp shall be deducted therefrom.. Have you ever noticed one of the lamps ont of order and not burning for more than INp IiOGLo! VI f1OuISC SOu JUL it is hlnted that the city has not yet noticcl anything on the company's bills showing a proportionate reduc- tion for lights that failed to burn.
 Five years ago the city had 195 full arc lights and the number has been iIl- creased at the rate of ten or fifteen per year since, so that counting the city lights and the ones. i'll the town all of which will be included in the next con- tract, 1t must be plain to all thinking people that the contract will mean quite q handsome sum to be met by the people of this town. If Mayor Xiii duff and others had their own way about this matter the city would be in a position at the time the present con. tract expires to inform the Connecticut Lighting and Railway Co that it was ill the business of manufacturing cleo, tricity itself and wanted no more lights at $IO0 year. People will say such g plant would cost fortune. It was estimated at $1O0,O00. Count $1OO apiece for the large lights we have and $20 for the small ones, be- sides the. cost of all the cleo tricity used by the city in other places. aud see how much of loan 1t wouiI pay the interest on.
 The contract which expires next March was signed by D. S. Plume for the Waterbury Traction Go and Mayor Thomas D. Barlow representing the city