The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-08-14
THE LIGHTING
CONTROVERSY
Reply Of the Civic Association
Committee to the Street
Lighting Committee.
THEY DIFFER in CONCLUSIONS.
EDIroRs OF THE CHRONICLE


We ask permission to use SO much Of |
your space as is necessary for the pub
lication of the following comments up
on the report of the Street Lighting
Committee of the Board of Aldermen,
signed by MeSSrs. Lewis and Rutan,
upon the points resulting from the in |
yestigatiOn made by us oflighting con-
ditiOnS in MorriStOwn.
The following is a statement Of the |
general conclusions of our report to- |
gether with the action of the commit |
tee thereup0n.
a.. Our report shows that the Elec- |
trio Light Company has been violating |
its CONTRACT with the town in that
az 1t has been furnishing lights of |
less than the required candle power:
~ 1t has failed to keep its lights |
In good condition.
The committee dismisses these find |
ingS, which were based on the most
careful examination, conducted by a |
expert, by reporting that it has 'sc0Dz- |
ss1,szcase17 zO15I tie c0nsban1eS
and Is sstf0t,meG that Tie klgJlfs JulflI
the contract ve9NfyeN5ents.u 1.-THE iual- |
les are our OWn).
has made no investigation, because not |
authorized TO do so by the Board but
neither In its report, nor at the meet !
ing of the Board, did it suggest or re- |
commend that such an Investigation
be authorized, although attention was
specifically called to the point at the
meeting.
AS to defective lights, this branch of
the matter Is deemed sufficiently an
Swered by the statement that the
Electric Light Company has regular
" enTblOyeZ a man 10 supervise thezy
lzgsts during me evenSng 0f each day,
and replace tEose f0atad TO be aefectf5,e. y
again our italics.
Lastly the committee observes g IN
z,iez0 Of tie e0DipNsky'S degtyz5zg tie truth
of me charges made we cannot recon-
mend the refusal to pay the current
bills for lighting without additional
information on the subject which
information it had concededly not en-
deavored to obtain before the Board
meeting, nor did it endeavor at the
meeting to get authority to obtain
such information thereafter.
We believe ourselves entirely juSti-
fed in characterizing this document as
a truly remarkable production. In
deed if it we're not an official record,
and If the subject were not very ser
ious one, we should have difficulty in
treating it other than In the light of a
jest. Evidently however, the gentle
men OF the committee are not blessed
with that sense Of humour which
would permit them to see the absurd
ity of, (tirSt) gravely asking the Elec-
tric Light Company if it has been;
good y; Esecond) being entirely salts
fed with its solemn answer in the az
tirmative, despite our Overwhelming
proof to the contrary; (thirdl making
no effort to obtain further infOrma-
tion in the premises, or even to obtain
from the Board authority to employ
an expert for the purpose OF getting
such information; Fourth being will
ing to take the cOmpany'S statement
that it 'shaS regularly employed a man
to supervise lights as a sufficient an
swer to our definite proof that she
lights were not as matter Of fact
either supervised on replaced accord
ing TO the contract, ana (lastly and
above alb thinking chat the citizens
of MOrriStOWn will be as easily salts
fled as the committee has been, either
upon the above points, or to the effect
that the committees claims that it,
has always Gone its own full duty in
the premises are well founded.
B. The next point made by our re
port was thatsthe Gas Company had
been guilty of similar violations OF its
contract with the town.
And the citizens will remember that
here also our charges were absolutely
proven by the same kind of clean-cut,
diSinterested and competent expert
testimony as in the case of the Elec-
tric Light Company.
Despite this proof, however, the
Committee diSmiSSeS the charges,
with the same remarks above quoted.
1t does, however, concede that there
have been some complaints against
the gas service, but shows willing
ness to shift the burden of these de-
ticiencieS upon the shoulders of certain
negligent or malevolent small boys
employed to light the street lamps,
whose sinful acts OF omission or COM
mission have, 1t Is claimed, caused
harm to the public and the company
as well. In other words, in the case
Of any such complaints, the commit
tee appears to have been as willing to
accept che c0mpany's explanations as
lttA1A Ao ~ 1elo CCNAl III OAtC CeAoO VI OUl
own charges.
Our foregoing comments apply with
equal force TO this branch Of the COM
mIttee's reply.
@. Our report, in the next place,
demonstrated that the cost of electric
ity both to the public and to private
consumers was greatly excessive.
This very impOrtantf feature receives
not work of attention from the COM
mittee, and stands admitted.
u. Our report also showed that the
cost Of gas to private consumers is ab-
|surdly high.
Here again the committee is silent,
thinking possibly that it is no part OF
its duty 10 take any steps to protect
the individual citizen from excessive
charges by public utility corporations.
e. Our report next urged certain
specific action upon the Board, to the
end that bids for new contracts might
be asked for in October OF this year,
allowing time enough for new COM
pany to be organized in order to com
pete, in case the existing concerns fail
ed to give the town and its citizens
the consideration to which they are
IN our opinion entitled.
The committee refuses to take any
action Whateyer IN this connection,
because
(First) 1t is advised that it has no
power to take action.
(Second) 1t thinks that the matte
should IN any event be left to the in