The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-02-09
COMMUNICATION.
Editor OF cairo Bulletin:

Editor OF Cairo Bulletins
The Daily Argus. in its Monday
morning issue OF the Sth inst pub
fishes an editorial headed:
is the City to be Betrayed
The managers OF the Lighting
Plants in the City are not in the habit
Of resorting to newspaper articles to
advocate or defend their acts, but
when the editor Of the Argus wakes
from his dreamlend moods and by in.
ference would have the public believe
that we are grinding monopoly. hood
lers and grafters, we deem It proper
and iustitiablc on our part to resent
such unmerited and dishonest attack,
1t it possible that the gentleman
can only judge others By his own acts
of graft or does he only desire to in
tiiet his prejudice and spite on others,
who are seeking only fair and equit-
able return upon their Investments?
They say competition is the life of
trade, The city today is paying no
more for its lights than was charged
or contracted at the time that COM
petiag company wassorganized in this
city. some eleven years age, for the
purpose of furnishing lights. although
the cost of material, fuel and labor,
as all our citizens know, is at the
present time twenty-five per cent.
higher than when the now existing
price for furnishing lights was con.
tracted.
Tae prices now offered to the city
by our company for all night lighting
are less in proportion that heretofore
and mean a saving of about $4,000 to
the city under Ave years contract.
We beg to say that during the past
year we have been called upon by the
city 10 make many extensions beyond
the contracted electric lighted district.
involving large expense to us and
further demands are also made for adj
ditional extension. 1t is not equitable
to us to make these extensions and
expenditures unless we can feel as
sured of the continuance of this added
service for period of years. The
city council recognizing the demands
already made and future requirements,
asked cur company to submit a pro.
posal for all night lighting service.
In good faith and honorable considera,
ticn we have done So The city coun-
Gil committee have a list of some
thirty or forty cities. giving the prices
paid by them for similar lighting con.
tracts, and. with the exception of two
or three cities, the prices are higher
than are offered by our company. This
list is taken from the General Electric
Publication, and few of these cities
have the extensive wired area OF Cal,
70 There has been much talk about
municipal lighting and our mayer has
cited Nashville, Tenn, which owns and
operates an electric lighting plant
We have heard he has said that 1t
cost that city only $685. for all night
arc lights per month The fact is
they are using a small incandescent
arc light of GOO or 700 candle power
while these in our proposition call
for 1000 candle power each. or three
times greater or stronger light than
those used IN Nashville. Tenn The
superintendent Of the Nashville Elec-
trio Plant in his annual report for the
year 1903. gives the following; Total
cost Of plant to date $4,000, cost of
operating the plant for the year $27,-
29337, interest on bonds and deprecia
ton $4,000. total expenses for light
ing s39,293,37 Taking the number of