The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-20

II
Pleasant Grove have been trying
the experiment of municipal ow-
nership in their light plants. The re-
suit Of this experiment is of special
interest TO the people of Salt Lake at
This time in view of the movement to
extend the franchise of the Utah Light
X Railway company for forty years
from the expiration of the franchise
now held by the company. The salient
facts relating TO the Logan and Utah
county plants are given herewith:
The municipal lighting plant of Lo-
gan was established eight months go.
There the city owns the power, the dis
tribution plant, the power plant and
the lamps. The entire plant has cost
mp to this time S96 600. It includes $50
horse power in Logan canyon, which
can be doubled without trouble to meet
the demands of the growing city There
IS power enough in sight now to fur
nish all the light needed in a city of
80 coo people. A substantial power
house has been erected in the canyon,
where four miles of the river is in the
absolute control of the city. Already
$500 feet of wooden stave pipe has been
constructed. This is five feet in dame
ter and is expected to last for twenty
years 500 foot hume is also includ-
ed. The entire plant. including the
poles and wires I'm the city. the trans
formers and all the apparatus that
goes with such plant cost but $50, 600.
The city owned the power right to be-
gin with. and this is held to be worth
$l0c. Q0c.
How the Plant Is Run.
The operating expenses Of this plant
are $500 per month. This includes the
salaries of the manager, the electrical
engineer, the wOrkmen and all the in
cidental expenses in the way of re-
pairs. The manager is OTsOn Smith,
the electrical engineer is Thomas L.
Daniels, jT. The plant is run under the
direct supervision of the city council
Manager Smith reports to the electrical
committee OF the council each week
Once every three months a report is
published so that every citizen is
placed in the possession of all the
facts relating to the operation of the
light plant.
But the feature OF the Logan situa-
ton that will appeal directly to the
people of Salt Lake at this time is the
cost OF the light to the consumer. Here
are the rates: Three sixteen-candle
1ncandeScent lights are furnished for
81 per month. There are no meters in
the city. and for the 81 the consumer
can let his lamps burn day and night
the entire twenty-four hours of every
day ia the month The light Of one
siXteen-candle power lamp Isl furnished
for 80 cents a month and the light for
two such lamps for 20 cents a month
Additional lights are furnished at the
rate of SO 1-3 cents per month. Arc
lights are furnished at the fiat rate of
50 per month. Many thirty twO-candIe
power lamps are used for lighting the
streets and large rooms The light for
these is furnished at the rate of 50
cents per month, and in this case also
the consumer has the privilege OF run
ming his lamp night and day if he so
desires. In these cases also the lamps
are furnished by the light company
There are in use now in the city $500
siXteen-candle power lamps. The num-
Der is increasing rapidly.
Service Better and Cheaper.
Manager Smith is authority for the
Statement that the system is giving mi
Nersal satisfaction, that the service is
better and cheaper than ever before
and that a proposition to return to the
private corporation plan Of lighting the
city would be hOwled down by one uni
versal protest from the people of the
city.
The situation in Logan is complicated
somewhat by the fact that the TeIIur-
fde people have a lighting plant in the
city also and are supplying light for
about 1000 16-candie power lamps.
The company has made a proposition
40 sell it's distributing system i'm the
city 10 the city and take in exchange
power in the canyon. on the other
hand the city has made a counter
proposition 10 purchase the distrib-
uting system for SOS, 600, and has given
the Telluride people until March 1 to
accept or reject the proposition. The
indications are that the two corpora
iions viii get together on some reas-
enable basis. and that I'm the near
future Logan will supply all the light
used by the people of that city.
The Utah County Light & Power
Company furnishes light and power for
Pleasant Grove. American Fork ana
Iehi. The power plant is situated at
the mouth of American Fork canyon in
Utah county. The plant was begun in
1899 and finished a year later. II has
been in active operation since 1901. The
control of the stock is held by the
municipal corporations of the three
cities mentioned: the balance is held
by private parties.
The original plant was soon over
loaded with drafts made upon il. prov
ing that municipal lighting in that part
OF the state is popular Last year a
duplicate set of machinery was Install
ed. Provision was made FOR this when
the power-house was erected. Addi-
fions viii be made from time to time
10 accommodate the patrons of the
company.
The cost Ct the plant up 20