The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-10-02
SETTLE LIGHT CONTRACT.
Mankato Gas. and Electric Light Com
pany's Proposal Accepted.
Streets VIII Be Lighted With EIec-
tricIty for Ten Years.
Reduction in Pficps CT Commercial
Electricity and as.
Contract Can Be c neelieG for %'uUici.
pal Plant or 6 -eet Railway.
From FRIDAYS Daily.

FROM frluayS Dally.
The vexatious street lighting matter,
that has periodically wrought the people
up and caused d~issension in the commu-
nifty, has been finally settled for a per-
iod of ten years. The council last night
accepted the local company's latest prop
~osition, which was looked upon as meet
ing all objections and being most fair.
The company is to furnish the new en-
closed arc lights at 500 a year and the
incandescents at $40 a year. The city
is to take 100 are light, and sc or mare
incandescents, and will be one of the
best and cheapest lighted cities of its
size in the country. Few cities pay as
low a price for electric lights as Man.
kato will be paying. But this is not all.
The price of gas and electricity for pri-
vate is to be materially re-
duced. Besides all this, the company
agrees to cancel its lighting contract
whenever the city puts in a municipal
lighting plant, or whenever a street rail
way line is built. With such reason
able prices ON lighting, the incentive for
municipal ownership is taken away.
The new proposition of the Mankato
Gas and Eleceric Light company was
taken up, and President Patterson was
called upon for a statement. He said
that his company had submitted a prop
osition at the request of the council
a week ago, but it was not acted upon.
Since then it had been decided to put
in a new proposition that would meet
objections that have been made to the
first proposition. He presented the new
proposition. which was read. This is
the proposition published yesterday en-
larged upon. 1t offers to turn the con-
tract over to the city or a street rail
way company in case either puts in a
plant.
Aid. Kleinschmidt moved that the prop
osition be accepted, as he said that it
is a good one, and meets objections that
had been made. He withdrew the motion
pending public discussion.
Jay Henry Long said that he had been
requested to present one phase of the
matter before the council. The lighting
question has been discussed largely by
our citizens. The city is largely in favor
of municipal ownership, which was pledg-
ed by all the candidates at the last
election, both those elected and those de-
feated. There will be much controversy
until the city does own its own lighting
plant. The proposed new charter will
contain a provision which will allow
the city to issue bonds with which to
build a municipal lighting plant. Never
theless. it would be possible for the city
to build a plant without waiting for the
adoption of the new charter. Mr.. Savage
of the Fort Wayne Electric company has
written that an arc circuit light plant
with 100 ares of 1000 candle power can
be put in for $l6,5OO and perhaps less
the plant to follow the plans and speci-
fications of Engineer Gray. The cost of
operation would be $26.25 an arc a year
and including interest it would be $34
an arc light, or So, 100 a year less than
asked by the Mankato Gas and Electric
Light company. The latter's proposition
is impracticable, as the company can
not be held to turn its contract oyer to a
street car line, and the cost of the ma
terial would be hard to get at and would
be large. If a ten year contract is given.
the company will hold it for the full
period. If an Injunction against a ten
year contract will hold against one it
will hold against another, and he thought
IL SlIdlSe IudJ pdIIltS VIII SeCuIeU dii
Injunction would now be seeking a
similar contract. The city could con-
meet an incandescent or commercial cir
cult with the Fort Wayne 100 arc plant.
Citizens Favor Proposition.
DIR. J. w. Andrews said that he arose
not in the interest of any company.
He had lived in the city for twenty
years and his record would show that he
was interested in Mankato. For years
he had labored to obtain a street rail
way. The nearest the city ever came to
having an electric street railway line was
from a proposition made eight years ago
by members of the Mankato Gas and
Electric Light company, to put in five
miles of line for a ten year lighting con-
tract at $75 a light. The people wanted
a municipal lighting plant, and would
not listen to the proposition, and so lost
the electric road. What is wanted now is
a country line in connection with a city
line. No one thinks that the prices for
light presented by the local company are
high. They are low as compared with
other cities. If the local company agrees
to turn its contract over to a street car
company it will do so. DR.. Andrews said
that he was opposed to the city putting
in a municipal lighting plant as it would
cut off any chance of securing a street