Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-07-13
Several Propositions
Will Be Made to
the City
Statements in Favor of the
F. Success of Municipal
Ownership Else
where

Mayor Waters and the committee
to whom are to be submitted water
powers and propositions for public
lighting plants, have heard of several
properties that will be placed before
them in writing, and one of them no
less than the North Salem water pow.
err and mill property. All who have
available water powers and property
suitable to be converted into a light
ing plant for the city of Salem should
at once get their propositions into
tangible shape, and submit them,
with a fiat price at which the property
can be obtained.
1t should be remembered that in
September the present lighting con.
tract with the city expires, and what.
ever action is taken for the submis.
sion Of this matter to a vote of the
people under the present charter will
have to be taken at once. The next
Legislature may take away the power
of the people to get a direct vote on
this matter, and then the opportunity
will be gone. Under the present char
ter the people can acquire a lighting
plant Independent of the city council,
and that action should be followed up
by installing a plant that will guar
antee cheaper lights to the city and
to the nsum
Reduced Bills One.Half.
J. Conner, proprietor of the William
cite Hotel, of this city, was seen by a
Journal reporter, relative to the pro.
posed public ownership of an electric
lighting plant. Mr.. Conner, some
months ago, installed a private gae
plant, from which he has since lighted
his hotel, as an venue of escape from
) what he considers e%xhorbitant prices
imposed by the lighting company. Mr..
Conner invested about $500 in his
plant. having a capacity of 200 lights
of 100 candle power each, and has
since been able to do the lighting at
the unsual figure of 500 per month,
He admits that he does not like the
light as we'll as frst-class electricity
service, but since he could not get
good lighting service from the com
pany, he felt this was the best way.
He has reduced his bill from one-half,
and increased the efficiency of his
light nearly 100 per cent. At the same
time, he is frank enough to admit
that in a public place, where every
body handles the light, and it is used
in all the way from rs to $50 places
in the building, he prefers electricity.
! AS a natural consequence, Mr.. Conner
is very much in favor of the city of
Salem conducting a lighting business,
either by purchasing the present
plant and operating it, or by putting
in a new plant of its own.
What an Ohio Town Has Done.
Mr.. Henry Hartman, of Wapakone,
ia, Ohio, a town of 5000 inhabitants,
is in the city, visiting his cousins, the
Barr brothers and sisters. He is in
the jewelry business in his town, and
is taking an extended vacation in the
West. He is especially interested in
the movement agitated here Of the
city ownership Of a lighting plant,
and told The Journal reporter Of his
city's experience in that line. They
expended about $4,000 on their plant.
The public are furnished incandescent
lights at so cents each per month, and
in buildings using over IL lights 35
cents each per month. Two thousand
power arc lamps are furnished at
S. per month. This has been in opera.
ton for five years, and, he says, is
proving a great success. Their city Is
one of the best lighted in that section,
and the enterprise is paying a neat
profit, even al the low rates charged,
as the last statement shows a surplus
of above $1,000, after paying interest
OF the investment, wear and tear and
all running expenses. He says the
people of any city have a right to get
their light at the lowest possible hg'
ure. and that plenty Of light. public
and private, is a necessity. Neighbor
ing towns in Ohio that have not yet
put in lighting systems. or nave lights
furnished by private corporations, are
sending committees to investigate the
Wapakoneta plan, and all become sat
ished that public ownership Is the
right thing.
Mr.. Hartman is not a member OF the
council. nor has he been connected
with the state government In any way
since this enterprise has been started
He Is a director in the Peoples Ma