New-York tribune., 1903-03-14
rHE crTys LIGHTING BILLS.

,rho Commissioner of Water Supply, GaS anu
u,oc+rsc;tv made an exceedingly interes'ins
ror+ 70 the BOARD of Estimate ana APp"t
t,opmant Yesterday It shows, by conip"
-, ,,,,tb other cities, that New-1ork Is Gun
v,ouod tn nav an enormous price IoF puDI.N
Iiob43nc owing to the fact tFat prac'icaA,S
compIete consolidation OF llgh'lhe ih'e re...-
- It, rrevents competition. The charter
-ocr,ros contracts for public lighting 10 De ie'
oftar nuhlfc bidding, but that provision Is -
6arod farcicaI by the circumstance 'ha'
aro no competitors The CommlSsloiiel ie~
mends the rejection Of all bids ana urges az
0nondment TO the charter enabllHS lin
make contracts without public b1ddhg' anu w. w.
a term of three years instead OF one yea W.,
+bo onnroval of the Board of Estimate anu
.e-.ionroont He thinks that lower prices
MIGHT then be secured. but we understahu
80 tb;s v;ew of the matter reflects the con-
+on+ion of the conpanies-or company-tnat Tue
80 ,oor contract makes necessary a higher
Ioo rotber than q sanguine hope OF reliel
entertained by himself .,o
fsr more important proposal Is 'h't ','1
Roard of Estimate and AppornonniehI "o'",
legislative authority to estaDnsn anu hi'i
an electric plant for street hgh'ns III as
If should be convinced on due coilsiuei H'loI '
of the advisability Of that course.
11onroo onnears to entertain no doubt that II
would nav the city to supply 1tselt WIN Hen'
He saws explicitly that the cost "oulu
much less and he, apparently, does hot
that incidental evils would onset lnat "u0
vantage. Our opinion on the sunJect "i tn"
nicipaI ownership of public utlil'es 10
a-.or,, nronosition under that general heau
nust he Judged according to It's own uiel t,'.
| A fortunate experience in one branch OF tn0
mt
oin1o couId he wisely applied to another
broncb though it may'b valuable as evidence
| t. 90 universally admitted that the city neeos
! +o own control and distribute the water sup
,1 hut only a small minority Of the people
think that it ought to operate the lines VI
| TRANSFORMATION Unquestionably public liGhuhs
| is much more analogous TO the FORMER ie
| ouiremeut of existence than TO the lat'er'
| and we do not hesitate to say tnat 'he due'
tton of municipal ownership OF an electr!c
! nIant is deserving OF serious discussion aO
| this time.
| There are two special considerations ahect
| ing this CITY, One is the existing monopoly
| described nv the Commissioner. The other, TO
which he also ascrtbes mucn llipoi 'anoe' 10
tho fact that the subway companies are
obliged nv their franchises to supply the city,
| free of charge, with all the space necessary
"for its electrical conductors and the electrical
| conductors of each separate department OF
| 0said city, which may now or hereafter De
| required" These free subway rights Wouio
certainly be of particular advantage to New
York in case it should determine to engage
| in the business of public lighting. IN the
| opinion OF Commissioner Monroe the e4perr
| ence of other cities, including Chicago, affords
| a clear indication Of what New-York would
gain by following their example, While the
arrangement with a private company, which
Boston enforces, and which ie sometimes cited
as an argument against municipal ownership
is in fact just the reverse inasmuch as 1t
practically makes the company the city's agent