The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1902-02-08
.WELSBACH
CONTRACT.

! CONTRAC1.
Like the famous John Gilpin's ride
the Directors Of the Street and Sewer
Department are where they started
90 far as the Welsbsch lighting con.
tract Is concerned. A conference
was held yesterday afternoon between
the Directors and President William
Findley Brown Of the Weishach
Lighting Company, Mr.. Brown
lsta,ed that he disagreed with City
Solicitor Iieinhardt as 10 the legality
Of the contract,
The place to decide its validity was
a proper tribunal. and that was the
only place it could be decided 1t
would take time 10 get such a decis-
ion. aud MIR. Brown said that he sug.
gest that la the meantime the Wells.
bach Company be allowed to con.
tinue under tile contract it now has
and while the case is In court.
He further said that this city was
getting the Weisbach Light very
cheap when compared with other
cities, and he cited number OF cases
such as Boston, 5000 lamps for seven
years at $50 a year; New York, about
500 lamps. for one year at 500 a
lamp; st. Louis, IL, 900 lamps for ten
years, S2S a lamp; and Milwaukee,
for five years. at s2s a year per lamp.
Mr.. Brown said that the low rate &C.
corded Wilmington was due to the
fact that the company could buy gas
chea here, and also because it was
ten years contract. He added that
lif MIR. Reinhardt's opinion regarding
the validity OF the contract should
turn out wrong, after the case had
been taken into court, it might cause
some embarrassment He said the
company had no desire whatever to
be unfair, and that II the present
contract could be continued in force,
/ without prejudice to either side, un.
til the courts could decide the mat
ter, it might have save trouble and
annoyance His suggestion was that
| il the contract should continue on I'm.
til March l, the Welsbach Company
would present a bin to the Street and
Sewer Department for lighting for
three months. The board could re.
/ fuse to paw this bill, and then the
company would have grounds to take
the case into court and test
the validity OF the contract,
Mr.. Reinhardt called attention to
the price paid In other cities for Wells.
bach lamps, and asked why it was
that the company made reduction
Of only twenty-five cents a year for
each lamp In its price on ten year
contract, as b-mpared with a five year
con tract
Mr.. Brown said that he understood
that the conference had been called
SO as to get some adjus tment until
the question OF the contract was set.
tiled in court, and that he did not
want to involve anything about the
contract price Or the term OF years ii
lis to run until the time arrives to de.
Icide the validity Of the contract, He
added that he considered the reduc-
ton Of twenty-five cents a lamp per
|year was fair and equitable, consider
ling the low price at which the con.
tract was started-that 1927 u year
was less than other cities pay which
|use more lights than Wilmington is
leXpected to pay.
| director Melvin said that the trou-
BILE in locating the Wclsbach lamps
Twas that many Of them had been
located near electric lights, and some
: OF them had been placed directly
. under arc lamps,
Mr.. Brown replied that such a con-
diton could be remcdicd by the board,
, Iwho could locate the lamp, wherever
they wanted TO-.
, Director johnson replied that the
. Nelsbach Company had come into
the city and planted lights in various
; places, and the board is unable tofnd
+ who was responsible for so locating
the lights particularly those near arc
lamps. He added that Director Car
tier, who was a member Of the former
board, and the street commissioner
!, had dsclaimed all knowledge and
responsibility for locating the lights
and now the board wanted to know
by whose authority they were placed
: where they are.
i Andrew c. Gray said that Mr..
l Smith, Of the Welshach Company had
2 come to Wilmington and got plot Of
the lights and Of the city.
Director johnson said: MANY Of
the lamps were put on posts that
: we're abandoned years ago. Some OF
t them are directly under arc lamps,
. and there is no necessity for such a
thing. We want to find who gave
authority to place those lamps. "
Mr.. Johnson said some one wa, at
fault.
There is great opposition among
! the citizens to the term the contract
+ is to remain in force. There is, in
g, fact. great opposition to the contract
aud the hurried way in which ii was
fixed up II has created a great deal
| of dissatisfaction. The whole thing
, presents an ugly face for the hurried
manner in which it was done. 1t
was telegraph here and telephone
there, and fitting up and down on
trains, and everything done with a
q hustle and hustle within Il day or
two.
Criticism is going on from all sides
> and there is no one to come forward
and make an explanation. The whole
4 thing has distaStctul appearance. 1t
= is cxaspcr1tng.
Mr. Gray then said: 'Thc Wells.
bach Company. as you gentlemen
-. know, is not local concern. II sent
; to me last June and asked If the
| - M y ~ n al