The Cairo bulletin., 1907-07-15

| wig SyaitIl, u type never ppncfHll,
adopted in this country. This eqnir
ment, say Mr.. Edgar and Mr.. Clark
compels the consumer in South MOI
walk to pay 20 per cent more for tn
light produced than would be neces
sary under better system.
The Detroit electric undertaking Il
found to be of type of about Is year
ago and the capacity can hardly be ey
banded within the present building I'm
less the type CT operating units /,
charged to those of a more moderi
class.
The Allegheny plant is described a,
poorly designed, inefficient and ex
pensive to operate" Appropriations
for technical equipment have beer
neglected to such an etxent, say the
reviewers, that the electrician had IL
Bald his own switchboard out of
such junk as he could collect from
| machine shop yards"
or Chicago's four municipal elpc.
| trio plants. three are declared to be
of obsolete type, while the fourth i;
not properly constructed for econo.
mical operation, The stations are
scattered through the city wi hout sys-
tenn and are very poorly located. The
plants use l,400,0O0,00o gallons Of city
water minimum for which no charge
us made. OF the GOO lamps in use
ALSO are of type which has been
generally discarded throughout the
country.
On the subject Of operating eff
cheney, 1t is set forth that economical
operation in Allegheny is much hin.
dered by the unnecessary number of
employees. Six or eight fthe force
could be dismissed, reducing the pay.
roll Is to 18 per cent, and the half
dozen extra laborers often put on for
political purposes mt election time
could be dispensed with, changes
which would add to the efficiency Of
the service as well as lowering is
cost" In Chicago, the civil service
rules are declared to be a source of |
neiflciency. Men who have become
inefficient are held in responsible 20. |
5itlons longer than they should be /
ma the best men are often prevented |
rom being advanced In rank or chos.
IN from the outside because OF lack
If the special knowledge required by
he civil service examiners,
The Contrary View.
That the municipal electric light |
undertaking. at South Norwak Conn.
s one of the most successful plants. I
ither publis or private in the United /
'tates or Europe Is the opinion ex-
'ressed by Mr.. Bemis. The operation
II the cl.s-~s-~--4-i---- ,----sss-y, CsyrTfs
nended the expert quoted by Mr. /
tennis estimating the profit to the city
IN the. plant up to the close of 1905
{ $40 433. The spoils system has
cen singularly kept out of the Chica-
o plant, according to Mr.. Bemis,
Though The plant itself is not all
lat could be desired. During tho
ear 1905" continues Mr.. Bemis. "the
ccountants estimated that the cost in
hicago, including interest and de,
recitation, was $4,000 per lamp as
with s102.92 per lamp
larged by the private companies. bu
lie cost of $l00.06 was reached by al
wing about $40 per lamp more for
lie value of water used and for depre.
alton than the accountants used in
ny of the previous years. or than they
nd found necessary to tally with the
easurements of water actually used
I'd the depreciation necessary to re
ice the original cost of the plant
their present appraised value. The
lportant point. however. from the =
of municipal ownership Is I.
at the cost Is less per arc than the
ty is paying for similar lights from
% private company.
ext to South Norwlak the most sue.
'ssful municipal electric lighting
ant has been that Of Detroit. II u
I'd been allowed 10 do a commercial
lsiness, It's success would have been
zen greater than has been possible
it'll only the lighting of streets and
lblic buildings.
THE only criticism OF the plant AMI
at not clearly proven, has been that
was unduly conservative In replac
& its open arcs and small generating
hts with inclosed arcs and larger
units. NJ oh progress. !
,wever. has in fact been made in !
is direction. and more is being made
lring the present year.
Allegheny, although confined 20
rect lighting. and suffering from the
'oils system and a poor location. has
,vertheless saved enough TO pay for
n plant on; of the difference be
'een her operating expenses and the
6 year which Pittsburg has had to
y for similar arc lights prior TO
&C."
Mr.. Bemis closes with a reference 20
litical and labor conditions. which
finds generally speaking. more IA
rable under the municipal undertak