The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-02-04


= How TO test your electric me- =
> ter.
> Take the reading of your meter =
= before turning ON light. AT the =
> end OF one hour read it again. The ?
> difference VIII show the number .
= Of watts used. A new 16-candle .
= power lamp should burn Efty-six p
= watts Ia one hour. le the record =
= shows more than that per lamp =
= something is wrong aud the me- .
> ter and lamps should be tested. >
= = > > , > > -
NUMEROUS complaints have been
III made recently on electric light
bills Many patrons or the
Utah Light & Railway COMPANY
were surprised TO fad their
monthly bills much larger. and they
have besieged the Office with protests.
a large proportion were inclined to
figure some connection between the re-
cent merger of the light and railway
companies and the increase in the light
bills.
From all sides The Herald has been
informed of instances where residence
light bills have been largely increased
within the last two months, ia one
instance a man whose monthly bin
has been $3.50 to IS was charged SO for
the month OF January. in a large num-
Der Of cases the bills have been
doubled or more, Protests at the COM
pany offices have usually been vain. Pa
irons have the alternative of paying
The bills or having their lights turned
/ of. They usually pay
On behalf of the company General
Manager r. S. Campbell says that bills
] are rendered only for service actually
given. and that only i'm rare instances
/ are the meters inaccurate, then some
/ times in favor of the consumer.
In Favor Of the Company.
In many instances the difference is
! declared 10 be due To the change in
/ meters. The old-style ampeTe-mcters
/ are being taken out and replaced by
new style watt meters. These are de-
1 clared 10 be much more accurate-and
] the difference is in favor of the com
psny.
! The recent combination of the light
power and railway interests. giving q
monopoly TO one company, has had the
effect Of greatly increasing the use OF
electric lights There are some 900 orr
more street railway employees. The tip
has gone out among them advising
them TO install electric lights in their
homes They are 70 be given the usual
reduction to employees Of two-tnlrds-
but the impression is prevalent that %
would be extremely advisable FOR aii
street car men fond Of their jobs 81
burn electricity. They are acting ac-
cordinEiy Coming with the announce
ment that free rides going to and from
I work are to be- cut of. this has rot
made them in the best of humor-
Protests Against Bills.
But the biggest protest has come
from those who are already regular pa &
irons of the electric liEht monopoly. The
increase in the bills has been designated
robbery by indignant citizens and
there has even been talk Of taking the
rDatrer1nto the courts. as has been done
in New York. Tt is believed that the
company .codId at least be forced To- give
accurate measurement, although 20
claims to do this already.
/ Electricians not connected with the
Utah Light & Railway company saw
the recent connection of the system
with the Bear River power plant the
adjustment TO the new conditions and
the i-reguIarity IN voltage may have had
something 70 do with the larger light
bills
zone trouble with the local system
lis it's irrcguIaTity,' said an electrician
Yesterday. Especially since the new
power has been added. Much of the
time the pressure or voltage is couslo-
erablv above the normal This makes
the current greater. increasing the cost
and it deteriOrares the lamp. making
the cost regularly greater 10 obtain q
given light
Manager Campbell Explains.
General Manager r. s. Campbell and
Murray c. GOdbe. superintendent OF
/ electric service of the Titan Light &
Railway company. admit that This mas
made n difference but declare lt has
been extremely small.
Il was surprised at my own light
bin for the month of December said
Mr. Campbell 1T vas about % p.
cent higher than for November ] be-
. gan investigating. however, and found
. that I had actually used the light, it
/. Inearlv. every instance where complaint
is made of excess charges. this WIZ
be found 10 be the case-Jhe light IS
actually used.
'In a large proportion OF the cssri
when we test meters we Hud tEeI
against the company
With a representative OF The Her
, aid. Mr. Campbell went over large
number Of sheets, showing the tests
on meters. Nearly au OF them Wer.
, within fraction Of i per cent or De-
ing accurate. few were more tnan
per cent inaccurate, but nearly al
erred in favor of the company