Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-12-17
LIGHT SERVICE
Unsatisfactory.
Investigating Committee 0pines
That Citizens Have Just Cause
For Complaint.
MANAGER CAMPBELL EXPLAINS
Says the Company Has Expended the
Sum OF $500, 900 During the
Current Year.

At meeting of the governing board
of the Commercial club, held In this
city last night the report of the COM
mlttee appointed to investigate the
complaint against the Utah Light and
Power company, was submitted, The
report finds that the power company
is not so equipped with machinery and
other modern appliances as to Ice able
to meet present requirements and sub
mts that citizens have just cause for
complaint. Accompanying the report
was a letter from Il. S. Campbell, man
ager OF the company in which that
gentleman sets forth the expenditures
made during the year part of which
Is embodied I'm the committees report
The report is as follows.
Salt Lake city. Dec II, 1908.
To the Governing Board Of the Com.
mercial club, Salt Lake city, Utah,
Gentlemen-Your committee has care
fully investigated the complaints pre-
ferred against the Utah Light and
Power company by the citizens petit
ton herewith attached, At the re-
quest Of the COMMITTEES, the Utah Light
and Power company has made a state
ment by letter, which reads as follows:
(Letter herewith attached)
MR. CAMPBELLs LETTER.
II trust that the investigation made
by your committee into our business
and affairs at the meetings so held or
otherwise, proved to your good iudg-
ment that the electrical system operat-
ed by our company Is giving normal
service, and that the further statement
made TO your committee that the sum
Of $500 900, expended within the current
year for the generating and distribut-
ing Of electrical energy for the benefit
Of The service of Salt Lake City would
be without question an earnest on its
part that the Utah Light and Power
company was doing all that was requi-
site and necessary to enable Il TO fur
nish safe, reliable, continuous and
satisfactory electric service both for
lighting and for power"
COMMITTEES VERSION.
our investigations lead us to believe
that the citizens have Just cause for
complaint We have found that the
voltage runs very high during the day
varying from 100 to 1870 volts, and at
hours when lights are most needed
from O'Clock on, the voltage, accord.
ing to tests we have made with volt
meter in several business houses, goes
down as low as l05, while llj Is normal
The voltage has also been considerably
above normal at times after business
houses are closed. Where lights have
to be burned during the day, and late
at night, this high voltage, especially
with the incandpsCent lights OVertaX eS
the Carbons to such an extent as 70
materially lessen the glow. thereby
shortening the life Of the lamp, and
when the voltage Is at the minimum,
II does not give as much light as II
should, and when II goes below the lis
volts. 1t naturally makes much poor
err light. The high voltage is a great
source of expense to merchants and all
consumers through the burning out of
coils In fiat irons, and because the me-
tiers in use generally are supposed to
measure accurately a normal voltage,
but when the voltage Is above nor
mai the efficiency Is not equal to the
current consumed A l6-candle power
lamp in use under normal current of
ll5 volts would not increase the light
ing power in proportion to the increas-
ed voltage and corresponding meter
record, the loss increasing with every
additional excessive volt The life of
the lamp would be cut short In the same
proportion. For instance, with a L.
candle power lamp, under voltage
supposed to give a normal glow for 900
hours, would be reduced To half with
3 per cent increased voltage, and two
thirds with 6 per cent increase. Man
ager Campbell states that in many in