The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-21
TO LIGHT THE STREETS.
Edison Company Wants the City
Plant Discarded

i The regular contest to kill munich
pal ownership In Topeka has started
once more. This time it is aimed at
! the lighting system.
The Edison company has made a
series of proposals to the city council
At a meeting of the committee on
ways and means last night the pro-
| positions were gone over and very
| favorably considered. The various
company were:
Proposal A-The company to fur
nish and install all necessary boilers,
engines, generators. switchboard and
auxiliary station appliances necessary
| for supplying sufficient current for
500 series alternating lamps at PA
| cents per kilowatt hour, or h cents
per kilowatt hour for current for
magnetic lamps, less one-quarter of a
| cent per kilowatt hour in each case if
| the bills are paid on or before the
| 18th day of the month next succeed
ing that in which the current is fur
/ nished.
! Proposal B-The company to fur
nish current and the lamps for series
alternating lamps for $3S.10 each per
annum, or $33.35 for magnetic lamps.
and maintain the pole line and trim
and maintain the lamps.
Proposal C-The company to fur
nish current and lamps and trim the
l
mating system, and $42.15 each for
magnetic system. Under this pro-
posal the city will own and maintain
| the pole line.
Proposal D-The company to PRO
vide all necessary machinery, circuits
and lamps, and furnish the complete
service for $3.50 per lamp on the
series alternating system, or $50 per
lamp on the magnetic system. This
proposal is based upon the purchase
| by us from the city of its poles, their
value to be fixed by board of three
appraisers, you to choose one. we an
| other and these two third.
Proposal E-This is a duplicate of
proposal D except that we will fur
nish all new poles instead of acquiring
those belonging to the city. Under
this proposal we will furnish the SER
vice for $50 per lamp on series alter
mating system and $3.50 on mag
netite system.
| Each of the foregoing proposals. in
so far as they relate to the alternating
system is based on standard $50 watt
| lamps, and all night and every night
| service for 500 lamps for a period of
ten years.
The committee on ways and means
consider proposal D the best of the
series. The acceptance of this pro-
posal would mean an expenditure of
s27, 500 by the city and this would be
very slightly larger than the expense
Of recontrueting the present plant ac-
cording to the plans drawn by R. w.
Freeman. These plans would provide
plant which it is estimated would
require an expenditure of $4,000
yearly to run. This estimate does not
include any expenses of repair and
calculates upon the supposition that
the most competent men will run the
plant. The estimate therefore is very
likely too low.
If the city accepts the proposal, the
Edison company will pay $1,000 for
the poles and will give II cents a
pound for all the copper wire in use
at present. These two items will mean
about $4,000 for the city. The poles
now in use would.-have to have the
rotted ends cut off and this would
lower the lights. is IL
The committeeman favor the mag
netite lamp. This lamp is used in St.
Joseph. The cost of maintenance of
this lamp is lower than the alternat-
ing series lamp. A list was presented
showing the cost of lighting to cities
in Kansas and Missouri where the
lights are contracted for and in every
case the cost was greater than the bid
made by the Edison company.