The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-01-17
SHOULD GO SLOW.
Aid. Taylor Gives Some Excel
lent Advice.
The Street Lighting Contract Should
Be Used to Secure an Electric
Railway For MankatO.

AID. Taylor Is not In favor or the
city putting in its own electric light
ing--plant for lighting the streets. If
the city goes into the matter at all, he
is in favor of its doing commercial as
we'll street lighting. He does not be-
lieve that there would be much gained
by putting in a plant to light the
streets, n he does not believe that
the people would be satisfied with
that. What they want is cheaper COM
mercial lighting.
By putting in it's own street lighting
plant, Aid. Taylor believes that the
city would perpetuate a monopoly in
commercial lighting, al no other COM
pany would want to come into the field
without AN opportunity to do street
lighting. This would result in present
prices for commercial lighting being
maintained indefinitely.
Then again, Aid. Taylor does not
believe that a plant capable of light
ing { } city properly can be secured
for LIS than $40, 900 to $50, 000. He
realizes that with a city plaut, more
lights would be demanded, and every
| alderman would have a lot of lights to
place, which would bring the expense,
up to the amount now being paid out
and probably more, including the in
terest on bonds and wear and tear to,
the plant. lie does not believe that
the streets have been lighted in a sat
~isfactory manner of late, but thinks
that this can be remedied in another
way than by the city purchasing a.
plant of it's OWL at this time.
Aid. Taylor believes that the next
year or two will witness great strides
in the use of electricity, and that Man
kato can secure an electric street rail
way, with an extension to the lakes
anu neighboring towns, if it has some
inducement to offer to capitalists to
put their money into such an enter
prise here. He has been talking with
a number of citizens, and he finds that
they are in favor of granting a street
lighting contract to whoever will con-
struct III electric street railway, even
if the cost Of lighting should be raised
a tritie. Mr.. Taylor is in favor of us-
ing the street lighting contract as a
lever for securing an electric railway,
which is something that will put the
city ahead more than any other one
thing. He feels that in case the city
should put in it's W street lighting
plant, it would not only prevent any
future competition in commercial
lighting, but it would be throwing
away the very thing that can get an
| electric railway for Mankato.
Aid. Taylor has been giving the
matter of an electric street and sub
urban railway a great deal of thought
and investigation, and is convinced
that Mankato a secure one this year
or next, now that the street lighting
contract is about to expire. By using
that contract az an inducement to CAPT
tai to invest in Mankato, it would not
only be doing a great good to the city,
but. the latter would be taking no
chances on a lighting plant that might
not turn out as favorably as its advo-
Gates seem to think.
Another thing that Aid. Taylor be-
lieves will result from securing a long
distance electric line, such as seems
probable, from St. Cloud and Albert
Lea, is the location of a large power
house and repair shops in Mankato,
the shops to cover the entire line.
This would not only mean the expen-
diture in Mankato of large sum of
money for Mankato labor and ma
terial, but it would mean the location
in the city of a large number of en-
ployes and their families, which means
more houses to be built and more
trade for our merchants.
What Aid. Taylor says about these
matters is worthy of careful consider
alton. He has given the question a
great deal of attention, and has looked
upon all sides of it.
At the request Of some of the alder
men, Recorder Williams has been over
hauling the propositions submitted five
or six years ago fer putting in an cleo
trio lighting plant, but these do not
afford very reliable figures to go on
now. 1t is apparent that the council
is preparing to take the matter up at
an early date.